Learning Growth Marketing as a Solo iOS Developer

One of the hardest parts of launching my first subscription app wasn’t the coding—it was the marketing.

There were just too many channels, tactics, and opinions. I read tons of blogs and books, but still found it difficult to compare different strategies, prioritize what mattered, and figure out what actually applied to my situation. The noise was overwhelming.

Some channels also came with upfront costs. For example, a marketing expert told me that to see meaningful results with Apple Search Ads (ASA), I’d need to spend at least $1K per month. That’s not a trivial amount when you’re bootstrapping.

At one point, I even considered partnering with a marketer. I met a promising co-founder candidate who had been a director of marketing at a B2B company. But I didn’t know how to evaluate her skills for a B2C subscription app. Would her experience translate? I wasn’t sure—and that uncertainty played a big role in my decision not to team up.

Looking back, I think if I’d had a better understanding of early-stage marketing—especially the differences between traction and growth phases—I might’ve known what to look for. At the very least, I could’ve asked better questions to gauge her fit.

So I decided to take the long route: learn marketing myself.

Recently, I started a course called Demand Curve, created by a YC-backed company. I’m still working through the fundamentals, but it’s been rock solid so far—clear, actionable, and founder-friendly.

I’ll share more as I progress through the course and start applying what I learn to my apps. If you’re a solo dev like me trying to build sustainable income with B2C subscriptions, this might be something worth checking out too.