September 13, 2025
BuildBrief: $200K MRR With a TERRIBLE App?!
How a poorly-rated app still generates massive revenue by solving a real pain point.
Imagine making $200K every month… with an app that has tons of 1★ reviews.
Sounds crazy, but it's real.
This app went all-in on solving one big pain: procrastination.
The app isn't great, but the pain problem is so strong that people still pay for it...
Why it works
People don't buy "features." They buy relief from pain.
When you point to a problem everyone feels, like "I can't focus" or "I waste too much time", then you don't need a perfect app. The pain itself does the selling.
The ads and message are simple: "Beat procrastination." That's a pain millions of people feel every single day. And that's why it works.
The playbook
Pick a giant pain: Procrastination, weight loss, money, sleep. Problems that everyone has.
Sell the result, not the feature: "Get focused today" beats "track habits with streaks."
Start simple: Launch the core idea. Market it fast. Fix details later.
PS: Here's the difference market size makes:
CalAI does ~$3M/month helping people go up or down in weight. Everyone eats, so the market is massive.
VS
PuffCount does ~$20–40K/month helping people quit vaping. Still a huge pain problem, but a waaay smaller audience.
"Does my app idea actually affect millions, or just a few?"
Happy building!
– Kristoffer, BuildWithAI