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Key Concepts

• Gamified Productivity: Integrating game mechanics (XP, levels, badges, leaderboards) into habit tracking to increase user retention.
• Influencer Distribution Strategy: Leveraging creator trust to drive app installs rather than relying on paid ads.
• CPM (Cost Per Mille): The cost an advertiser pays for every 1,000 views; used here to ensure marketing spend remains profitable.
• RPM (Revenue Per Mille): The revenue generated per 1,000 views/users; the benchmark for determining maximum allowable influencer spend.
• Minimum View Clause (MVC): A contractual agreement ensuring a creator delivers a specific number of views to justify the payment.
• Transaction Abandoned Paywall: A secondary, discounted offer presented to users who attempt to exit the initial subscription screen.
• Vibe Coding: The use of AI-assisted development tools (like Claude Code) to build software rapidly.

1. Business Overview: "Locked"

• Product: A gamified health and fitness app designed to keep users "locked in" and on task.
• Monetization:
  • Standard: $40/year or $7/week (includes a 3-day free trial).
  • Discounted: $20/year (triggered via a "transaction abandoned" paywall if the user attempts to exit).
• Performance: Scaled to $14,000/month in revenue within four months of launch.
• Tech Stack:
  • Design: Figma.
  • Development: Xcode, assisted by Claude Code.
  • Paywall Optimization: Superwall (for A/B testing).
  • Database: Supabase.

2. Growth Strategy: Influencer Partnerships

Evan’s primary growth engine is organic-style influencer content on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

Key Criteria for Influencer Selection:

• Engagement Quality: High-quality comments are prioritized over raw follower counts.
• Niche Alignment: The creator’s content must naturally align with the theme of "staying on task."
• Seamless Integration: The app must be featured within the first 15 seconds of the video to ensure maximum visibility.

The "Influencer Playbook" (Step-by-Step):

1. Outreach: Search for niche-relevant creators and send a direct message starting with "Paid promo?"
2. Discovery Call: Vet the creator and discuss potential partnership structures.
3. Profitability Check: Ensure the negotiated CPM is lower than the app’s RPM ($2–$3).
4. Contracting: Use one of four deal structures:
   • Flat Rate: Fixed fee (e.g., $500/reel). Best for high-confidence creators.
   • CPM Deal: Pay per 1,000 views with a strict price cap.
   • Minimum View Clause (MVC): The preferred method; pay a set fee (e.g., $800) contingent on hitting a specific view target (e.g., 600,000 views).
   • Bonus Deal: Base pay with an additional performance incentive for hitting high view milestones.
5. Execution: Provide clear video requirements and a one-week deadline.

3. Case Study: Jeremiah Jones

• Content: A video explaining how to stay "locked in," featuring the app within the first 15 seconds.
• Results:
  • Generated ~1,800 downloads and ~$3,000 in revenue.
  • Reached ~1 million views across platforms.
  • Cost: $800 (with a 600,000 minimum view clause).
• Impact: The video caused a daily revenue spike from $300 to nearly $1,000.

4. Founder’s Perspective and Philosophy

• Persistence: Evan emphasizes that "Locked" was not his first attempt; he previously built and sold "Problem Pal" ($2k/month) and developed several failed projects (dropshipping, vending machines).
• Anti-Hivemind: Evan argues that the traditional path (school -> college -> job) is often followed without question. He advocates for prioritizing business building over traditional education to gain a competitive advantage.
• Accessibility: The host, Pat Walls, notes that the barrier to entry for app development has collapsed. With AI tools, founders no longer need "permission" or massive teams to build and scale profitable software.

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

The success of "Locked" demonstrates that for modern app founders, distribution is more critical than complex feature sets. By focusing on a simple, gamified utility and utilizing a disciplined, performance-based influencer marketing strategy, Evan achieved rapid scale. The core takeaway is the importance of maintaining a strict CPM-to-RPM ratio and using Minimum View Clauses to mitigate risk while scaling through creator partnerships.