Elizabeth is a self-taught App Store Optimization expert with 8+ years of experience optimizing the store presence and UA strategies of mobile apps and games across the world. She has launched over 60+ games in her previous role at Super Free Games and is now proud to be on the Growth Consulting team at AppTweak. Recently she has led ASO and Apple Search Ads seminars at various events in the San Francisco Bay Area and works on optimization and analysis projects for clients in games, social networking, eCommerce, edtech, and more.
In your own words, what’s your role in the app business right now?
I like to tell people that my superpower is getting people to click on things, but that is an overgeneralization for sure. I have optimized everything from GoFundMe pages to movie posters, but App Store expertise is where I shine.
Right now, I am focused on teaching the world the ins and outs of App Store Optimization. There are so many levers to play with that can impact organic impressions, conversion rates, subscriber rates, and retention, and they are all interrelated in unexpected ways! Understanding those interactions and capitalizing on them to drive growth results for my clients is what makes my heart sing.
How did you end up working in apps? / get started?
I graduated from college in 2013 and applied to any job that I could find that would accept my Japanese Studies/Philosophy degrees. I noticed a Craigslist ad for a game company looking for customer service and QA full-time and the application was just 3 bullet points on why I’d be good at the role, no resume needed.
Having been a lifelong video game fan, I applied immediately and was thrilled to receive an offer. After a month of annoying my manager with product design questions, they started training me for a producer role and that eventually led to me learning about Google Play A/B testing and eventually to this career in app growth. Totally random, I know!
What are you most excited about in apps right now?
It’s so cool to see how Gen Z and Alpha are using apps so differently from Millenials, Gen X-ers, and Boomers. Young people are living half their lives on their smartphones and it is changing culture and industry right before our eyes. More and more web-first businesses are finally dipping their toes into the app market to stay relevant and competitive, and the learning curve can be intimidating.
At Apptweak, I get to ease that pain and it is humbling to be viewed as an expert in this growing industry. I can’t wait to see how this dynamic continues to change in the coming decade.
Is there anyone you’d like to shout out to who has influenced your journey in the app industry?
I have to give major props to both of the co-founders of Super Free Games (called 12Gigs at the time), who saw potential in me and gave me an intro to the industry when I had no mobile or gaming experience.
Bret Terrill was my first professional mentor and was the first person to introduce me to ASO when he had me investigate this “new thing Google is doing, store listing A/B test experiments”.
Nicholas Talarico took my natural aptitude for creative iterations and directed my energy towards business development and growth marketing in particular, giving me the analytical foundation I needed.
What’s in your app tech stack?
AppTweak (of course!), Google Play and App Store Connect dashboards, whatever MMP integrations my clients have, and most recently, I have incorporated Figma into my workflow.
What do you like most about working in apps?
There is something so satisfying about UA and mobile data reporting. You make a change and a line on a graph changes, everything can be measured and iterated on with precision. I love it.
What one thing would you change about the app industry/market? Where do you think there’s an opportunity for apps / or unmet needs?
I wish more companies didn’t view generative AI as a replacement for human taste and intuition. It’s a powerful tool for so many roles in this industry, but it’s contributing to a feeling of sameness across app creatives that is both boring and slightly uncanny.
If you weren’t working in apps what would you be doing?
I know this sounds super random, but I would be a full-time professional wrestler! I currently perform under the name Ellie D and wrestle all over California in my spare time. The level I’m at now is as far from WWE as community theater is from shows on Broadway, but if I didn’t have a career in apps I would definitely try to take my wrestling from a hobby to a full-time career.
iOS or Android?
Android.
What app(s) have been most useful to you over the last year?
Finch for habit-building and self-care, Hearthstone for mobile competitive gaming, and Signal for messaging.
What’s on your Spotify / Music party playlist?
Basically, anything that has been lip-synced on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Any Netflix/ TV show recommendations?
GLOW, Physical 100, and the 2004 remake of Battlestar Galactica.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
I am semi-fluent in Japanese, can lift over 200 lbs, and I have 4 rescue cats.
Do you know someone driving change and growth in the app industry? Nominate an app leader here.
