Free Growth Hacks to Boost Your App Downloads

Are you tired of pouring your heart and soul into your indie app only to see it get a handful of downloads?

In my latest podcast episode I share the secrets of getting my app from 1,000 downloads a month… to 30,000

(The link to you podcast is at the end of this email)

In case you missed it, here’s the tips:

Become Your Own Influencer

Instead of paying influencers to promote your app you can just become your own influencer

Sites like TikTok give your videos an automatic reach of 200 targeted viewers

You only need to get 1% of those viewers downloading your app, and that’s 2 downloads per video

Get yourself a viral hit and you’re talking big numbers

Costs nothing (except your time)

I drew a pokemon card every day to build the initial audience for my pokemon card scanner app. It was fun, it got downloads, win/win

Leverage Reddit

Reddit can be a goldmine for promoting your app

But a word of warning: they don’t like self promotion

So you need to find subtle ways to sneak it into your posts

I gamed reddit a few years ago by building a website that converted videos into gifs…

Then I would watch the “new” section of popular subreddits for videos that I could convert to gif and reupload to other subreddits

This strategy got me on the front page of reddit most days (with tens of thousands of upvotes)

The downside was getting found out

Utilize Product Hunt

Product hunt is a website where builders with the most friends get their connections to upvote their app

It’s a bit of a popularity contest… but getting featured can provide valuable backlinks and credibility

My success on Product Hunt has been a bit meh,

But it has helped me refine a release cycle and better prepare marketing materials

Master App Store Optimization (ASO)

ASO is crucial for getting your app discovered

Focus on finding keywords with low competition but decent popularity

This strategy has helped my apps reach the top spots in their categories

I'll be doing a deep dive on ASO soon, so stay tuned for more detailed tips.

Build in Public

The "build in public" movement is a fantastic way to engage with your community.

You simply share your app development journey on Twitter using the hashtag #buildinpublic

This approach not only helps you gather feedback but also builds a loyal following that can translate into downloads

Create Shareable Moments

Did you know you can encourage your users to promote your app?

Simply create moments within the app that users would want to share

Things like awards and achievements work well

Anything that unlocks an achievement or a moment within the app that people would want to share

Make a 1:1 image with your app logo and website address watermark to make sure people find your app

Answer Questions on Quora

I had success promoting my intermittent fasting app by answering related questions on Quora

I would provide helpful, credible answers and subtly mention my app

Quora also lets you add a download link to your bio

Get your answer indexed on Google and you get an evergreen way of generating user downloads

Submit for App Store Feature

Take advantage of the option to submit your app for feature consideration on the App Store

It’s a simple process that could result in your app being highlighted by Apple, leading to a significant increase in downloads.

These strategies have worked wonders for me, and I’m confident they can help you too. I’d love to hear about your experiences and what’s worked for you. Let me know if there are specific topics you’d like me to cover in future newsletters or deep dives.

P.S. Check out my podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube

YouTube:

Spotify:

Apple Podcasts: