Apple Search Ads in 60 Seconds — for Indie Devs

🧠 Insight Block — Closing Loops Beats Chasing Shiny Starts

Ideas are easy.

Starting is exciting.

But most value is created in the unglamorous middle — when the dopamine’s gone and you’re knee-deep in bug fixes, edge cases, and “one more thing” lists.

That’s where loops get closed.

Where “cool idea” becomes something real, in-market, and creating value.

In UA, the faster you close loops, the faster you grow.

🛰️ Field Notes — GPT-5 and the Next UA Gap to Bridge

GPT-5 dropped this week and the internet lit up.

The next wave of UA tools won’t just find opportunities — they’ll get you live faster.

That’s the gap I’m building into with ASO Keyword Inspector.

The space between “I know what to do” and “it’s live” is where most growth work stalls.

AI makes that gap smaller. The teams who adapt fastest will win.

🧰 Vibe Tool — ASO Keyword Inspector (Early Build)

Most indie devs know they should be running Apple Search Ads.

Few have the time (or budget) to do it right.

ASO Keyword Inspector fixes that.

Currently CLI-only and running test reports for indie devs this week, it delivers a full App Store keyword deep dive plus ready-to-import Apple Search Ads campaigns in under 60 seconds:

• Competitors in your category

• Low-competition keyword opportunities

• Keyword gaps vs competitors

• CSV import file with 3 ad groups — brand, generic, and opportunity keywords — following Apple best practices

Import the CSV into ASA and you’re live in minutes — no $200/month ASO suite required.

The next step is simple: gather real feedback from devs using it in the wild.

If it creates real value, I’ll build a simple web interface and keep it indie-friendly on price — so smaller teams can compete without big-tool overhead.

🎯 Permissionless Play — Daylio Journal in Under a Minute

In under a minute, Daylio Journal’s (App Store link) report showed:

• 5 direct competitors

• 12 low-competition keyword opportunities

• 8 keyword gaps competitors rank for but Daylio doesn’t

• 3 ready-to-run Apple Search Ads campaigns — CSV files that can be imported into ASA right now

Campaign snapshot:

• Brand Protection: 3 keywords, $0.75–$1.50 bids, ~$22/day

• Category Protection: 13 keywords, $0.50–$1.25 bids, ~$18/day

• Competitor: 1 keyword, $0.30–$0.80 bids, ~$11/day

• Discovery: 1 keyword, $0.25–$0.50 bids, ~$8/day

90-day playbook:

1. Week 1 — Launch brand campaign, add top keyword to subtitle

2. Weeks 2–3 — Expand into category & competitor campaigns

3. Month 3 — Optimize for CTR, CPT, and ROAS

Expected impact:

• Top 20 rankings in 3–5 keywords within 30 days

• 20–30% more impressions in the first month

• ASA portfolio stabilizing at 3–4% CTR

Want the same treatment for your app?

DM me your App Store URL and I’ll send you a tailored report before the tool goes public.

✅ What’s sparking your curiosity?