The Mobile User Acquisition Show

Hosted by Shamanth Rao

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278

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the Mobile User Acquisition Show, in which we talk about how to use mobile user acquisition strategies to grow your app quickly and capital-efficiently. Each episode includes strategies, tips and pointers from the leading edge of mobile user acquisition that can help you unlock tremendous growth for your app.The Mobile User Acquisition Show is produced by the team at RocketShip HQ. With 8 figure UA spends managed and over 10,000 ads produced, we deliver profitable growth for breakthrough B2C apps & help them navigate the brave new world of privacy-first, post-identifier marketing. See also: our live workshop series on marketing in a post-identifier world: https://mobilegrowthlab.com/

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60 recent

June 2, 202623 min

Three numbers decide whether AI sends users to your app. Simon Thillay on the one most teams aren't tracking yet.

How does an ASO specialist with 10+ years of experience think about AI visibility in 2026?In this episode of Intelligent Artifice, Simon Thillay from AppTweak shares what the data actually shows about how AI tools like ChatGPT are discovering and recommending apps today. ChatGPT owns the platform. Grammarly is outranking it inside its own answers. Simon knows exactly why.This conversation covers what is actually changing in app store optimization, how AI visibility works differently from traditional ASO, and why the gap between apps that show up in AI-generated answers and those that don't is already opening up.AppTweak's research found that the most cited domain in ChatGPT answers for app-related queries is the App Store itself. Simon's team tested the same intent across ten different phrasings and found Grammarly consistently outranking ChatGPT for business writing app recommendations inside ChatGPT. The difference was not product quality. It was how Grammarly positioned itself for specific user contexts across its app store presence.Simon also points to one specific part of the App Store listing that most ASO teams have never touched, and explains why it is now one of the strongest levers for AI visibility in 2026.Video Chapters:00:00 – Introduction & Podcast Technical Mishaps 00:46 – How AI is Changing App Store Visibility 01:42 – Pre-searching Apps via LLMs (ChatGPT Traffic) 02:14 – The Role of App Store Optimization (ASO) in AI Answers 02:40 – Optimizing Long Descriptions for AI Search 03:19 – Writing for Humans vs. Writing for AI (User Personas) 04:08 – Structuring Content & Entity-Based Writing for AI 05:07 – Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) & The Open Web Ecosystem 06:26 – How to Audit Your App's AI Visibility (Intent vs. Prompts) 07:11 – Case Study: Grammarly Outperforming ChatGPT on Niche Intents 07:54 – Measuring AEO Impact: Coverage, Rank, and Sentiment 09:02 – Where to Find Simon ThillayTopics covered:App Store optimization and AI visibility in 2026How ChatGPT and LLMs discover and recommend appsAEO strategy for mobile appsEntity-based writing for app store listingsMeasuring AI visibility across coverage, rank, and sentimentAppTweak research on AI-driven app discoveryLearn more: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/aso-for-ai-simon-thillay/- Episode pagehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-thillay-58b95997/- Connect with Simon on LinkedIn

May 27, 202628 min

He led growth at Twitch and Discord. Now he runs solo on Claude: with Justin Gerrard

How does a growth operator who built and managed large teams at Twitch and Discord work today as a solo fractional CMO?In this episode of Intelligent Artifice, Shamanth Rao sits down with Justin Gerrard, fractional CMO and former growth lead at Twitch and Discord, to talk about how he uses Claude day to day to plan his week, build GTM plans, and deliver work for multiple startups at once. Justin shares where AI genuinely saves time, where human judgment is still the difference maker, and why letting AI run on autopilot is a trap most teams fall into.If you work in growth, GTM, or performance marketing, this is a practical and honest look at what working with AI actually looks like in 2026.Chapters:00:00 Intro: Justin's background at Twitch and Discord01:21 Building performance marketing at Twitch03:22 AI Speed: Weeks of work vs. a few hours05:54 AI as an Operating System06:33 Justin's Monday Morning AI routine08:05 The 60/70 Rule for AI productivity09:12 Why 100% AI work is a hiring red flag10:11 Case Study: A localized GTM plan14:52 Creative Strategy: Automated UGC at scale16:30 The Trap of Autonomy in AI content18:13 Brand Safety: The 18 Curses story19:15 The Librarian vs. The Author21:35 Human Creators vs. AI Avatars A/B Test24:55 Where to find Justin onlineKey things we cover in this episode:✅ How Justin structures his Monday morning using Claude Desktop and MCP connectors✅ Why he caps AI contribution at 60 to 70% on every GTM plan✅ Why AI is a fast librarian but not an author✅ How he A/B tested AI creators vs human creators in a paid ad campaign and what the results showed✅ Why fully automating content output does not drive real results✅ What experienced operators still bring to the table that AI cannot replicateLearn more:https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/ai-gtm-strategy-justin-gerrard/https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-gerrard/ - Connect with Justin on LinkedIn

May 20, 202642 min

How to build winning web-to-app funnels (with Elise Zareie)

Web funnels are like teenage hex.Everyone claims they are crushing it. Almost nobody really has a clue.Elise Zareie spent last year actually building them.She has been in UA since 2019. Last year she became a part-time product manager just to ship funnels herself. That meant learning Figma, coordinating designers, front-end developers, back-end developers, and analytics teams. Running QA. Shipping it. Then using AI to test faster than she ever could before.In this episode she talks through what the process actually involves, the three levers that move the needle in any funnel, the one benchmark she watches obsessively on landing pages, how she uses Claude to generate full funnel copy from screenshots of top-performing creatives, and why AI visuals are making consumers more suspicious, not less.Key topicsWhy web funnels are harder to build than most people think and what the process actually looks likeHow to identify the dominant funnel in a vertical before building anythingThe 40% page-one to page-two benchmark and what to do when you fall below itHow to match landing page copy to ad creative using UTM tagsHow Elise uses Claude to generate funnel copy and assessment questions from top-performing creativesHow AI helped her launch a male-specific funnel in two weeks for an app with 80% female usersWhy AI-generated visuals are creating consumer suspicion and what to do about it

May 11, 202649 min

After shipping 30+ apps in 18 years, he went vibe coding solo with AI: with David Barnard

In this episode, I'm joined by David Barnard — indie app developer, RevenueCat Developer Advocate, and host of the Sub Club podcast — to talk about what happens when someone with 18 years of App Store experience picks up vibe coding for the first time.David has launched 30+ apps, sold four, and seen every major shift in the App Store since day one. Now he's building a new app entirely on his own — no contractors, no coding partners — just Claude Code, Codex, and decades of product intuition.This conversation goes deep on what's actually changed, what still requires human judgment, and why distribution matters more than ever in a world where anyone can ship an app.What we cover in this episode:- Why vibe coding finally clicked for David — and what changed in the last 12–18 months- How 18 years of App Store experience shapes what you can build with AI- Claude Code vs. Codex — how David uses both and plays them off each other- Why product intuition is still the hardest thing to replicate with AI- The real cost of building an app in 2025 vs. 2020- Why distribution is the new moat — and how David is thinking about it- RevenueCat's Rico: talking to your business, not just your data- Why "if you build it, they will come" has never been true on the App StoreWhether you're an indie developer, founder, or operator, this episode will reshape how you think about building and shipping in the AI era.Content Update: Rico is no longer just in beta! You can now access these insights directly in your RevenueCat dashboard.Learn more: — Podcast hub🌐 https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/ — Podcast hub🌐 revenuecat.com — Subscription infrastructure for mobile apps🎙️ https://www.youtube.com/@SubClubHQ - App business insights from the people building them

April 30, 202637 min

🚀 He built a system to scale to 4,000 AI video ads/month: with Patrick Stuart-Constant 🤖📈

🚀 In this episode, I’m joined by Patrick Stuart-Constant, who has been building AI-driven creative systems long before it became mainstream.Patrick breaks down how his team scaled from producing hundreds to thousands of ads per month using generative AI — and why more AI actually required more humans, not fewer.He explains why “AI slop” isn’t an AI problem but a creativity problem, how to balance automation with human taste, and why the future of marketing belongs to teams that can combine velocity with originality.If you're running paid acquisition, building creative systems, or thinking about scaling with AI, this episode is packed with practical insights and hard-earned lessons.🎙️ What we cover in this episode:✅ Why early adoption of generative AI created a compounding advantage✅ The real reason most AI ads fail (and why it’s not the AI)✅ How to scale from 4,000 → 10,000+ ads per month✅ Why adding AI increased the need for human creativity✅ How “unicorn ads” actually emerge from experimentation✅ Using Bayesian models to find signal in creative testing✅ AI agents for pre-ranking ads before spending budget✅ Why creative velocity is the new moat in paid acquisitionWhether you're a founder, growth leader, or creative strategist - this conversation will change how you think about scaling ads in the AI era.🔗 Learn more:🌐 rocketshiphq.com - Growth systems for high-spend advertisers🌐 http://MobileUserAcquisitionShow.com - feat. all things mobile user acquisition

February 20, 202527 min

🧠 How to unlock player psychology to build better ads with Bastian Bergmann, Co-founder // COO at Solsten 💎

Our guest today is Bastian Bergmann, Co-founder and COO of Solsten. In this episode, he shares how psychology can revolutionize game marketing and creative advertising. Bastian discusses the power of understanding player motivations to craft ads that deeply resonate, driving better engagement and results. He explores real-world examples, like how a simple change in ad copy transformed performance for a Solitaire game, and highlights the role of AI in creating personalized experiences for players. I’m excited to share this deep dive into the intersection of psychology, AI, and marketing, and how these insights can reshape the way we approach creative strategy in the gaming industry.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/player-psychology-ad-creatives/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

January 21, 202524 min

🔋How AI is transforming creative production with John Gargiulo, founder of Airpost.ai 🔦

In this episode, John Gargiulo, founder of Airpost.ai, explores how AI is revolutionizing creative advertising. From transforming raw footage into high-quality, scalable ads to balancing human oversight with automation, John shares strategies for maintaining ad quality that rivals traditional production methods. We also dive into the future of AI-driven creative solutions and their potential to reshape performance marketing. Whether you're a marketer, creator, or tech enthusiast, this conversation offers valuable insights into the intersection of AI and advertising.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/ai-creative-production/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

November 11, 20243 min

🥇Going for Gold: 3 Paths to Hit 10% Day 365 Retention💰

In this episode, we dive into the elusive goal of achieving a 10% Day 365 retention rate in mobile apps. With so few apps reaching this milestone, I’ll outline the three proven paths to boost long-term retention: harnessing daily habits, fostering social connections, and delivering deep content. Tune in to discover how these strategies can drive not only retention but also LTV and ROAS, helping your app stand out in a competitive market.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/3-paths-day-365-retention-10-percent/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

November 4, 20242 min

🔦What really drives conversions & performance? Spoiler: It’s not context 🎈

In this episode, we explore the limitations of contextual targeting in mobile advertising. While matching ads with relevant content sounds promising, only past purchase behavior truly predicts conversions. I’ll break down why self-attributing networks that leverage purchasing data perform better and how to prioritize these networks over context-based DSPs.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/contextual-targeting-why/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

October 29, 20242 min

💸 Why Early-Stage Apps Shouldn’t Diversify Their Ad Spend 💡

In this episode, we explore why early-stage founders should resist the temptation to diversify their ad spend across too many channels. While it may seem like a good strategy, spreading your budget thin can hinder growth. I’ll walk you through the mechanics of ad algorithms, explaining why fewer channels can lead to better results. We’ll dive into the importance of focusing on self-attributing networks and how driving more conversions in one or two places can accelerate learning and performance. Tune in to understand how optimizing your ad strategy early on sets the foundation for scaling successfully across multiple platforms.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/early-stage-diversify/ **Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog