TGDown reached 1,000 Chrome users — the unglamorous work behind it

TGDown just crossed 1,000 users on the Chrome Web Store.

It now has:

• 1,000+ users

• 63 reviews

• A 4.9-star rating

• $0 in revenue — it is still completely free

For a large product, 1,000 users is a tiny number. For a solo developer building after work, it feels significant.

These are 1,000 people I do not know who decided that a small tool I built was useful enough to install in their browser.

TGDown is a Chrome extension that helps people save videos and photos from Telegram Web. It supports Telegram Web A and K, individual and batch downloads, and does not require users to create another account.

The first version took me about three weeks to build. But reaching 1,000 users took much longer than writing the code.

There was no single launch that suddenly brought in all the users. Most of the growth came from repeatedly doing small and fairly unglamorous things.

1. Submitting backlinks manually

I submitted TGDown to relevant directories, product databases, and websites where people might be searching for Telegram tools.

Most submissions produced little or no visible traffic.

However, the links gradually helped search engines discover the product and gave the website a little more authority. It was slow, repetitive work, but the effect accumulated over time.

One backlink rarely changes anything. Dozens of relevant backlinks can.

2. Rewriting the Chrome Web Store listing

My original store description explained what the extension did, but it was written from a developer’s perspective.

I kept improving it around the questions users actually had:

• What can I download?

• Does it work with Telegram Web A and K?

• Can it download multiple files?

• Do I need to create an account?

• Is it free?

• What should I do if the download button does not appear?

I also made the most important benefits easier to understand near the beginning of the listing.

Building the extension was only half the job. The store page still had to convince someone to trust and install it.

3. Building an independent website

I created a dedicated website instead of relying entirely on the Chrome Web Store page.

The website gave me a place to:

• Explain the product more clearly

• Publish installation and usage instructions

• Answer common questions

• Build pages that search engines could index

• Link users directly to the extension

• Establish more trust around the product

The website is here:

https://tgdown.wadesk.io/

4. Adding a review invitation

Positive reviews were important because browser extensions require a lot of trust.

But I did not want to interrupt new users immediately after installation. I added a review invitation only after someone had successfully used the extension multiple times.

That small change helped TGDown reach 63 reviews while maintaining a 4.9-star rating.

The lesson for me was simple: ask for a review after the user has experienced the value, not before.

5. Fixing the bugs users actually reported

Some of the most useful improvements did not come from my roadmap. They came directly from users.

Different Telegram Web versions, media types, page states, and browser download behavior created edge cases that I had not encountered during development.

Whenever someone reported a problem, I tried to reproduce it, fix it, and make the extension a little more reliable for everyone else.

Those bug reports were not just support requests. They were free product research.

What I learned

Reaching 1,000 users was not the result of one clever growth hack.

It was the result of:

• Shipping a solution to a specific problem

• Improving the store listing repeatedly

• Creating useful pages outside the extension store

• Building backlinks one by one

• Asking satisfied users for reviews

• Listening to bug reports

• Continuing to maintain the product after launch

Writing the first version was the exciting part.

Distribution, support, SEO, copywriting, and maintenance were the parts that slowly turned it into a product people could find and trust.

My next target is 5,000 users.

TGDown is available here:

Website:
https://tgdown.wadesk.io/

Chrome Web Store:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/free-telegram-video-downl/pobheilhkabfglljggbjlcphpcmdmdbn

For founders who have grown a browser extension: after reaching the first 1,000 users, what had the biggest impact on your next stage of growth?