Marketing mobile app on a low budget
Hi all,
I've been on working on a mobile journal/diary app since January as an experiment of sorts, and have been trying and struggling to grow the user base.
After a small ad campaign in January I had an initial 200 users or so, but unfortunately due to some issues with the app the churn was quite high and it's been leveling off at around 30 loyal users per day.
Now I've been looking at ways of marketing the app to get more users->more feedback->more revenue but unfortunately do not have a big chunk of cash to spend on Google/Facebook/Instagram ads.
So I want to ask - are any of you out there that are in the same boat and have successfully marketed an app on a shoestring budget and which platforms did you use to spread the word?
I would recommend posting on Reddit -- you could post on broader “startup” subreddits:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/
https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/
Or more specific subreddits related to journaling / productivity:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Journaling/
https://www.reddit.com/r/productivity/
Just make sure to read each subreddit’s rules on self-promotion first (otherwise you might get banned). In some cases, you can freely make a post, but other times you might have to post in a weekly thread or contact the subreddit’s moderators directly to see if you can make a more promotional post. The other thing with Reddit is to come across as personable (rather than trying to make a sale) — I’d recommend you tell your story and why you decided to build your journaling app. What problems did you face with older solutions? How are you addressing them with your app?
My co-founder worked on a fun side project last year (https://precisionlifts.app/), and he found most of his users through the ‘lifting’ subreddit. Here’s an example of his first post (https://www.reddit.com/r/lifting/comments/bqw3ax/i_built_a_prototype_lifting_timer_app_to_help_me/) and second post (https://www.reddit.com/r/lifting/comments/c7t0uo/a_month_ago_i_posted_a_demo_of_a_lifting_app_i/).
This seems like good advice, I've picked up Reddit recently and will look into posting there. Thanks!
No problem :) Best of luck!
If posting doesn’t work, you can also experiment with Reddit ads, which are much cheaper than google and fb ads. A click is about 0.10$
I try to get involved in my product's niche communities online and engage with that audience. Twitter has been a good one for me along with Product Hunt and here (Indie Hackers).
I've tried this but found it very difficult because journaling/keeping a diary is such a private exercise that nobody really seems to talk about it :(
Viral features for sure. I can go in more depth if you want. Hit me up.
Linkedin works for me. I use my network to get feedback and have purchased many things from connections on that platform.
For you, a blog on Medium may be perfect. Instead of starting it from scratch. Ask to contribute to other publications with followers.