Indie App Playbook: 7 Hands-On Tutorials
From idea validation to growth loops — 7 one-hour tutorials covering the full path of an indie iOS app from zero to paying users. Based on 88 Adam Lyttle videos.
📚 Indie App Playbook · Series overview
A 7-part hands-on series covering the full path of building an indie iOS app for global markets: validate pain, pick a niche, ship MVP, App Store + ASO, cold start, convert + retain, and build a growth loop.
60 minutes per part, each ending with a concrete output. Not theory — checklists you can do today.
Why these 7 parts
The most expensive mistake new indie devs make is building for three months and then finding out nobody wants it.
This series is deliberately ordered by "risk first": validation comes first because it's where most apps die. Growth comes last because it doesn't matter if the first 5 steps are broken. Stop at any step that doesn't pass — it's far cheaper than fixing it after launch.
7-part roadmap
1️⃣ Validate Your App Idea in 1 Hour
Core question: Will anyone pay to solve this pain?
Dig 30 real complaints, capture 10 user quotes, ship a fake paywall funnel, drive small traffic, check 3 conversion rates. Don't build until this passes.
2️⃣ Pick Your App Niche in 1 Hour
Core question: Who do you serve — and who do you say no to?
Write your positioning as one 15-second sentence: "for [who], in [situation], get [result]". Cut every feature that isn't the main reason to pay.
3️⃣ Ship an iOS MVP in 1 Hour
Core question: Can a stranger complete the core action in 30 seconds?
Minimal stack: SwiftUI + RevenueCat + PostHog. Core action only, 4–5 step onboarding, basic paywall, key events instrumented.
4️⃣ App Store + ASO in 1 Hour
Core question: When someone sees you in search results, will they tap?
App name, subtitle, keywords, first two screenshots, subscription disclosure, review notes — all configured in one sitting.
5️⃣ Plan Your App Cold Start in 1 Hour
Core question: Where do your first 100 paying users come from?
Pick one of ASO / UGC / paid ads and go deep. A 30-day action plan, not 5 channels in parallel.
6️⃣ Boost App Conversion in 1 Hour
Core question: Why do users stay — and why do they pay?
The first 90 seconds, paywall timing, 3-day vs 7-day trials, defining an activation event, a retention dashboard.
7️⃣ Build Your App Growth Loop in 1 Hour
Core question: How does revenue feed back into acquisition?
One weekly experiment, a growth dashboard, prioritized bottleneck fixes, scaling the winning channel. From controllable acquisition to sustainable growth.
How to use this series
First indie app: Do them in order. Don't skip ahead. Finish one before opening the next.
Already in motion: Start from where you're stuck (most people are stuck on 04 App Store or 05 cold start).
Live but not earning: Jump to 06 conversion + retention — most likely your first 90 seconds are broken.
What this series doesn't teach
- ❌ Swift syntax (go to Swift's official tutorial)
- ❌ General product methodology (read Lean Startup and Hooked)
- ❌ Fundraising (indie devs don't need it)
Only this: how an indie dev takes an idea from zero to $1k/month — what to do at each step, what to measure, and when to quit.
📚 Further reading
- Full long-form (not 1-hour scoped): Indie App Playbook
- Source: based on Adam Lyttle's ~88 indie iOS videos from the past year
Start now
If you haven't validated yet → start at part 1: