How to Market a Sobriety Counter App

A sobriety counter is a private calendar with a heavy meaning. Market it that way. An app is not treatment, not a sponsor, and not a joke about hangovers.

Who you are talking to

Someone on day 1, someone on day 40 who does not want a speech, or someone thinking about stopping and not ready to announce it. Pick one per post. "Day 40 and nobody around you knows" is a different product feeling than "tell your friends."

Lines that respect that

• "You don't have to post the number."
• "A counter that does not reset your worth when you reset the count."
• "The date is for you. Not for a story."
• "What to open instead of texting the group chat at 11pm."

Lines to avoid

Rock-bottom theater. Before-and-after faces. "I did it, so can you" from a founder who is using a stranger's story. Countdown graphics that treat a relapse as content. If you have permission and a real story, that is different from inventing one. Do not invent one.

Be plain about limits

Say the app counts days and can hold a note or a reason, if that is true. Say it does not replace medical care or a support group. People in this situation have already been sold miracle programs. A modest tool is easier to trust.

Post in the evening, when the decision is close, and keep the slideshow short enough to read with one thumb.