Founder Playbook · Sub Club by RevenueCat
9 tactics from Ramit Arora
Optimizing your Keywords and Monetization -- Part 2 with Ramit Arora, Microsoft
Watch the full episode“App store really democratizes everyone like just how Paramount Pictures and a YouTube influencer at the same stage when it comes to YouTube — a new app can pretty much get the top spot.”
App Store is the great equalizer — even Microsoft competes keyword-by-keyword
The App Store gives no permanent advantage based on company size or brand recognition. Microsoft targets competitor keywords and 'jobs-to-be-done' terms because any smaller app can outrank them if it does the work. That democratic reality means keyword strategy matters just as much for a trillion-dollar company as for a solo founder.
“Somebody may be looking for invoice and may end up at Excel because not everybody is like a business owner looking for a QuickBooks type of solution — sometimes you just need something very simple.”
Jobs-to-be-done keywords beat brand keywords — target "invoice" not "Excel"
Microsoft builds its ASO strategy around what users are actually trying to accomplish: resume creation, note taking, invoice creation, budgeting. Users searching a task keyword — not a brand — are high-intent acquirers. Mapping your app to specific jobs-to-be-done in your keyword bank surfaces it to users who wouldn't search your brand name.
“If we do find from ASA we find some things that are high performing we can obviously bring it back to our general ASO — and there's also the whole MMP angle there with ASO like trying to really make sense that if this is the keyword that is only driving monthly active usage or is it driving real subscription.”
Let Apple Search Ads tell you which keywords actually drive subscriptions — then move them organic
Running Apple Search Ads alongside organic ASO isn't just a spend decision — it's a measurement tool. Paid search reveals which keywords convert to paying subscribers, not just installs or MAU. Once a high-monetization keyword is identified through ASA data, fold it into the organic keyword bank to capture free traffic with proven LTV.
“CTA has to really communicate the free value if it's available so that it's just more comfortable to press that button — if you have a more comforting motion like definitely make sure to have that on the CTA.”
CTA must say "try free" — "buy now" kills free-trial conversion
Users are conditioned to fear accidental charges. When a paywall says "buy now" below copy that promises a free trial, the mismatch creates hesitation and killed conversion in Microsoft's tests. The CTA must mirror the offer — "Try free for 1 month" removes the friction that stops people clicking even when they want the product.
“Instead of like lines of text using some kind of cards with GIFs — sometimes an animation and like demonstrating the value almost like a little video kind of yeah, sometimes that or sometimes just illustrations.”
Cards and animated GIFs on your paywall outperform text — show the value, don't describe it
Microsoft moved away from bullet-point feature lists on its 365 subscription paywalls to illustrated cards and short animations — showing, for example, 1 TB OneDrive storage flowing to six family members instead of just naming the feature. In an era of TikTok and Reels, visual demonstration converts better than clever copy. Paywalls are now competing with video content for attention.
“We reordered them so we made family as a default subscription — and then when we reordered both started selling more and the one that went below the personal one it actually started selling a lot more.”
Put the more expensive plan first — price anchoring lifted both tiers
When Microsoft reordered its Microsoft 365 paywall to show the $9.99 family plan above the $6.99 personal plan, conversion increased for both tiers. The expensive anchor makes the cheaper option feel like a bargain — users "downgrade" to personal but still convert. Like walking into a Louis Vuitton store and buying the tie: the anchor triggered the purchase.
“Monthly equivalent price when people can see oh it's just going to cost me $8 even if they have to be billed for the whole year it's good — we saw success there.”
Show monthly equivalent price even when billing annually — "$8/month" converts better than "$99/year"
Annual subscriptions look expensive at first glance. Displaying the monthly equivalent price ($8/month) alongside the annual billing total ($99/year) dramatically increased conversion in Microsoft's tests — users process a small monthly number as affordable even knowing they'll be billed in one shot. This single framing change is one of the lowest-effort, highest-return paywall experiments available.
“Our CPI limits are like 50 times less in some cases than iOS CPI limits — basically it's like you can drive installs to Android and you can keep getting more and more monthly active usage but the percentage that converts to paying users is like super super low.”
Android monetizes 20x less than iOS — your CPI limits and LTV/CAC model must reflect that
Even Microsoft — with global distribution, pre-install deals, and six+ Android app stores in China — sees Android in-app purchase revenue lagging iOS by roughly 20:1. Android drives installs but not LTV. This means CPI limits for paid Android campaigns must be drastically lower, and every platform spend (tooling, MMP data points, engagement) must be weighed against dramatically smaller per-user revenue.
“Developers need to think more than just straight up expensive subscriptions — some of the price points may need to go down, some new business models may need to be there, there has to be much more thought that has to go in to monetize that platform.”
Android needs its own monetization strategy — you cannot copy-paste iOS
Android's lower monetization rate isn't a bug that patience will fix — it reflects different user economics, particularly outside North America. High-priced iOS-style subscription tiers underperform. Microsoft treats Android as a separate strategy requiring lower price points, alternative business models, and regional monetization thinking rather than a carbon copy of what works on iOS.