Mobile App Retention Strategies

Retention is mostly who you let in and whether the app does the job on day two. These are the moves that change that.

1. Alma — attract the person who has the job

Slideshows that name the job bring people who can retain. Vague posts bring people who leave. Alma writes and schedules those slideshows from your app link. $29/month for 500 slides, or $199/month with no cap.

2. A first session that finishes

One completed log, plan, or send. If they cannot finish, they will not come back. Cut steps until they can.

3. A reminder tied to the action

The time of day they do the thing. Not a daily badge. They swipe badges away and then swipe the app away.

4. A reason to return that is the product

Tomorrow's plan, the other person's reply, the streak only if a miss does not feel like a punishment. If the only reason to return is a notification, the product is empty.

5. A paywall that matches what they already felt

Charge for more of the thing they just finished. A surprise lock on day three feels like a trick, and tricks do not retain.

Watch the second day, not a vanity chart. The second day tells you if the first session was real.