How to Launch an App When Nobody Knows You Yet
To launch an app as a solo developer, get it into a few real users’ hands first. Then prepare one page that explains it, a website or a store listing with screenshots. Pick two or three places your users already visit and launch there one at a time. Spend launch week answering everyone, and the weeks after shipping fixes and telling people. A web app and a mobile app follow the same plan; mobile adds the store listing.
Why does a new app launch get no downloads?
You publish the app, post the link, and check the numbers every hour. A handful of installs, mostly people you know. The store is full of apps, the link scrolled away in a day, and you’re not sure what to try next.
The cause is rarely the code. A new app has no reviews and no audience yet, so nobody finds it by accident. The launch has to bring the first people in on purpose, which is the part most developers leave until the app is done.
What should you ready before you launch an app?
| Item | Web app | Mobile app |
|---|---|---|
| Real users have tried it | Yes, 5 to 10 strangers | Yes, through a beta (TestFlight on iOS, a testing track on Google Play) |
| One page that explains it | Landing page with a clear headline, screenshots and a short demo | Store listing (title, subtitle, screenshots, description) plus a simple website |
| Signup or first run works on its own | Tested on mobile and desktop | Tested on a few real devices and OS versions |
| Payments work | A real payment went through | In-app purchases tested in the store’s sandbox |
| You can see where users come from | Analytics with tagged launch links | Store analytics plus tagged links to your website |
| Launch copy | Tagline, launch post, FAQ | Same, plus the store’s “what’s new” text |
Two things are worth doing even if you skip the rest: watching a few strangers use the app before launch, and a one-line description that says what the app does. How to write a tagline for your product helps with the second. For a web app, the SaaS launch checklist goes through each item.
Where should you launch an app?
Pick places where your users already spend time, not just where apps are launched:
- Launch platforms. Daily leaderboards, weekly races and launch directories. Product launch platforms compared by how they work explains the formats.
- Communities about the problem your app solves. Follow each one’s rules on self-promotion, because a removed post is worse than no post.
- Show HN, if the app is technical or has an interesting technical story. Show HN: how to post your product on Hacker News covers the rules.
- Your own network. Tell beta testers first, because they already know the app and are the most likely to try the launch version.
- Comparison listings, if your app replaces a known one, so people searching for an alternative find it later.
Space them out by a week or so. You’ll answer everyone, and you’ll learn which channel sent people who stayed.
How do you promote an app in launch week?
- Post on your first channel early in the week, with a short story: what the app does, why you built it, what’s rough.
- Answer every comment and review the same day. Fix small bugs while people watch, because a fast fix turns a complaint into a reason to come back.
- Ask early users for honest feedback, and for a store review if they like it. Never offer anything in exchange for a rating, because both major app stores forbid incentivized reviews.
- Share a midweek update: a fix you shipped, a question users asked, a number from the first days.
- Thank people at the end of the week and say what’s next.
What do you do after launch?
Many of the users you keep arrive after launch week. Keep shipping, write down what people ask, and tell users what changed. How to get your first 100 users covers the steady work, and how to keep users after launch covers what makes them stay.
How does LaunchGP fit an app launch?
We run LaunchGP, a launch directory run as a motorsport season. Any app with a website can race:
- A Grand Prix every week, Monday 00:00 UTC to the next Monday, 32 cars per round, ranked by votes over the whole week.
- 20 free seats if you add the LaunchGP badge to your app’s website. The car’s link is dofollow during its race week once the badge is verified.
- 6 front slots from $59 (P1) to $9 (P6) if you want a specific week or can’t add the badge. Paid slots are rel=“sponsored”, and money never buys points.
- After the race, the app joins LaunchGP Endurance and stays listed, gaining pace from visitors and the updates you log.
What’s the next step?
Put the app in front of five strangers this week. When signup and the first run work without you, pick the week you launch.
A seat is free with the badge, and a front slot starts at $9.
Get your seat in the next Grand Prix
FAQ
How do I launch an app with no audience?
Use places that bring their own audience: launch platforms, communities about your app’s problem and comparison listings. Space them out and answer everyone.
How long before launch should I start promoting my app?
Start a few weeks before: a simple page or waitlist, a beta with real users, and your launch copy written. Promotion works better once a few people already know the app.
Should I launch on the App Store and the web at the same time?
If you have both, launch them together so every link works for every visitor, and point store listings and launch posts at the same website.
How do I get my first app reviews?
Ask early users who like the app to leave an honest review. Don’t offer rewards for ratings; both major app stores forbid it.
Can I launch a mobile app on LaunchGP?
Yes, if it has a website. The free seat needs the badge on that website; a front slot doesn’t need a badge.