What's New: Optimizing for the App Store

(from the latest issue of the Indie Hackers newsletter)

App Store Optimization (ASO) focuses on keyword ranking to bring in traffic:

• To optimize, conduct keyword research, set a description, and create screenshots with captions. Dive into cross-localization for extra ASO.
• Are you sabotaging your success? If you're the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, be intentional about those people.
• 100 paid users and 2nd Product of the Day on Product Hunt. Morgan Kung targeted relevant Facebook Groups and offered LTDs to bring in users.

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Basic ASO With AI Prompts 📱

by Egor Dubchenko

App Store Optimization (ASO) helps you present your app in the App Store, and is also valuable for marketing purposes. Similar to SEO, ASO focuses on ranking based on keywords to attract free traffic.

Basic ASO consists of a few steps, which we're diving into below!

1. Keyword research

This step involves:

1. Identifying relevant keywords.
2. Using tools and analytics to find high-traffic, low-competition keywords.

For keyword research, use this prompt:

You are a search marketer tasked with finding the best keywords to get visibility for a mobile app. Mobile app marketing is very similar to website marketing (SEO), and you have that experience also.

Please give me 10 keywords that are related and relevant, but do not repeat the topic [topic], and explain why each of the keywords is relevant to the topic in a sentence.

Prompts to create the title and subtitle:

Title:

I am creating a [app category] app for [describe persona]. Create an optimized unique app name under 30 characters long. Use the following combinations: [brand name & single keyword], [brand name: keywords and phrases, condense words and phrases], or create a completely new word. Use the following list of keywords [paste keyword list].

Subtitle:

I am creating a [app category] app for [describe persona], using the name [app name]. Generate [X number] of App Store subtitles under 30 characters.

2. Description

Use this prompt:

Here is the short description for [competitor name]: [its short description]. Use all the below keywords in the short description, and give me three variations: [keyword one], [keyword two], [keyword three].

Additionally, ChatGPT has an agent that helps with ASO, which you can use to create metadata for your app: App Store ASO helper.

3. Creating screenshots with captions

App Store and Google Play have strict guidelines for screenshots, so I made a free Figma template that you can use to create them quickly.

I recommend adding CTAs to make them look better. Everything is precise to the pixel.

To create captions for your screenshots, use this prompt:

You are an ASO specialist, and your task is to come up with three CTAs for <my app>. Below is its description:

<my app>

APP DESCRIPTION

</my app>

Come up with three CTAs for App Store screenshots that complement the interface screenshots. These CTAs MUST be short, but to the point.

Localization

Localization is not just about adding translations of screenshots and descriptions; it also enhances the ability to cover different keywords. If your app targets the US market, you can open Spanish and Portuguese localizations to create three different app names, all of which will be indexed together.

This is called cross-localization, and helps expand your indexing for other keywords you couldn’t fit into the primary title or description. This table has cross-localizations for the US.

Additional optimization

If you’ve done basic ASO, and have free time, consider adding interesting features that will help strengthen your app’s position:

• In-app event: If you added a cool feature to your app, or you've made some significant changes, you can create a nice looking “event” to increase conversion rates. It’s free, but does need to pass moderation.

• Campaign links: The App Store allows you to create custom links for your app if you’re doing a promo and want to track how many users downloaded the app via each link.
• App Store features: You can promote mobile apps and games in thematic collections. To get featured, you need to apply. Write a compelling story about your app to “sell” it to the App Store editors. The response time from Apple is quite long, but it’s worth trying.

Check out my apps Prompt Forge, which teaches you how to code with AI, Feedback Loop: Interview Prep, and Space Academy Quiz (also available on Android).

Also, Giggle Ohms: Resisting Boredom (Android here) provides AI-generated jokes for hardware engineers. Here's what I went through to create AI jokes for it!

Discuss this story.

In the News 📰

from the Growth Trends newsletter

🧵 Threads API is finally here.

🚀 Try this simple growth strategy to kickstart user acquisition.

💲 Link to your product here. Our most affordable ad.

📖 A playbook for product-led sales.

👀 ChatGPT stats for marketers.

❌ New York bans "addictive feeds" for teens.

Check out Growth Trends for more curated news items focused on user acquisition and new product ideas.

Don't Sabotage Your Success 🫣

by Wyatt Feaster

So many people sit on the sidelines and think about the "what ifs." What if I started? What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? What if I don't know what I am doing? The list goes on.

This can really sabotage your shot before you ever try. Don't let the following barriers stand in the way of your success.

Not making it a priority

If you want something, you'll find the time. Could you skip a few hours of Netflix or TikTok to work on your dreams?

In reality, most people say they don't have time, but they just don't want it badly enough. I was no different before starting Email Emu. Eventually, I decided to make time, and found other aspects of life to put on the back burner.

Limiting yourself before you even start

You're telling yourself you’re too old, not smart enough, need more funds, etc.

Adopt a mindset that believes in anything. If you focus on the long road of hard challenges you'll face, you'll become paralyzed by that thought. You're already putting it in a negative light.

Comparing yourself to others

Focus on your own journey. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. This is going to make you feel awful.

Don't chase what someone else has.

Relaxing too soon

Success requires consistent effort. If you haven’t reached your goals yet, now's not the time to relax. Just because you see others working remotely from a beach for a couple of hours doesn’t mean you’re at that stage.

Dedicate your free time to advancing towards your goals, rather than spending every Saturday hanging out with friends. Your dedication now will pay off later.

Hanging out with the wrong crowd

There’s a saying that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If your friends have goals that differ vastly from yours, it can be challenging to stay on track.

If you're trying to accomplish your goals, don't hang out solely with people who are lacking direction or motivation. Surround yourself with people who share your aspirations, and develop mutual motivation and support.

Be okay with moving on from people who are no longer supporting your goals, or worse, block you from reaching them.

Discuss this story.

Top Posts on Indie Hackers This Week 🌐

❓ The big problem that your startup needs to solve. Posted by Sam McManus.

💰 LTDs beat subscriptions. Posted by Jay Tan.

🔎 Free marketing channels that work in 2024. Posted by Egor Dubchenko.

🤖 Use AI to increase e-commerce sales. Posted by Addlly.

🤷‍♀️ Where are the early adopters? Posted by Miguel Cardoso.

🎤 Instagram artist finder for music producers. Posted by Fabien Herfray.

Want a shout-out in next week's Best of Indie Hackers? Submit an article or link post on Indie Hackers whenever you come across something you think other indie hackers will enjoy.

Growth Strategies That Worked 💪

by Morgan Kung

Last year, we launched FocuSee on Product Hunt, and got many positive comments. Later, we began exploring other growth strategies.

The product

FocuSee is a screen recording app with an automatic zoom effect and customizable options.

It's built to help anyone without video editing skills effortlessly create captivating tutorials, promos, sales, and demo videos in minutes.

The first 100 customers

Getting the first 100 paid customers is a milestone. Here's how we did it:

1. Product Hunt launch: We launched on Product Hunt and received valuable feedback and advice. That support helped us win the second Product of the Day, and gain significant exposure.

2. Indie Hackers and X: FocuSee was initially built for indie hackers, and we know that they mostly build in public on X and Indie Hackers. Therefore, these two platforms are our primary communities for promoting FocuSee. It works for us! When you promote products, it's important to first analyze your product's target audience and the platforms they prefer, then choose the best platform to use.

3. Facebook Groups LTD group: Members of LTD groups on Facebook prefer a one-time payment model with exclusive discounts. To engage this valuable audience, we collaborated with several groups. The response was positive: Group members actively participated in our events, made purchases, and provided valuable feedback. They also reported bugs and suggested new features that could enhance the product.

What's next

1. SEO and blogs: SEO may have seemed tough in the past, but it's easier than ever to start putting in the necessary effort. I know it's critical, so we are planning to invest more into it, and improve our ranking.

2. AppSumo launch: We launched FocuSee on AppSumo yesterday. Although AppSumo's commission rates are quite high, we believe it's a great platform that can significantly increase our exposure and help us acquire new users. We're also excited about the valuable feedback and suggestions we can gather from these new users.

3. Explore the Japanese and French markets: After analyzing our customers, we noticed that there are many paying users from non-English speaking countries, such as Japan and France. So, I've decided to try expand to these markets!

Discuss this story.

The Tweetmaster's Pick 🐦

by Tweetmaster Flex

I post the tweets indie hackers share the most. Here's today's pick:

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Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to Egor Dubchenko, Darko, Wyatt Feaster, and Morgan Kung for contributing posts. —Channing