The right way to get customers to your app with out adverts: 6 confirmed channels (2026)

When you’ve launched an app and wish to construct a consumer base with out shopping for adverts, you’ve got most likely already signed up for Reddit and undoubtedly heard one thing about ASO. 

However how are you aware which channel to begin with, how lengthy to attend, and what works greatest general? 

On this information, we’ve compiled 6 methods to extend your app’s consumer base with out advert spend and defined the main points, so you’ll be able to construct your personal technique tailor-made to your app’s particular options. 

The right way to purchase customers to your app: 6 channels in contrast

Completely different channels work at completely different levels. This is a fast overview earlier than we go deeper into each.

App Retailer Optimization: the slowest channel with the longest payoff

App Retailer Optimization will get your app discovered by people who find themselves already trying to find what you constructed. You enhance your app’s title, subtitle, key phrases, screenshots, and outline so the App Retailer algorithm exhibits it to the suitable searches.

Outcomes take at the least 2-3 months. When you simply launched, ASO will not show you how to this week. However as soon as it really works, it brings customers when you sleep.

“Two weeks could also be a bit early to see a transparent affect from ASO, particularly in case your app doesn’t have a lot site visitors but. The very first thing you’ll be able to examine is your key phrase rankings. If ASO was finished nicely, your app ought to begin showing for some new search phrases. Additionally examine your impressions and conversion price in App Retailer Join or Play Console. If impressions enhance however installs don’t, the difficulty is normally the itemizing belongings like screenshots or icon. Personally, I’ve seen screenshots make a giant distinction to conversions. After I take a look at screenshot variations, I normally create them with Applaunchpad as a result of it’s fast to generate and resize screenshots for various units”, shares a Reddit consumer. 

The issues that transfer ASO rankings most are key phrase relevance in your title and subtitle, conversion price out of your screenshots and preview video, and the rate of latest rankings. Focus there first.

Product Hunt: in the future of consideration that may change your trajectory

A Product Hunt launch is a dash, not a technique. The site visitors curve seems the identical each time: a surge within the first hour, a peak between hours 8 and 12 when the each day e-mail goes out, then a cliff. By hour 18, you are at roughly 10% of peak site visitors. By day 4, it is basically zero.

A research by Saasify in contrast 5 real-world launches over 18 months. Over this era, they acquired between 150 and 800 likes, from 2,000 to fifteen,000 guests, and 50 to 400 sign-ups per launch. Excessive-quality sign-ups transformed into paid subscriptions at a price of 8–12% inside 30 days. 

Right here’s an attention-grabbing reality: the success of your launch will depend on the day of the week. Launches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays carry out higher than on different days. Monday was the one greatest avoidable mistake throughout all 5 launches.

However crucial factor when launching on Product Hunt is to have a heat viewers of fifty–100 people who find themselves prepared to interact within the first few hours—upvoting, commenting, asking questions, and sharing. Such launches carry out 3–5x higher! 

One developer on Reddit who went via a “no viewers” launch describes what truly moved the needle afterwards:

“The one stuff that moved the needle was going the place the precise patrons hang around and exhibiting actual, working stuff, not vibes. I might double down on that by turning these characteristic launches into tiny case research: ‘this group wished X, this is what we shipped, this is the earlier than/after.’ These tales unfold manner higher than generic characteristic publicizes. I additionally discovered it helpful to trace the place my greatest customers first confirmed up from. For me it ended up being a mixture of PH, a few area of interest Slack teams, and Reddit. Pulse for Reddit caught as a result of it stored surfacing threads the place of us have been actually asking for what I did, so I might drop tremendous particular, non-salesy replies.”

 Be part of a subscription platform: attain customers who’re already wanting

App shops join you with individuals who seek for a particular app. Subscription platforms like Setapp join you with people who find themselves actively seeking to uncover new instruments for his or her Mac and already paying for entry.

The distinction in conversion is important. A free App Retailer consumer must resolve whether or not your app is price shopping for. A Setapp subscriber has already paid for the platform. Their barrier to attempting your app is clicking Set up.

Zac Cohan has been constructing Soulver, a pure language calculator, since 2005. He is been on Setapp since 2022 and describes the platform dynamic in a manner that explains why discovery works in a different way there:

“Setapp exhibits what’s attainable when {the marketplace} cares about each builders AND clients. There isn’t any battle: everyone seems to be handled with dignity, and the expertise for me as a developer is a lot extra nice and optimistic than with the App Retailer. 
The evaluation course of on Setapp has at all times been fast, skilled and truthful. I can not say the identical factor of the App Retailer. Additionally I really like the Setapp developer portal, it is a pleasure to make use of”. 

Carmen Huidobro has been sustaining Archiver and Renamer at Unbelievable Bee for over a decade. The longevity of the enterprise is partly a distribution story:

“Many years in, the truth that small Mac utilities nonetheless have an viewers and a viable enterprise mannequin is one thing I do not take without any consideration. Setapp is a part of why that is nonetheless true.” 

Markus Müller-Simhofer, developer of MindNode, has been on Setapp since 2018. His remark about how customers uncover and interact with apps on the platform connects to why group works:

“Person critiques are usually extra optimistic and customers appear to find the app extra simply. Typically I actually just like the idea of getting a restricted curated number of apps the place I can belief that I always hit an upselling paywall.”

Setapp has gathered a high-quality viewers of Mac subscribers who’re actively in search of new apps. On common, an app receives about 30,000 distinctive views in simply the primary few days after launching on Setapp. Turn out to be a Setapp companion and be part of over 240 high-quality apps for macOS and iOS. 

Content material advertising and search engine optimisation: the channel that compounds over time

A weblog submit optimized for the suitable key phrase can carry you customers each day for years. The tradeoff: it takes 6–12 months earlier than you see significant site visitors, and it is advisable to produce content material that solutions questions your potential customers are literally looking.

The best format for Mac app content material is comparability articles and how-to guides tied immediately to make use of instances your app solves. In case your app handles file renaming, “how you can batch rename information on Mac” is a greater goal than something about your app by identify.

For instance, Elephas co-founders say that one of many weblog’s best-performing posts is “ChatGPT Options,” into which they natively built-in their app.  

“We began getting natural site visitors on our assist articles. These assist articles, written for our preliminary clients, began getting traction from Google. Throughout a 12-month interval we made round $70,000 from Google solely.” — Ayush Chaturvedi, ex co-founder of Elephas.

Construct presence in area of interest communities like Reddit or Discord

Reddit, Slack teams, Discord servers, and area of interest boards do not scale the way in which search engine optimisation does. However the customers you attain via them convert at increased charges as a result of they’re already in a group that cares about your matter.

The golden rule is: don’t promote your app immediately. Your objective is to be useful and engaged, and solely then transfer on to advertising. Reply questions in r/macapps, r/productiveness, and r/apple for 4–6 weeks earlier than you ever point out your personal app. When you do point out it, make certain it’s in a thread the place it immediately solutions somebody’s query.

Referral applications: flip current customers into your acquisition channel

A referral program offers customers one thing in change for telling their buddies about your app. It really works when your app has real each day use, when folks have a motive to carry it up in dialog.

In response to statistics, referral applications can enhance your subscriptions by as much as 50%, relying on the app class. 

Necessary: Solely launch a referral program after you have achieved retention. If most of your customers churn throughout the first week, the impact would be the reverse, and as a substitute of development, you’ll enhance churn.

What do you have to provide a referred consumer? It could possibly be an prolonged trial, a characteristic unlock, additional storage, and many others. For instance, Airbnb engages customers by encouraging them to share the platform with buddies utilizing their referral hyperlink, for which they will earn journey credit, whereas new customers obtain a coupon for his or her first reserving.

Remaining phrases: The right way to get extra app customers

To get customers to strive your app with out spending cash on adverts, you should utilize strategies like ASO, content material search engine optimisation, group constructing, posting on Product Hunt, and becoming a member of Setapp.

The quickest option to get customers to strive your app is to achieve out to those that are already in search of comparable instruments. That’s precisely what Setapp presents to Mac builders. You add your app as soon as. Setapp subscribers can set up it with a single click on. No buy selections, no conversion funnels to construct from scratch. The platform handles distribution, and also you give attention to improvement.

When you’re seeking to enhance your app’s consumer base with out constructing each acquisition channel your self, apply to change into a Setapp companion. You carry the app. Setapp brings the viewers.