Impulse looks like a simple brain-training app but beneath the colorful puzzles lies one of the sharpest acquisition machines in the mental fitness category. 

With $3M in monthly revenue, Impulse has mastered the psychology of habit, commitment, and conversion turning casual curiosity into recurring subscriptions at scale.

Long, High-Friction Onboarding That Builds Commitment

Impulse doesn’t make onboarding easy, it makes it intentional. Every screen is designed to increase user buy-in.

• Mandatory sign-in creates early friction but personalizes data and retention
• Goal-setting questions on purpose and time commitment
• Push notification requests to drive reactivation and habit loops
• Soft paywall at the end of onboarding, conditioning users for premium offers

The friction is strategic: it filters for engaged users while subtly building sunk cost before any gameplay begins.

Reward Loops That Hook and Convert

Once inside, Impulse keeps users in a continuous loop of progress, feedback, and temptation.

• Starts with 3 instant brain games  instant gratification and dopamine hit

• Sneaky in-app rating pop-up during gameplay for social proof

• Reward page with deep discount boxes (up to 92% off)

• Close it, and the home screen bombards you with streaks, challenges, and paywall pop-ups

This mix of micro-rewards, urgency, and repetition builds an addictive engagement funnel that converts attention into payment.

ASO Dominance for Category Leadership

Impulse owns visibility in the brain training niche.

• Top 3 rankings for 2,545 keywords
• Includes high-value terms like “lumosity,” “mind games,” and “brain games for adults”
• Volume + relevance ensure continuous organic inflow from users already intent-driven

This ASO moat makes Impulse nearly impossible to ignore in its category.

Social Proof That Reinforces Trust

Impulse complements its search dominance with visible social validation.

• 108K Instagram followers
• 22K TikTok followers
• Consistent posting around memory, focus, and intelligence builds credibility
• Social presence amplifies brand authority and paid ad performance

Every view or like strengthens the perception that Impulse is the default brain-training brand.

Paid Ads at Scale, The Real Engine

Impulse spends heavily and smartly on paid channels.

• 300 Facebook ads in the last 30 days
• 4,400 Google ads, signaling a massive SEM + Display strategy
• Paid ads drive top-of-funnel volume, feeding into their high-converting onboarding + paywall loop

The spend is balanced across creative storytelling (FB) and intent capture (Google), creating a predictable acquisition pipeline.

The Impulse Playbook

• Long, friction-based onboarding that builds investment
• Habit + FOMO loops through streaks and pop-ups
• ASO moat across 2,500+ high-intent keywords
• Paid ads at massive scale (FB + Google)
• Ruthless but effective monetization with discounts and urgency

Impulse doesn’t just sell games, it sells self-improvement at scale.

 

This app didn’t go viral. It engineered its own momentum and now it’s running a $3M/month cognitive growth machine.