Kelechi Onyeama
Kelechi, a 20-year-old developer from Nigeria, turned his problems with social media into a successful business. He created an app called "Social Wizard" that helps people write better comments on social media posts. Six months after launching the app, its revenue had crossed over $600,000.
Kelechi's story starts in Nigeria. He wanted to go to a good university in America but didn't have enough money. To solve this problem, he decided to make an app. His first try, an app called Caspade, didn't work out even after nine months of hard work. But Kelechi didn't give up. He went to America and kept trying, even when things got so bad that he became homeless for a while.
The idea for "Social Wizard" came from Kelechi's own troubles with talking to people online. He noticed that other apps only helped with private messages, but people also needed help with public comments on social media stories. This article will discuss how Kelechi went from having this idea to making a successful app. We'll highlight the key moments and strategies that propelled his app to success.
How Kelechi got his big idea
Kelechi's journey to create "Social Wizard" wasn't straightforward. It all started because he wanted to go to a good American university but couldn't afford it. He thought making an app could help him earn money for school.
His first app was called Caspade. Kelechi spent nine whole months working on it. That's a long time - almost a year! But even after all that work, not many people used Caspade. This was disappointing for Kelechi, but he didn't let it stop him.
Kelechi decided to go to America anyway. He thought maybe he could get more people to use Caspade if he was there. He went to college parties and told everyone about his app. Still, not many people were interested.
But something interesting happened. One girl really liked Caspade and used it a lot. She posted over 400 photos on the app! This made Kelechi think. Why did she like the app so much when others didn't?
Around the same time, Kelechi was trying to talk to a girl he liked. He was sending her messages, but she stopped replying. Kelechi asked his friend for advice and realized he wasn't very good at writing messages.
Kelechi looked for an app that could help him write better messages. He found some, but they only helped with private messages. There was nothing to help with comments on public posts or stories. This gave Kelechi an idea: what if he made an app to help people write better comments on social media?
This is how the idea for "Social Wizard" was born. Kelechi saw a problem that he and others had, and he thought of a way to solve it.
Caspade by Kelechi Onyeama
Making "Social Wizard"
After Kelechi got his big idea, he started working on "Social Wizard." This new app was special because it did something other apps didn't do. It helped people write good comments on social media stories and posts, not just private messages.
Here's how Kelechi designed the app to work:
1. A user sees a social media post they want to comment on.
2. They take a screenshot of the post.
3. They upload the screenshot to "Social Wizard."
4. The app looks at the screenshot and suggests good comments to write.
Making this app wasn't easy. Kelechi had to work very hard. He didn't have much money or help from others. He spent long hours figuring out how to make the app understand screenshots and come up with good comment ideas.
When Kelechi finally finished the app and put it online, something exciting happened. Within two days, someone paid to use the app! Kelechi was overjoyed. He felt like all his hard work had paid off.
But then, things got tough again. For the next four weeks, no one else bought the app. Kelechi was worried. He had no job and was living with a relative. Things got so bad that his relative asked him to leave. On February 23rd, 2024, Kelechi found himself homeless.
This was a very hard time for Kelechi. But instead of giving up, he became more determined than ever. He knew that making "Social Wizard" successful was his only way out of this difficult situation. So, even though he had no home and very little money, Kelechi kept working on his app. He believed that if he could just get more people to know about "Social Wizard," it would be successful.
How Kelechi made his app popular
After becoming homeless, Kelechi knew he had to find a way to make his app popular fast. He decided to use TikTok to tell people about "Social Wizard." Kelechi worked incredibly hard on this. He made over 400 different types of videos about his app. Can you imagine making 400 videos? That's a lot! He often only slept for two hours a day because he was working so much.
For a long time, nothing seemed to work. Kelechi kept making videos, but not many people were downloading his app. But he didn't give up. He kept trying new ideas for his videos.
Then, one day, something amazing happened. Kelechi woke up and saw that 12 people had downloaded his app. That might not sound like a lot, but for Kelechi, it was exciting. The next day, 800 people downloaded the app! And the day after that, 1,500 people downloaded it!
Kelechi had finally found a way to make videos that people liked. His videos showed how "Social Wizard" could help people write clever comments on social media posts. He would show a post, then show how the app could help create a good comment for it. People really liked seeing this.
This was a big moment for Kelechi. He had found a way to tell people about his app that really worked. Now, he needed to keep this success going and make it even bigger.
Making the app even more successful
After finding initial success with his TikTok videos, Kelechi focused on scaling up "Social Wizard." He implemented several strategies to grow his user base and improve the app:
Content refinement: Kelechi analyzed his most successful TikTok videos to understand what resonated with viewers. He identified key elements like video length, caption style, and demonstration techniques that attracted the most engagement. Using these insights, he created a content calendar to ensure consistent posting of high-quality videos. He experimented with different times of day to post, tracking which slots resulted in the most downloads.
Influencer collaborations: Recognizing the power of social proof, Kelechi reached out to micro-influencers on TikTok. He focused on creators with followings between 10,000 and 100,000, as they often have highly engaged audiences but charge less than major influencers. Kelechi crafted a unique proposition: instead of upfront payment, he offered a revenue-sharing model based on app downloads generated from their videos. This approach allowed him to work with multiple influencers simultaneously without huge upfront costs.
He provided these influencers with a detailed brief on how to showcase "Social Wizard," including key features to highlight and common user pain points to address. Kelechi also created a private Discord server for these influencers, fostering a community where they could share tips and compete for bonuses based on performance.
User feedback loop: Kelechi implemented an in-app feedback system, making it easy for users to report bugs, suggest features, or share their experiences. He personally read every piece of feedback, categorizing issues and prioritizing updates based on user demand. This direct line to his user base allowed him to quickly identify and fix problems, leading to improved retention rates.
He also started a weekly email newsletter for power users, sharing tips on maximizing the app's features and previewing upcoming updates. This engagement strategy helped create a loyal user base that not only continued using the app but also recommended it to friends.
Platform expansion: While TikTok remained his primary marketing channel, Kelechi began adapting his content for other platforms. On Instagram, he experimented with Reels and Stories, showcasing before-and-after scenarios of social media interactions improved by "Social Wizard." For YouTube, he created longer-form content, including tutorials and user testimonials.
Kelechi also explored partnerships with niche dating and social media advice podcasts, offering special promo codes for their listeners. This multi-platform approach helped diversify his user acquisition channels and reduced reliance on any single platform.
App store optimization (ASO): Kelechi dove deep into ASO strategies. He A/B tested different app icons, screenshots, and descriptions in the app stores. He researched high-volume, low-competition keywords related to social media assistance and dating advice, incorporating them naturally into the app's metadata.
He also implemented a review prompting system in the app, encouraging satisfied users to leave positive reviews. This boosted the app's visibility in store search results and improved its credibility with potential new users.
Retention strategies: Recognizing that user retention was important for sustainable growth, Kelechi implemented several features to keep users engaged:
1. Daily challenges: He added a feature that presented users with a daily social media scenario to respond to, gamifying the experience and encouraging regular app use.
2. Personalized push notifications: Based on usage patterns, the app sent specific notifications with social media tips or reminders to check new content.
3. Social sharing: Kelechi added an option for users to easily share their favorite app-generated responses on their social media, indirectly promoting "Social Wizard" to their friends.
4. Continuous learning: He implemented a system where the app learned from user choices, gradually improving its suggestions based on individual preferences.
How well the app did and what's next
The results of Kelechi's efforts were impressive:
Financial success: "Social Wizard" reached $600,000 in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) within six months of launch. This translates to an average monthly revenue of $50,000, a significant achievement for a solo developer with no outside funding.
User growth: The app exceeded 84,000 total downloads. In the month leading up to this report, it averaged around 900 downloads per day, indicating a strong and steady growth trajectory.
User satisfaction: "Social Wizard" maintained a 4.64-star rating on the Google Play Store, based on 920 reviews. This high rating suggests strong user satisfaction and good app stability.
Retention rate: While specific numbers weren't provided, the consistent revenue growth indicates a healthy retention rate, with users continuing to subscribe to the app's services.
Looking to the future, Kelechi has outlined several plans for "Social Wizard":
1. Feature expansion: He's working on integrating more social media platforms beyond the initial focus. This includes developing specific tools for professional networking sites like LinkedIn, expanding the app's appeal to a business-oriented user base.
2. AI integration: Kelechi is exploring partnerships with AI companies to enhance the app's comment suggestion algorithm. The goal is to make suggestions more contextual and personalized, potentially using natural language processing to better understand the nuances of social media posts.
3. Premium tier: A premium version of the app is in development, which will offer advanced features such as sentiment analysis of posts, scheduling of comments, and in-depth analytics of user social media performance.
4. International expansion: While the app has found success in English-speaking markets, Kelechi is working on localizing it for other major languages, starting with Spanish and Mandarin.
5. Educational content: Recognizing the app's potential as a learning tool, Kelechi is developing a series of in-app tutorials and guides on effective social media communication, aiming to position "Social Wizard" as not just a tool, but an educational platform.
6. Strategic partnerships: Kelechi is in talks with several dating apps and social media management tools for potential integrations, which could significantly expand the app's user base.
Conclusion
Kelechi's story with "Social Wizard" shows how focusing on what users really want can lead to success. He went from being homeless to making $600,000 a year in just six months. This happened because he kept improving his app, listened to users, and found clever ways to market it. The app did well, with 84,000 people downloading it and giving it good reviews. Now, Kelechi plans to make the app even better with new technology, reach more countries, and work with other companies. His story proves that good ideas, hard work, and being able to change can help someone succeed in making apps, even if they start with very little money.
