Quick Download Wins¶
A ranked list of low-effort, fast channels to get the first downloads or sign-ups for a new app, extension or SaaS, sorted into levels by effort and by how quickly downloads arrive (same day → this week → steady), each with the exact action, time, cost and rules to respect. Use when a product is live but downloads are near zero, when someone asks "how do I get downloads fast", "quick wins for app downloads", "cheapest way to get installs", "low effort marketing", or needs traction this week without a marketing budget.
A ranked list of the cheapest, fastest ways to get downloads. Start at the top, stop when you run out of time, and track which ones actually worked for your product.
Goal¶
Get real people to install and try the product this week, spending minutes rather than days, and little or no money. These wins won't make an app big on their own, but they give you the first users, reviews and feedback, which makes every later channel work better.
When to use¶
- The app is live but downloads are close to zero.
- You have a few hours this week and no marketing budget.
- Not for: a planned launch day → launch-product-hunt-launch. Long-term search traffic → aso-keyword-research.
Inputs¶
- The live store or product link, with a UTM or campaign link per channel so you can see what worked.
- The one-sentence benefit ("Reminders that pause during your meetings").
- A 15–30 second screen recording of the app doing its main job. You'll reuse it everywhere.
The ranking¶
Effort: ⚡ minutes · ⚡⚡ an hour or two · ⚡⚡⚡ ongoing. Speed: 🟢 same day · 🟡 within a week · 🔵 steady trickle. Size is what's typical for a small indie product. It varies a lot, so measure your own.
Level 1: under 30 minutes each, downloads the same day¶
| # | Channel | Action | Effort | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | People who already know you | Message friends, colleagues, beta/TestFlight testers and your email list: "It's live. Would you try it and tell me one thing to fix?" | ⚡ | 🟢 | Free |
| 2 | Everywhere you already have a link | Add the store link to your X/LinkedIn/GitHub bio, email signature, personal site, and the README of your open-source repos | ⚡ | 🔵 | Free |
| 3 | Smart App Banner on your website (iOS) | Add <meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=YOUR_ID"> to your site. Safari on iPhone shows an "Open / Get" banner |
⚡ | 🔵 | Free |
| 4 | Cross-promote from your other apps | A "More from the developer" row or a one-time in-app card in apps you already have | ⚡ | 🟢 | Free |
| 5 | "Share your project" threads | Post in communities that allow self-promotion: r/SideProject, weekly promo threads in niche subreddits and Discords, Indie Hackers | ⚡ | 🟢 | Free |
Level 2: 1–2 hours each, downloads within a week¶
| # | Channel | Action | Effort | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Answer "app for X" threads | Find 5 recent threads where people ask for a tool like yours (research-where-users-ask). Give a genuinely helpful answer and say you made the app | ⚡⚡ | 🟢 | Free |
| 7 | Free directories, Level 1–2 | AlternativeTo (add yourself as an alternative to 3 competitors), Uneed, TinyLaunch… → listing-free-directories | ⚡⚡ | 🟡 | Free |
| 8 | Limited-time free or price drop + deal communities | Make a paid app free (or 50% off) for 2–3 days, then post it where deal hunters look, such as r/AppHookup. Read the rules first: they only accept real sales and free-for-a-limited-time offers | ⚡⚡ | 🟢 spike | Lost revenue for 2–3 days |
| 9 | Code giveaways | Give 20–50 promo codes (app download on iOS, Google Play promo codes, or offer codes for premium) in a community or to your list. Never ask for a review in return, since both stores ban incentivized reviews | ⚡⚡ | 🟢 | Free |
| 10 | Show HN / Product Hunt | If the product fits a technical audience → launch-post-writing, launch-product-hunt-launch | ⚡⚡ | 🟢 spike | Free |
| 11 | Alternative stores | Submit the same build to Samsung Galaxy Store, Microsoft Store, Firefox/Edge Add-ons… (free) → listing-free-directories Level 3 | ⚡⚡ | 🔵 | Free |
Level 3: a small budget or a weekly habit, steady downloads¶
| # | Channel | Action | Effort | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Apple Ads (formerly Search Ads) | A search campaign on your brand name plus 10–20 exact-match long-tail keywords, with a small daily cap. Pay per tap or install. Also shows which keywords convert | ⚡⚡ | 🟢 | You set the budget |
| 13 | Short demo videos | Post the 15–30 s recording as TikTok / YouTube Shorts / Reels, 2–3 times a week, each opening with a different problem hook | ⚡⚡⚡ | 🟡 | Free |
| 14 | Micro-creators and newsletters | Email 10 small YouTubers, bloggers or newsletters in your niche with a free code and a one-line pitch. No payment, no required review | ⚡⚡ | 🟡 | Free or a small fee |
| 15 | Localize the store listing | Translate name, subtitle, keywords and screenshot captions for 2–3 big markets → listing-app-store Level 2 | ⚡⚡ | 🔵 | Free (or translation) |
| 16 | Ask happy users at the right moment | A native review prompt after a success moment. More ratings means more installs from search → aso-review-and-rating-strategy | ⚡⚡ | 🔵 | Free |
Steps¶
- Prepare once (30 min). The benefit sentence, the 15–30 s recording, 3 screenshots, and one tracking link per channel (UTM for the web, a campaign link or custom product page for the App Store, a custom store listing URL for Google Play).
- Do all of Level 1 today (1–2 hours in total).
- Pick 3 channels from Level 2 this week, the ones that fit your audience. Skip those that don't (e.g. #8 only works for paid apps or apps with a paid tier).
- Log results after 7 days: channel, date, installs or sign-ups, and the first-week retention of those users if you can see it.
- Keep the top 2 channels, and add one Level 3 habit or a small Apple Ads test.
Prompt (copy-paste)¶
Replace everything in {{ }}.
You are a scrappy indie growth coach. I need downloads this week with little time and no budget.
Product: {{what it does, one-sentence benefit}} Platform: {{iOS / Android / Mac / Windows / web / extension}}
Price model: {{free / freemium / paid}} Link: {{URL}}
Audience: {{who}} What I already have: {{email list size, followers, other apps, website, open-source repos}}
Time available this week: {{hours}} Budget: {{0 or amount}}
From this ranked list, pick what fits me and make a 7-day plan:
Level 1 (minutes, same-day): existing contacts, links in all profiles, Smart App Banner, cross-promo from my other apps,
"share your project" threads.
Level 2 (1-2 h, this week): answer "app for X" threads, AlternativeTo + free directories, limited-time free/price drop
+ deal communities (only if paid), promo-code giveaways (no review requests), Show HN / Product Hunt, alternative stores.
Level 3 (budget/habit): Apple Ads on brand + long-tail exact match, short demo videos, micro-creators, listing
localization, review prompt after success moments.
For each chosen channel: the exact action, a ready-to-send message or post (under 80 words, no hype),
the tracking link to use, and the community rule to check. Skip channels that don't fit and say why.
Example output¶
Illustrative example. Fictional app and numbers, shown for format.
Sipwell (iOS, freemium), week 1 after launch, 6 hours, $0 → $50.
| Day | Channel | Installs (7 d) |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | #1 contacts + 40 TestFlight testers | 38 |
| Mon | #2 links in bios + #3 Smart App Banner on sipwell.app | 9 |
| Tue | #6 answered 5 "water reminder app" threads | 21 |
| Wed | #7 AlternativeTo (alternative to WaterMinder, Plant Nanny) + Uneed | 17 |
| Thu | #9 30 Pro offer codes in a hydration Discord | 26 |
| Sat | #12 Apple Ads, $50 on brand + 12 long-tail keywords | 44 |
Keep: threads (#6) and Apple Ads (#12), which had the best day-7 retention. Drop: bio links. They help, but they don't need weekly time.
Common mistakes¶
- Spamming every subreddit with a link. You'll be banned. Use promo threads and communities that allow it, and give value first → launch-reddit-posting.
- Trading codes or rewards for reviews. Both stores prohibit incentivized reviews, and it can get the app removed.
- No tracking links, so you can't tell which of the 10 channels worked.
- Chasing downloads the app can't keep. If day-1 retention is poor, fix onboarding before buying more installs.
Related skills¶
- listing-free-directories: the full list of free directories and stores.
- launch-get-first-100-users: deeper, one-by-one outreach.
- research-where-users-ask: find threads to answer.
Credits¶
Written by @nvminhtu. Sources: Apple, "Promoting apps with Smart App Banners" (Safari docs); Apple Developer News on offer and promo codes; Apple Ads (renamed from Search Ads in April 2025); App Store Review Guidelines 5.6 and Google Play's ratings policy on incentivized reviews.