How To Build An App Like Puffcount

How to Build an App Like Puff Count With FlutterFlow: Lessons from a Founder Who Helped 800,000+ People Quit Vaping

‍

Building an app like Puff Count, which has helped over 800,000 people quit vaping, requires more than just technical know-how. It’s about solving a real problem, understanding your audience, and using the right tools to bring your vision to life. Puff Count’s founder, Stephen, shared valuable insights on how he built, scaled, and marketed his app. Here’s how you can replicate his approach and build your own impactful app.

‍

Start with a Real Problem

Puff Count was born out of a personal need. Stephen struggled with vaping in college, just like many of his friends. One question sparked the idea: “How many times do you vape each day?” Realizing that most people couldn’t answer this, he built Puff Count to track usage and guide users toward quitting. Start with a problem you or your target audience is passionate about solving. The more personal the issue, the more likely you’ll stay motivated to see it through.

‍

Build a Simple, Effective MVP

At its core, Puff Count focuses on tracking vape usage, providing quit plans, and allowing users to add “quit buddies” for support. Stephen didn’t try to add every feature imaginable at once; instead, he honed in on the app’s main value proposition: helping users understand and reduce their vaping habits.

‍

How to Build Your MVP

‍

Focus on one core feature that addresses your users’ primary problem. For Puff Count, it was tracking vape usage.

‍

Use no-code tools like FlutterFlow to quickly design, prototype, and launch your app. FlutterFlow simplifies the front-end development process, letting you focus on user experience without worrying about coding.

‍

Integrate back-end tools like Firebase for authentication and real-time data storage to streamline user data management.

‍

Prioritize Onboarding

‍

Stephen emphasized that 65% of app subscriptions happen during onboarding. Early versions of Puff Count had a basic onboarding flow, but after researching health-focused apps, he revamped it into a personalized, behavioral-science-backed experience. He even hired a behavioral scientist to design a quit survey that walks users through their vaping habits, primes them to recognize their problem, and customizes their experience.

‍

How to Nail Onboarding

‍

Design onboarding to educate and engage users while subtly guiding them to your app’s core features.

Use a “self-selling onboarding” approach, where users answer questions that help them realize their problem and see the app as the solution.

Tools like Mixpanel can help you track onboarding completion rates and A/B test different flows.

‍

Market Smarter, Not Harder

‍

Stephen cracked the marketing code by starting with organic TikTok content. He gained 120,000 followers and over 50 million views by creating engaging, curiosity-driven videos. His most viral content involved dropping vapes in water and ending with a quick call to action (CTA).

When he transitioned to paid ads, he repurposed his best-performing TikTok videos. By leveraging what had already worked organically, he avoided the high cost and complexity of creating new ad creatives from scratch.

‍

Marketing Tips for Your App

‍

Organic First: Start with free platforms like TikTok to test content ideas and build an audience. Use curiosity and entertainment to engage viewers while adding subtle CTAs.

‍

Repurpose Content: Use your best-performing organic content as ads to reduce costs and improve conversion rates.

‍

Track Performance: Use tools like Appsflyer or Firebase Analytics to monitor where your users come from and optimize your ad spend.

‍

Iterate Based on Data

‍

Stephen didn’t guess what features or messaging would work; he used data. For example, marketing Puff Count as a “habit discovery tool” performed better than promoting it as a “quit vaping app.” He also tracked user behavior through tools like Mixpanel and A/B tested everything, from onboarding flows to paywalls.

‍

How to Iterate Effectively

‍

Analyze user data to understand which features users engage with most.

A/B test everything—onboarding, pricing, CTAs, and even app design elements.

Use tools like Amplitude or Mixpanel to dive deep into user behavior.

‍

Keep It Simple and Focused

‍

Stephen’s app design followed a “fat finger-friendly” philosophy. Buttons were large and easy to tap, the navigation was intuitive, and each page had a clear purpose. Overloading users with too much information or small, hard-to-click elements could have hurt retention.

‍

UI/UX Design Tips

‍

Design for simplicity. Every button, page, and feature should have a clear purpose.

Test your app with real users to ensure it’s intuitive and user-friendly.

‍

Stay Resilient and Build a Long-Term Vision

‍

Puff Count wasn’t an overnight success. It sat dormant for years before Stephen cracked the code with TikTok marketing. His journey demonstrates the importance of persistence and continual iteration.

‍

Key Insights

Apps are like fashion—they’re never finished. There’s always room to improve, add features, and enhance the user experience.

Learn from every failure and let your skills stack. Each project builds your expertise as a founder.

Trust your vision, but always listen to your users and let data guide your decisions.

‍

Building an app like Puff Count is a journey, but by focusing on solving real problems, designing intuitive experiences, and iterating based on data, you can create an impactful product that stands the test of time.

‍