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Yulia Nekrasova
Mon Feb 12 2024

How To Get Your First 1000 Users

Starting your user acquisition efforts for the app is undoubtedly the most crucial period, and anyone who has tried to compete in the app store knows that the initial stage is also the hardest. The search for the very first users can sometimes seem like a never-ending struggle, calling for strategic planning and thorough planning.

In this comprehensive guide, we probe the ins and outs of acquiring the initial users to your app and game. Be it a revolutionary app or a gaming experience, the guiding principles behind these strategies still hold true.

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Formulate a plan and select marketing channels

Set a measurable goal for your app downloads, it could be a target of 1,000 for a modest approach and 10,000 for a more ambitious way. However, rather than viewing this as a daunting uphill battle, re-imagine it as a strategic downhill trip to winning. When you flip your perspective, you'll find a more doable and inspiring way to reach your download goals.

Having established your goal, the next step would be setting a realistic timeline, ensuring that it fits in well with a stance on the target market. It is important to clarify your audience.. After you have defined the target audience, design your customer acquisition strategy based on this audience segment.

You have a number of powerful customer acquisition strategies to choose from, depending on the situation. Options include:

  • Paid Advertising
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Content Marketing
  • Influencer Marketing
  • UGC
  • ASO

The suitable strategy for you will depend on your target audience and on the type of your app. Try a combination of these tactics to boost your findings. Utilizing several marketing channels will provide a more efficient and robust campaign, which will increase the chances of meeting your download goals. Keep in mind that spreading your efforts to multiple channels helps to eliminate the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket.

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Apple Search Ads and Google Ads

An effective way to get your first 1,000 users is by using in-store advertising on platforms such as Apple’s Search Ads or Google Ads. Another way, for example, Facebook and TikTok, can be used for the off-store promotion, but you should need a larger budget.

Opting for search ads within the app store offers several advantages:

  • Ease of Setup: The process is quite straightforward if the correct steps are followed.
  • Cost Efficiency: Highly targeted search ads can give you good results at an affordable price.
  • Clear Expectations: It is easy to set expectations related to campaign outcomes.
  • Relevance Assurance: Because of their in-store placement, it is most probably that the downloads will come from users who really like your app.

However, these benefits do come with certain considerations:

  • Keyword Investment: Although simple does not represent the complexity, the correctly chosen keywords, comparable to App Store Optimization (ASO) have time and cost implications.
  • Targeting Precision: Continuous monitoring of targeting parameters is a must for sound results, whereas setting and forgetting may result in suboptimal outcomes and increased spending.
  • Scale Requirement: Getting exactly 1000 relevant downloads may require getting more than the specified number due to the vast user base.

Taking into account these aspects, and more specifically concerning the 1000-user target, the related costs can still remain within reasonable limits. Nevertheless, a professional and well-executed advertising campaign calls for the services of a team of experts like the Mobihunter team. Our team with wide experience on different platforms, including but not limited to Google, Facebook, and TikTok, Snapchat can provide your ad strategy optimization for effective ad spending and the best results for your app or game.

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What if your budget is very limited?

Now, we'll focus on the autonomous route —which is suitable for smaller budgets and app promotion. This method costs more time and effort, but has worked for many successful apps and games.

The path to promoting your app and following the DIY way is simple but comprehensive— locate several platforms that your selected users are, and place your app at their reach. Unlike paid ads, the DIY route requires a multifaceted approach, involving various tactics, some of which are relatively straightforward.

Launch on ProductHunt: Particularly interesting for the apps, ProductHunt is a huge community searching for the new products and discovering new ones. Placement of your app on ProductHunt, which is absolutely free, allows it to be seen by the entire community. Also, ProductHunt's strong SEO will drive organic traffic from Google.

Seek Store Features: Make use of the huge user base of platforms such as the App Store and Google Play by asking for feature placement. To be a feature in the store will provide free of charge exposure to millions of potential customers.

Engage on Q&A Platforms: For apps, Quora and Stackoverflow are the goldmines of questions, some of which may be related to your app’s area. Find these questions using keywords that are associated with your app's advertising strategy and make informative responses, leading to a link of your app.

Connect with Journalists: Games and apps are being reviewed and mentioned frequently by the press. You may become a member of those ranks by addressing them politely and persistently. Starting this discussion could be easier than you expect.

Although the DIY road requires more manual work, it highlights the possibility of organic growth without a huge financial investment.

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Conclusion

Lastly, getting your app to its first 1,000 users is a very important stage that should be approached strategically and with great care. The first phase, which is seen as a difficult hill to climb, seems more manageable when it is viewed as a tactical downhill towards success. This manual covers many detailed tactics that can be used for apps and games with the core principles that are alike.

On the road to the first 1000 users or even more, Mobihunter awaits you to get involved with offering knowledge and services that go beyond traditional advertising. Whether it is about handling paid ads or optimizing your DIY approaches, our team can show you how you can improve the reach of your app and achieve your app download goals without burning a hole in your pocket.