Okay, so I was browsing Reddit and I came across this gem. A guy telling the story of how he grew his app to 1.4 million downloads. This guy was the owner of Sintelly.
Now, it's pretty clear that one of their strategies for promotion is through Reddit - that's where I found them after all! But, now let's hear their side of the story, of how they grew.
From Idea to App: The Beginning of Sintelly
In 2017, just before the dawn of the AI boom, Sintelly’s founder had an idea to leverage the growing popularity of mobile apps for a meaningful purpose: providing emotional and psychological support in a digital format.
His vision was straightforward yet ambitious: to build an app offering insights and exercises that could guide people toward greater emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Filled with personality quizzes, life satisfaction assessments, and psychology-based articles, the app initially bore the name "Emotional Intelligence." This name was strategic, crafted with a keen understanding of ASO (App Store Optimization) that ensured strong visibility and user acquisition on the app stores.
Early Success and the Challenges of Monetization
Almost immediately, the app resonated, gaining thousands of organic downloads each day (source). But success presented a challenge: how to monetize this rapid growth? Due to restrictions in his home country, he couldn’t sell directly through Google Play, leaving in-app advertising as the only revenue option. Through Google AdMob, he generated about $2,000 monthly, while downloads soared past 500,000.
The Big Rebrand: “Sintelly” is Born
In 2020, as the app community grew, he recognized the need for a memorable brand. He rebranded, coining the name “Sintelly” by merging "sentiment" and "intelligence." Yet, Sintelly’s evolution was not without its challenges. The founder envisioned transforming the app into a social platform, adding features like discussion forums, likes, and comments. However, this pivot led to unexpected declines, with active engagement falling short despite substantial ad spend. When COVID-19 disrupted everything, he had to pause development and find alternative work.
A New Path Forward: AI-Powered Support
Fast forward two years, and the tech world was abuzz with the rise of AI and tools like ChatGPT. Inspired, the founder saw a new path for Sintelly: a platform built around interactive, AI-driven support for mental well-being. This time, he partnered with psychotherapists to design a five-phase Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program, supported by 17 AI agents capable of guiding users on a structured self-improvement journey. This rebooted version of Sintelly was designed to offer users meaningful, individualized support through exercises and personalized assessments (source).
The Road to Revenue: Launching a Subscription Model
Initially, the founder made the app free, intending to gather users before monetizing. However, he soon realized the importance of charging for value right from the start. On July 1st, he launched a subscription model, and Sintelly began its journey of steady revenue growth, which he detailed in a follow-up post (source). By experimenting with pricing models, refining onboarding, and introducing A/B testing, he successfully increased his user conversion rates. These steps, alongside key adjustments like displaying the paywall before registration and adding a lifetime subscription option, boosted monthly revenue to around $3,500.