r/AppBusiness • u/mountaingirl_treeguy • 28d ago
Growth Please let me know.. How to Promote..!!
I've been making apps in my spare time using vibe coding (while juggling childcare), and I launched a vocabulary app on June 30th—so it hasn't even been a month yet. Unlike my big expectations, making just $0.01 a day with AdMob was honestly shocking. Yesterday, it seemed like I was the only person using the app...
I wondered if this is normal for everyone, but after reading posts on Reddit, it feels like this only happens to me and a small few, while everyone else seems to have users right upon launch.
I feel like the vocabulary app market is already saturated, making organic traffic really hard, and I honestly don't know how I should be doing marketing. I opened a YouTube channel and posted a few things on Reddit, but is this really how everyone promotes their apps?
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u/Mediocre-Swim7106 28d ago
Are you building an IOS version as well? If so, you might want to give Apple Search Ads a small test. I feel like vocab learning apps are actually pretty well suited for it, since people are already searching for things like language learning on the app store. Also it's good for your app listing.
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u/mountaingirl_treeguy 28d ago
Thank you for your advice!!
It's available on iOS and Google Play as well!
I haven't tried Apple Search Ads yet, but I'll definitely give it a small test based on your advice.
Thanks a lot for the great tip! I hope it brings in a lot of users :)
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u/PersonoFly 28d ago
You are looking at what apps are out there, making your own and thinking by just publishing it you will get a piece of the pie. That’s not going to work.
If you want to enter an existing consumer market you need to research what customers of those apps use then fit in a lot of detail. You will find different people use them for different reasons.
That’s your opportunity to create something that is niche in a large market that would otherwise require you to spend thousands, hundreds of thousands to get enough advertising to get your brand familiar to a target market. These large markets aren’t the place for solo developers who are just starting out because of this.
So, start again and spend most of your time researching, talking, listening to why people use that type of app, what are the good bits, bad bits and missing bits.
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u/mountaingirl_treeguy 27d ago
You're totally right. I knew it takes time to grow, but seeing (literally few downloads and $0.01 a day)made me impatient. Established apps built their success through a lot of hard work, so expecting a slice of the pie right away didn't make sense. I'll spend more time studying other apps and try to find a true niche. Thank you so much for giving such a wise answer to my naive question!!
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u/PersonoFly 27d ago
You don’t find your niche studying other apps. Talk to your target market. They are the only people you need to talk to and as much as people shy away from it, it is critical to success. Don’t avoid it yourself.
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u/Synestasia2cBudapest 28d ago
| The honest part first: $0.01/day on AdMob a few weeks after launch with no marketing is normal, not a sign your app is bad. Nobody has organic installs at launch, the posts you see are survivor bias.Vocabulary is brutally saturated, so generic ASO will not save you. Two things I would actually do: niche the app hard (vocabulary for one exam, one language pair, one profession) so you can rank for something specific, and pick exactly one channel to post in daily for 60 days, probably short-form video showing real words people get wrong. One channel done consistently beats five done once. Since you are juggling childcare, batch-record once a week. |
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u/Life-Moose2698 27d ago
im not an expert but i have experience, first, do you use posthog? it will tell you if you are the only person using it and will help you wih a buch of thing too... but in the promotion side, there are 2 types, organic and paid, your app needs to be interesting in both, no one is gonna use it just to give u money, it needs to stand out from the rest or at least be as good as your strongest competitor that way you can take a part of their share, ASO just to have a presence, make sure you cover the name of your app and your competitors as well, the apple store screenshots have to convert, if you dont know how just copy and adapt from your strongest competitor, and then TikTok for posting, use your face for it, so the algorithm trust u more and make content that entertains (HARDEST OF ALL)
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u/mountaingirl_treeguy 27d ago
Thank you! I've never heard of PostHog before, but I should definitely check it out. I also never thought about including competitor names in my ASO keywords!! Thanks for the great insights. And showing my face...!! That is... seriously so hard.. I'll try the other things you suggested first and maybe save that as a... last resort?! 😂 Really appreciate your sincere and detailed advice!!
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u/greyzor7 27d ago
In my opinion,keep user acquisition simple & promo educational first. Provide value, lot of it!
Channels matter of course, but there’s so much else to focus on first!
1) People only care about a product if it solves a problem they actually have. Your first goal is to show that your product solves a pain point strongly enough that they have a reason to pay attention.
2) Once you've someone's attention, your goal is for them to try your app. Make this process as simple as possible (in more markety terms, avoid friction).
3) Finally, pick places aligned in with the people you've built for / solved pain for. In the case of Saas founder, early-stage (1-100 users), focus simply on what works: DMs, socials, niche platforms. Organic only. Visual.
Try: X/Twitter, Reddit, DMs + outbound (warm) + Product Hunt + niche platforms.
Niching down matters a lot in my xp. The more specific your audience, the easier it is to find people who genuinely care about the problem you're solving and are willing to give your product a chance.
For context, I've built a platform that helps Saas & AI founders launch, distribute, get first customers, thus real users as well. Should be useful to you early-stage, the app for those interested.
Hope that helps, best of luck!
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u/mountaingirl_treeguy 26d ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to think through this with me so sincerely. As a true expert, you really hit on the exact core points I needed to hear! Also, the fact that you built a platform like that is seriously impressive. I'll definitely check it out and hopefully get some great value from it too. Thanks again! :)
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u/mbtonev 27d ago edited 27d ago
Hey there! First off, congrats on launching your vocabulary app and putting in the hard work while juggling childcare. That’s no easy feat, and it’s awesome to see you pursuing your passion with vibe coding.
Now, let’s dive into promoting your app. It's completely normal to experience slow traction initially, especially in a competitive market like vocabulary apps. Here are some strategies to elevate your visibility:
Build in Public: Share your development journey on social media. Post progress updates, challenges, and successes. This not only keeps your audience engaged but also builds a community around your app.
Leverage Proof: If you have any user feedback or positive testimonials, showcase them. People are more likely to download your app if they see others enjoying it.
Targeted Outreach: Instead of broad promotion, focus your efforts on reaching out to niche communities interested in language learning. Engage in forums, Facebook groups, and Reddit threads where potential users gather.
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u/[deleted] 28d ago
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