Playbooks

Put a popular search phrase in your app's name

For a simple consumer app, find a phrase people often type into App Store search that big apps don't already own. Put it in the app's name and subtitle, for example 'Habit Tracker - Habit Kit', so App Store search brings users without ads.

The hard part: finding a search phrase with real volume that big apps haven't already claimed, then collecting enough reviews to climb the rankings.

Setup 1 weekRuns $20/moYour time A few hours a weekNeeds ClaudeVercel

Who pays

People who find the app through App Store search pay for a subscription or a one-time unlock through Apple's in-app purchases. The poster says HabitKit, a habit tracker, gets 98% of its users from the App Store and that its maker reached over $50K MRR across their apps. Those are the poster's figures about someone else's business. The source gives no prices, so any subscription price you choose is a suggestion.

How to build it

  1. Research search phrases first

    Use a low-cost App Store keyword tool and ChatGPT or Claude to find phrases people search often where the top results are beatable. Pick one main phrase and a few related ones.

  2. Put the phrase in the name

    Use the main phrase in the app name, for example 'Habit Tracker - Habit Kit', and fit the related phrases into the subtitle.

  3. Build a simple first version

    Use Claude Code or Cursor to build a basic app that does the one job the search phrase promises. Put a small support and privacy page on Vercel for the App Store listing.

  4. Test your screenshots

    Treat the store listing as the real product. Use App Store Connect's product page tests to try different screenshot sets and keep the one that turns more views into downloads.

  5. Keep asking for reviews

    Add Apple's built-in review prompt after a user's good moment in the app. More reviews and better rankings feed each other over time.

Sources on X

  • ArjunVr58131189 · Aug 18, 2026

    ArjunVr58131189 reports that Sebastian built HabitKit, a habit tracker for iOS, and took their apps to over $50K MRR total, with 98% of users coming from the App Store and no ads. These are the poster's figures about someone else's business. The poster describes the playbook as keyword research first, the main keyword in the app name (hence 'Habit Tracker - Habit Kit') and subtitle, a simple first version, screenshot A/B tests, and chasing reviews and rankings.

Ideas are curated from public posts and untested by us. Read the full note.