Starting developer guide (a very long guide) celebrating 50k downloads 😊
Hey! I see a lot of posts asking for help - how to get more users, downloads ect.
Im not a professional or anything but i wanted to make a help post with some advice i learned along the way.
First stage and the most important one:
You need to offer something better than the competition.
It can be a better user experience with an easy to understand app, more features, a clean design but in the end you need something that would make people want to install your app instead of theirs.
Second stage - getting testers
This one can be a little annoying but if you have done the last part well, you just need to advertise in the right place.
There are ton of subreddits specialized in getting testers, and for people who are interested in apps.
(Android developers, droidshowcase ect)
Third stage - getting downloads
Your app is live, now its the hard and fun part.
My first tip is just from my experience and might not be true: having some paywall inside your app is a great way to get downloads. Any subreddit that your post will say promo codes, is an easy way to get more people to download your app and get feedback.
A great place to get downloads for your app is howtomen subreddit. If you get enough likes and your app is good enough you might even be featured in a YouTube video which would give you a great boost.
Always keep posting about new updates and new features.
Another thing that can help : ads
It doesnt need to be a crazy amount, even 2 dollars a day can get you plenty of downloads, and if your app has a paid product inside you might get your money back
**ASO and play store listing ** : im not great in this part but try to work with some AI to improve your aso, your listing images (please dont do an overly neon AI slop ones) and try some A/B testing Another important thing is make sure that its very clear what your app does just from the first 2/3 images.
Thing to do while in stage three :
1. Take user feedback to heart - yes its really annoying getting a 1 star review but try to see if the user has a point, if you can improve something ect. Some reviews would not make sense but make sure to answer every review respectfully!! People read your comments and it might help you negate the 1 star review impact.
2. Look out for ANR reports and crushes - of your app has many anr reports it would be flagged by the play store and be shown less.
3. Put effort on the UI - its easy to make an app now with codex/cluade ect, but they all build the app with a similar look.. The easiest way to spot an AI built app is the sliders inside the app.
Its not wrong to use AI but you can work with it to have your own unique look.
4.bug reports - this one is pretty obvious but work on your bugs...
5. Don't add every requested feature - Listen to feedback, but make sure features actually fit the app instead of turning it into a mess**.**
6. Retention matters, not just downloads - Getting 1,000 downloads means less if most users uninstall after one day. Make sure the first-use experience is clear and users understand the app quickly.
- Create also your own sub reddit and promote it with your app details, be active on it, post progress etc
I really hope that would help, good luck :)
