S
H
HabitKit
Login Join Starter Story
Source
Researched profile. Starter Story's AI research system compiled this page from 52 public sources — the founder didn't write it. Automated research can misread or misattribute a source, so treat figures as best-effort. How this works →
HabitKit logo

How HabitKit Grew

Visual habit tracker using tile-based grids.

How did HabitKit grow?

Summary of the sourced claims below

HabitKit grew primarily through building in public on Twitter, which helped gain early users, ratings, and momentum. App Store Optimization, including editing metadata and gathering user reviews, significantly improved its discoverability and rankings. Crossing a certain threshold led to accelerated downloads and revenue, further boosted by features in videos and podcasts.

Channels

13 channels · grouped by how HabitKit grows

  • Organic social media

    · 4 mentions · 4 sources
    “Twitter has been my main channel. I talk about my indie hacking journey and post updates, screenshots, new features, etc.”
    high
    Show 3 more quotes
    “Additionally, he uses Build in Public on Twitter/X (18,000 followers), LinkedIn (5,000 followers), and his newsletter 'Building an Indie App Business' with now 1,000 subscribers on Substack.”
    medium
    “Twitter has also been key. Posting updates, new features, and behind-the-scenes content brings visibility and keeps people engaged.”
    medium
    “I built in public, sharing screenshots, updates, and revenue transparently on X (Twitter). This not only brought early users but also helped him stay motivated through long stretches of slow growth.”
    medium

  • SEO

    · 3 mentions · 3 sources
    “Finally cracking the US App Store... ranking there changed everything. The impact was massive. My monthly revenue stabilized above $40k over the year.”
    high
    Show 2 more quotes
    “By carefully researching and selecting relevant keywords for my apps, I’ve improved the discoverability of my apps.”
    medium
    “Most of my users come directly from the App Store and Google Play.”
    high

  • Email List Growth

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Throughout the entire development process, I built HabitKit in public on Twitter, sharing everything about my journey and progress.”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “I had the honor of being a guest on Pat Walls’ Starter Story show.”
    medium

  • Online Community

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Building in public on Twitter/X has been by far the most successful way I've grown and marketed my apps.”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “Early on, building in public played a critical role. It helped HabitKit get its first users, early ratings, and initial momentum.”
    medium

  • SEO

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “the biggest thing probably was App Store Optimization. App Store Optimization is basically editing your App Store metadata like keywords, app name, or subtitle, or even the screenshots in the way that you're more likely to rank in the top spots when people search for certain keywords.”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “His secret? App Store Optimization (ASO).”
    high

  • Lead generation

    · 1 mention
    “What was clear is that once HabitKit crossed a certain threshold, downloads and revenue accelerated quickly.”
    medium

  • Every morning I wake up...

    · 1 mention
    “Another important aspect are search ads. I won a super simple and low budget Apple search ads campaign. I only spent $100 per month on it.”
    high

  • Meetup groups

    · 1 mention
    “When one of his posts goes viral, downloads follow.”
    medium

  • Podcast advertising

    · 1 mention
    “I also made two podcast appearances this year: I was a guest at the Happy Bootstrapping podcast... Thanks to both of these podcasts and their hosts, it was an honor to be featured on them.”
    medium

  • Product expansion

    · 1 mention
    “After the video was released, HabitKit saw a nice boost in downloads, which improved my rankings even more.”
    high

  • Pinterest ads

    · 1 mention
    “Podcast appearances, such as at Starter Story, mostly came through external requests.”
    medium

  • Testimonials

    · 1 mention
    “another important aspect of ASO is gathering user reviews for your app. I instantly show the native review dialogue.”
    high

  • Guest posts

    · 1 mention
    “In December, HabitKit was featured in an MKBHD video (on the 'The Studio' channel) which led to a huge spike in downloads and revenue.”
    high

How 2,669 businesses grow

Of businesses with mapped growth channels, the share using each — HabitKit’s highlighted.
  • Referral/Word-of-mouth
    68% ◀
  • Social media
    58% ◀
  • Search/SEO
    57% ◀
  • Email
    47% ◀
  • Community
    33% ◀
  • Content/Inbound
    31% ◀
  • Partnerships
    30%
  • Paid ads
    24%
  • Events
    24% ◀
  • Press/PR
    18%
  • Outbound/Sales
    16% ◀
  • Marketplaces/App stores
    8%
  • Brand Authenticity
    2%
  • Product expansion
    2% ◀
S
Starter Story
Support Privacy Terms