I launched my iOS app 2 months ago. Here's what I learned so far.
No fluff. No guru stuff. Just what actually worked and what wasted my time.
If you just launched something and need to get to $1k MRR without burning cash on ads, save this.
First: Make sure your App Store listing doesn't suck
Before you do ANY marketing, fix your ASO. Most people skip this and wonder why nobody downloads.
Your title and subtitle are everything. Apple indexes them for search.
Bad examples:
- "MyApp"
- "CoolApp"
Good examples:
- "Snapseed - Photo Editor & Filter"
- "Calm - Sleep & Meditation"
See the pattern? [Brand] - [What it does] & [Second keyword]
If someone searches "photo editor" or "meditation app" - you want to show up. Spend an hour on this. It compounds forever.
TikTok: The $0 growth machine
Start a TikTok page for your app immediately. But there are rules.
Do NOT use VPN.
I got shadowbanned and lost 20 days because I used a VPN. My views went from 5k to 47. Not worth the risk.
Do NOT post directly via API.
TikTok hates this. Posting to drafts via API is fine tho. Then publish manually. Takes 5 seconds.
Warm up first.
Don't just create account and start posting. TikTok will think you're a bot.
Here's what I did:
- Scroll 10-15 mins daily for a week
- Search for your niche (for me it was "wedding")
- Like videos, leave real comments - not "nice!" but actual thoughts
- Follow a few creators in your space
Your first views will be local. That's normal.
If you're not in the US, your first audience will be from your country. Don't panic. Keep interacting with US content. It shifts gradually. Takes 2-4 weeks but way better than VPN shadowban.
After warmup, start posting.
From my experience:
- Slideshows get more views
- But Reels convert better
Mix both. Once you find a format that works, milk that cow.
Instagram: Same rules apply
Warm up the same way. Scroll, interact, comment real stuff in your niche.
Set up your bio properly. Avatar, link, clear description of what your app does.
Reels work best. Same content from TikTok usually works here too.
YouTube Shorts: Free real estate
Just repost your TikToks and Reels there.
I had random videos get 1-2k views for zero extra effort. Sometimes the algorithm just picks one up. Worth 2 minutes to upload.
Batch your content
Here's a trick that saved my sanity:
Spend 4-5 hours creating a month of content. Then archive it and chill.
Trying to create daily burns you out fast. Batching means you're always ahead and never stressed about "what do I post today."
Reddit: The channel everyone ignores
Reddit has hundreds of thousands of daily active users looking for solutions. Real people with real problems actively searching.
But here's the thing - Reddit hates marketers. Like genuinely hates them.
I got banned 6 times before I figured it out.
If your account is new, warm up first.
Same concept as TikTok. Be a normal Reddit user for 3-4 weeks. Comment on stuff. Upvote. Build karma. Otherwise instant ban.
Find subreddits where your audience hangs out.
If your app is about weddings, go to r/weddingplanning, r/Engaged, r/wedding.
If it's about productivity, hit r/productivity, r/getdisciplined.
Don't post about your app immediately. Understand the vibe first.
When you finally post:
Every subreddit is different. Some allow direct links. Most don't.
Safest approach: make a genuine post (story, question, tip) and drop your app link in the comments naturally. Not "CHECK OUT MY APP" but like "I actually built something for this - [link] if anyone wants to try."
I got hundreds of downloads doing this.
Consistency matters more than volume.
Don't post for 5 days, disappear for 2 weeks, then comeback. Reddit doesn't work like that. Better to do a little bit daily.
Reddit is hard.
Yes, Reddit marketing is painful. Mods are strict. Rules are confusing. Every subreddit is different. Bans come out of nowhere.
Takes real time to figure out what works.
If you have some budget and don't want to spend weeks learning this the hard way, it might be worth investing in mediafa.st
You add your app, and it handles everything!
The best subreddits for your product, a marketing plan that tells what to post and when, one-click post generation that sounds like a real Redditor, a comment finder that surfaces the best posts to comment under, post scheduling, and karma tracking. Built on real strategies from founders who scaled on Reddit, not AI slop. 5-10 minutes a day is all it takes.
X: Worth a shot
Share your launch, your journey, behind the scenes stuff.
You might get lucky and go viral. I've seen random app posts hit 100k views because someone big retweeted it.
Lower conversion than Reddit, but takes 5 mins to post so why not.
SEO: Start early
Don't wait until you have traction. Start SEO for your app's website now.
Two approaches that work:
Programmatic SEO (pSEO):
Long-tail keywords with generated pages. Like if you have a recipe app:
- "easy 10 minute pasta recipes"
- "healthy breakfast ideas for busy mornings"
- hundreds of these, each a page
Free tools:
Build small free tools related to your app. They rank, bring traffic, and some percentage converts to app downloads.
SEO takes months to kick in but once it does, it's free traffic forever.
The playbook summary:
- Fix your ASO first (30 mins)
- Create TikTok + Instagram pages
- Warm up both for a week (15 mins/day scrolling)
- Batch create 1 month of content (4-5 days)
- Post consistently - mix slideshows and reels
- Repost to YouTube Shorts (free extra views)
- Find your Reddit communities
- Warm up Reddit account (2-3 weeks)
- Post genuinely, drop links in comments
- Share journey on X
- Start SEO now, not later
Do this for 2 months consistently. $1k MRR is realistic.
No ads. No influencers. No budget needed.
Just show up every day, give value, and don't be annoying about your app.
That's literally it.
If this was helpful, follow me @arthuryuzbashev
I share more growth stuff, Reddit strategies, and behind the scenes of building apps.
