Kirtan Solanki

Building iOS apps in public. Sharing App Store lessons daily.
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[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

Most people treat AGENTS.md like notes.

The best builders treat it like a contract.

While building https://t.co/CePOczBUYY, I learned this the hard way.

One giant prompt is not enough for real product work.

Your AI agent needs rules:

plan before coding
replan when stuck
use sub-agents for hard tasks
save lessons back into the repo
check logs before claiming victory
run tests before saying done
touch only what the task requires

Every mistake should become a new rule.

That’s how your repo becomes smarter over time.

Not because the model magically improves.

Because your system does.

The prompt is not the unlock.

The workflow around the prompt is.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@stevepyoung Hey similar thing happened with me, my app also got rejected the 2nd time because i was showing an exit discount paywall offer. While apps like https://t.co/nmb1OTvZIx still use the same strategy, and also I got the acceptance of that in the first review
Weird right

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@_frederickjames This is gold man, you and @arthursbuilds give some amazing advice on apple ads and initially scaling apps with apple ads! Hope to hear more form you!

[Frederick James @_frederickjames]

My app hit $850/m in 24 days.

This is my Apple Ads System:
1. Type: Apple Search Ads.
2. Bid Strategy: Manage Bids.
3. Starting daily budget > $20/day.
4. Default Max CPT ~$1.20 (will vary by niche).
5. Search Match = OFF.
6. Keywords = biggest competitor's name.
7. Keyword Type = [Strict].
8. Audience = Specific.
9. Device = iPhone only.
10. Customer types = New users.
11. Demographic = All (Unless F/M niche).
12. Ad Scheduling = OFF.
13. First: Ad Default.
14. Later: Custom Ads (copy competitors).
15. Split campaigns into territories.
• Tier 1: US only.
• Tier 2: UK, CA, CN, JP etc.
• Tier 3: ROW: TH, MX, PH etc.
19. Your Max Bid scales by Tier
• Tier 1: ~$1.20
• Tier 2: ~$0.90 etc
20. CPC should also scale by Tier.
21. Don’t sleep on Tier 3: has been good to me.
22. If risks verse, start with a low Max CPT Bid.
23. In general: see how the ad spends over 1-2 days.
24. Apple ads have a lot of lag in my experience.
25. If the ad doesn't spend after 1-2 days, increase it.
26. Don't jump straight to $4 per bid.
27. I did this at first and set ~$150 on fire.
28. You need to learn your niche’s average bids.
29. I have not localised pricing yet.

Notes.
This strategy works if your app is the same niche & has a similar aesthetic to a big competitor(s).

We let the competitor do the marketing, bringing users in from socials to the App Store. We then catch users as they're searching, we interest them with our app instead of theirs. This also relies on having cracked app page, so your design needs to be on point. Apple Ads seem to cost a bit more than other platforms. But keep in mind these users are warm leads, they already have intent, and are more likely to convert in my experience.

My Stats:
Total ad spend: $584
Total Revenue: $964
Profit (after apple tax & refunds): $235.

30% profit margin w/o counting renewals / LTV.
This includes the ~$150 I set on fire when I first started.
So, it's realistically closer to 35%+.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

Apple Search Ads Update #3 for https://t.co/CePOczBUYY

After the zero impressions problem in the last update…I expanded the ad groups and we finally have movement: 146 impressions
- 2 taps
- $1.37 spent
- TTR: 1.37%

Almost all delivery is coming from Discovery_SearchMatch.

What I did: Raised bids on the groups that were actually getting impressions Added a couple of negative keywords to cut junk traffic. Kept the $5/day budget the same (we’re still not spending it fully)

Still not touching screenshots or the product page yet — only 2 taps so far. Right now the only goal is more relevant taps. Small progress but it finally feels like the campaigns are alive.

Running Apple Ads? How long did it take you to get your first real delivery? #AppleAds #BuildInPublic #iOSApp

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@MaxSteve_333 So true, relate! I wish there was a solution to this 😭😂

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@MaxSteve_333 Appriciate the praise, sure let’s connect.
Also should love to know what you are working one!

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

Started running Apple Search Ads 2 days ago…

Day 1: 0 impressions 😭I was honestly ready to give up.

Day 2: Increased the bids across all 4 ad groups → finally got 18 impressions.

Today (Day 3): Added a 5th ad group with broad match keywords. Now expecting 300–500 impressions.

The beginning is always the hardest part. Will keep updating daily with the real numbers.

Anyone else running Apple Ads right now? How’s it going for you?

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@AayanShips @nicklaunches Exactly, and congratulations!

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@Prince_of_web3 Hey!

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@Chiefosis96 I need

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@Chiefosis96 I need

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@Nitya_4u Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@james84_ Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@ChainChaserVN Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@foxtomb232 Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@CricTalk29 Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@Sarakhan49309 Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.

[Kirtan Solanki @Breajklo]

@ChainChaserVN Hey, I’m Kirtan 👋

I’m building https://t.co/3hjm8Qgkng and StoreKeys — an ASO research tool for indie app founders.

Would love to connect with founders building products, launching apps, and learning distribution.