Apptivate: App Marketing Explained

Apptivate is a show that explains app marketing, one expert at a time. It's produced by retargeting specialist Remerge, focusing on the challenges and advancements in the ever-evolving world of mobile marketing. Every week, we interview marketing game-changers and app experts to share industry insights and real-life lessons, covering optimization, incrementality, creative strategy, data science, and more. Subscribe now to stay on the cutting edge of app marketing strategy.

Apptivate: App Marketing Explained is a business podcast hosted by Remerge, with 242 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Remerge hosts Apptivate: App Marketing Explained, a business show with 242 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #243

  How to make your app visible in ChatGPT searches - Alexandra De Clerck (AppTweak)

  Aug 12, 202626 min

  Your next customer may be asking ChatGPT which app to download, but will your app make the list? AppTweak’s CMO Alexandra De Clerck draws on more than eight years in app store marketing to explain how LLMs interpret user intent, combine internal knowledge with live web retrieval, and use “query fan-out” to decide which apps deserve a recommendation. She reveals why app store descriptions have become critical AI discovery assets; how detailed reviews and community conversations help validate an app’s positioning; and why smaller apps have a rare opportunity to compete for AI visibility before the market becomes saturated. Questions Alexandra answered in this episode: What’s the biggest shift in app store marketing you’ve seen in the last three years? How are consumers using ChatGPT and other LLMs to discover new apps? How does an LLM decide which apps to recommend for a specific prompt? What is ‘query fan-out’, and why does it matter for app marketers? How can marketers determine whether their app is visible in AI-generated recommendations? Why are app store descriptions becoming more important in the age of AI discovery? What helps an app appear among ChatGPT’s first sourced recommendations? Why do games receive more citations from Reddit and Wikipedia than other app categories? How can smaller apps compete against brands with larger budgets and more downloads? Can app reviews and developer responses influence how LLMs understand an app? How should marketers measure AI visibility when most app discovery journeys are zero-click? Timestamp: 00:23 – Introducing Alexandra De Clerck and AI app discovery 00:43 – About AppTweak and Alexandra’s journey to CMO 02:50 – How app discovery has changed in the past three years 04:06 – How ChatGPT and other LLMs choose which apps to recommend 06:11 – ‘Query fan-out’ and how AI interprets complex prompts 07:17 – Why most app marketers do not yet have an AI visibility strategy 09:27 – The first steps marketers should take to improve LLM visibility 09:38 – Why app store listings are such important AI citation sources 11:59 – How apps can reach the first five or six sourced recommendations 13:28 – Why AI discovery works differently for games and non-game apps 15:41 – How smaller apps can outperform larger competitors in AI search 17:25 – Using app reviews and developer responses to reinforce positioning 18:48 – Measuring AI visibility in a mostly zero-click user journey 21:28 – The long-term advantage of investing in AI visibility now 22:56 – Rapid-fire questions with Alexandra 25:30 – Where to connect with Alexandra and learn more about AppTweak Quotes: (6:07) “An important concept to understand in AI search is how AIs actually interpret the prompt.” (9:48) “What we’ve seen from our research is that actually almost 50% of all citations in ChatGPT are app store listings.” (10:19) “LLMs really look at app store listings to understand what an app is about, who it’s for, and what the main use-cases are, so that’s the highest leverage opportunity for app marketers getting started with an AI search strategy.” (12:22) “So we see when ChatGPT makes a recommendation [for a mobile app], usually the first five to six answers are sourced. So that means that they actually did a live web retrieval to find information about this. And for where it's not sourced, it actually means that they looked into their internal knowledge base to build the answer. (22:11) “If you start now by optimizing your intent coverage around the web and really helping ChatGPT and other LLMs understand what your app is and what your app is about, build that context into their internal knowledge base as well, then you have an edge up compared to people who are still exploring or discovering or wondering whether or not it's worth it to get started.” Mentioned in this episode: Alexandra De Clerck on LinkedIn Email: alexandra [at] apptweak.com AppTweak AppTweak’s Playbook: AI Visibility for Apps & Games

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  Episode #242

  The psychology behind better in-app conversion - Irwin Hau (Chromatix, ConversionCow)

  Jul 29, 202620 min

  Irwin Hau, founder of Chromatix and ConversionCow, joins Apptivate to unpack the psychology behind customer conversion and why acquisition is only the beginning of the user journey. Drawing from more than 17 years of experience analyzing tens of thousands of websites, apps, and digital experiences, Irwin shares the principles that separate traffic from customers, how clarity and proof influence decision-making, and why education, gamification, and ongoing engagement are critical to reducing churn. Irwin goes on to explore with Remerge’s Patrick Eichmann how mobile marketers can improve onboarding, build stronger habit loops, and think more deliberately about retention rather than assuming installs automatically translate into long-term users. Questions addressed in this episode Why do mobile marketers focus so heavily on acquisition while overlooking conversion? What are the biggest mistakes companies make after generating traffic? How can marketers communicate their value proposition more clearly? Why is social proof so important in driving action? How should apps educate users after installation? What role do tutorials and onboarding play in retention? How can gamification reduce churn? What apps are doing engagement particularly well? How can marketers identify friction points in the user journey? What principles from human psychology should guide app growth? Timestamps 0:22 — Introducing Irwin Hau and his agency background 1:44 — The origins of Chromatix and ConversionCow 3:21 — Why marketers obsess over traffic instead of conversion 4:44 — The formula: traffic × conversion = customers 5:28 — Clarity: explaining what your product actually does 6:28 — Why social proof matters more than ever 7:00 — Making the call to action impossible to miss 7:56 — How to communicate value in just a few lines 10:24 — The biggest mistake marketers make after acquisition 11:44 — Why features come after solving the customer's problem 12:27 — Conversion doesn't stop after the install 13:27 — Education, tutorials, and onboarding experiences 14:28 — Push notifications, habit formation, and Duolingo 15:27 — Building virality through sharing and community 16:00 — Apps that get engagement right 16:52 — My Drive Hero and reward psychology 18:12 — Why group behavior reduces churn 19:00 — Where to find Irwin and closing thoughts Quotes (5:28) “If you cannot explain your app in less than seven words, I think you're waffling.” (12:30) “Conversion to me isn’t a one-off thing. There are many different conversion points.” (13:09) "You can't just assume if they come through the door, we've got them for life. They will churn.” Mentioned in this episode Irwin Hau on LinkedIn Chromatix ConversionCow

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  Episode #241

  The future of ASO in an AI world - Yevhen Tarasenko (Apptonomy)

  Jul 15, 202619 min

  Yevhen Tarasenko, CMO and co-founder of Apptonomy, joins Apptivate to discuss how app store optimization is evolving in the age of AI. After more than a decade in ASO, Yevhen shares how the discipline has changed from a keyword-focused practice into a broader challenge of app discoverability across app stores, search engines, Reddit, and large language models. The conversation explores the limitations of traditional ASO workflows, how AI is changing the way marketers analyze visibility, and why app teams need to think beyond rankings and metadata to succeed in a world increasingly shaped by AI recommendations and automated discovery. Questions addressed in this episode How did Yevhen get started in ASO? Why is app store optimization still so manual? What inspired the creation of Apptonomy? How can AI automate parts of the ASO workflow? What is AI discoverability and why does it matter? How are large language models changing app discovery? Why is Reddit becoming increasingly important for app visibility? What were the biggest AI and ASO themes at MAU Vegas? How should app marketers prepare for AI-driven search and discovery? What advice would Yevhen give someone entering ASO today? Timestamps (0:05) — Introduction to Yevhen Tarasenko and Apptonomy (1:10) — Getting started in ASO and the early days of app discovery (3:00) — Building ASO teams and thinking systematically about growth (3:54) — Freelancing, automation, and the origins of Apptonomy (5:00) — How Apptonomy was founded through a LinkedIn article (8:21) — Why ASO remains manual and repetitive in 2026 (9:34) — AI discoverability and visibility across LLMs (10:39) — Reddit, online presence, and app recommendations (11:48) — Measuring discoverability and reporting results (12:29) — MAU Vegas observations and industry trends (13:12) — AI's impact on ASO and app discoverability (15:00) — Advice for marketers entering ASO (17:21) — Resources, communities, and where to find Yevhen (18:15) — Closing remarks Quotes (4:17) “AI changes every month. Now we're using Claude, next month we're using ChatGPT or something else, and the quality standards with AI are not quite there.” (8:21) “ASO, even in 2026, is still very manual and boring, and people are tired of doing the same thing all over again.” (18:28) “AI will not replace ASO anytime soon. The human touch will be needed for at least 3-5 years.” Mentioned in this episode Yevhan on Linkedin Apptonomy

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  Episode #240

  Using incentives as your primary growth channel - Natasha Saviuk (Wealthsimple)

  Jul 8, 202626 min

  Natasha Saviuk, Growth Director at Wealthsimple, joins Apptivate to discuss how incentives evolved from simple promotions into one of the company's most effective growth channels. The conversation explores the lessons Natasha brought from her background in neuroscience, how Wealthsimple scaled from $15 billion to more than $125 billion in assets under management, and why physical rewards often outperform cash incentives. Natasha and Taylor also discuss campus growth strategies, virality, incrementality, account transfer incentives, and the surprising results of campaigns, ranging from free bubble tea to Apple products and even a house giveaway. Questions addressed in this episode How did Natasha transition from neuroscience into growth marketing? What lessons from scientific research apply to experimentation? How did Wealthsimple approach growth in its early years? Why did bubble tea outperform cash incentives? How do incentives function as a standalone growth channel? How can marketers measure incrementality in incentive campaigns? Why did Wealthsimple pivot away from paid acquisition in 2022? How can incentives drive high-value customer behavior? How do you avoid attracting low-quality users through promotions? What can marketers learn from Wealthsimple's house giveaway campaign? Timestamps (0:41) — Natasha's background and transition from neuroscience to growth (2:02) — Research, experimentation, and finding growth opportunities (4:03) — Introduction to Wealthsimple and early growth challenges (5:27) — Building network effects through campus growth strategies (7:05) — The bubble tea experiment and local partnerships (9:06) — Why physical rewards outperform cash incentives (10:50) — Incentives as a dedicated growth channel (12:23) — Measuring quality, incrementality, and long-term value (14:02) — The 2022 market downturn and shifting growth strategy (15:28) — Asset consolidation and scaling incentive programs (16:25) — Avoiding reward-driven user behavior (18:00) — Incentivizing long-term customer commitment (19:46) — How marketers can get started with incentives (20:10) — Common mistakes when launching incentive campaigns (21:14) — The Wealthsimple house giveaway campaign (22:31) — Rapid-fire questions begin (25:06) — Where to find Natasha and closing remarks Quotes (7:19) “It's not until we started doing partnerships with the local food places, in particular bubble tea, that we really stumbled upon something that was working.” (16:50) “By having these stricter hold periods and clawbacks, it does deter people who maybe did just have the intention to gamify.” (22:18) “Sometimes the channel you should invest in is one that doesn't even exist, and you kind of just need to try and see what's resonating with your audience.” Mentioned in this episode Wealthsimple Natasha on LinkedIn

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  Episode #239

  AI governance, trust, and app growth - Adeel Shaikh Muhammad (Adeel Solutions)

  Jun 24, 202625 min

  Adeel Shaikh Muhammad, founder of Adeel Solutions, is an advisor on cybersecurity, AI governance, and digital risk. He joins Apptivate to discuss the growing tension between AI-powered growth and user trust. The conversation explores why AI governance is becoming essential for modern marketing teams, how over-personalization can create a sense of creepiness for users, and where companies are introducing AI without clearly defined use cases. Adeel and Taylor also discuss shadow AI, human oversight in automated systems, the security implications of AI agents, and practical frameworks that organizations can use to balance innovation, speed, and accountability as AI adoption accelerates. Questions addressed in this episode What is AI governance and why does it matter? How should companies balance growth, personalization, and user trust? What mistakes are marketers making when adopting AI? What is shadow AI and why is it becoming a problem? When does AI-driven personalization become creepy? How can AI improve marketing performance while hurting long-term value? Which parts of marketing workflows should always include human oversight? What are the biggest security concerns surrounding AI agents? Who should own AI governance inside an organization? What practical steps can companies take to implement AI guardrails? Timestamps (0:00) — Introduction to Adeel Muhammad and his background (1:58) — Where companies are in their AI adoption journey (2:34) — Defining AI governance and the role of guardrails (3:30) — The biggest mistakes marketers make with AI (4:38) — AI use cases, visibility, and the rise of AI wrappers (5:40) — The creepiness problem and over-personalization (6:00) — When AI-driven growth starts eroding user trust (7:41) — Shadow AI and unauthorized AI usage (8:19) — Balancing speed, security, and business priorities (9:45) — Warning signs that trust is breaking down (10:12) — Why human oversight still matters (11:00) — The biggest cybersecurity risks in AI (13:11) — AI compliance, over-documentation, and risk prioritization (15:26) — Who should own AI governance? (16:57) — Human responsibility, AI access, and awareness training (19:02) — Adeel's seven-step AI governance framework (20:45) — The governance steps companies skip most often (21:25) — Trust as the foundation for AI growth (24:07) — Where to find Adeel and closing remarks Quotes (6:24) “Growth breaks when the user feels watched, not when ads perform badly.” (6:53) “AI is optimized for CTR but not LTV, so you get high clicks from low-quality users.” (21:25) “The companies that win won’t be the fastest, but they will be the ones that scale trust alongside the growth.” Mentioned in this episode Adeel Solutions Adeel Muhammad on LinkedIn

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