ASO Sprints, Soft CPMs, and the Granola Effect 🇬🇧

The world’s moving too fast, so I summed it up for you. Let’s go!

ASO sprint hits $7K MRR in 7 days

The signal Darius Mora found an under-served App Store keyword, built a simple app in a week, launched with no ads and hit $6,985 MRR from organic downloads.
The interpretation A pure channel-first market entry. Start with validated demand, then build directly into it. The leverage is speed, shipping before competitors even see the same gap. Best suited for problems you can solve fast and channels where discovery is algorithm-driven.
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Streaming takes 43% of TV ad dollars, CPMs down $8

The signal Streaming platforms took $13.2B in upfront ad commitments, up $2B year on year. More inventory pushed CPMs down by around $8 while viewership stayed strong, especially for live sports.
The interpretation A short-term arbitrage. Premium inventory is cheaper for now, but not for long. It is the moment to test formats or placements that were overpriced 18 months ago, especially high-context slots tied to events.
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You can’t not communicate

The signal Andrew “Boz” Bosworth shares eight principles for clear, repeatable communication. Silence creates a vacuum that gets filled with fiction.
The interpretation Projects lose momentum when the rationale gets distorted. Repetition and defensive framing are insurance against that drift. Design your message so it survives being retold across the organisation without losing its meaning.
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Quality Wednesdays deliver 1,000+ micro-fixes

The signal Linear made weekly UX polish a team ritual. Over 1,000 micro-fixes later, Linear’s product feels sharper and issues are caught earlier.
The interpretation Micro-optimisations compound over time. A fixed cadence for small improvements builds momentum and prevents friction from piling up until it becomes costly.
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The Granola Effect: 10% weekly growth

The signal Granola, an AI note-taking app, is growing 10% every week and is tipped as one of the next five UK unicorns.
The interpretation That growth rate suggests an acquisition loop that is both efficient and sticky. Likely a combination of instant value, viral sharing, and recurring use cases. A loop worth dissecting for how these mechanics interlock to sustain compounding growth.
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🧃 Wrap-up

This week’s pattern is clear. Velocity combined with timing creates leverage. Channels with low entry cost such as ASO gaps and soft CPMs are open but will not stay that way. The faster you ship into them, the longer you hold the edge. Execution speed only sticks when quality and clarity of communication are protected.

Edges close quickly. The Granola Effect proves that loops which compound weekly are built before the rest of the market even realises they exist.