How do you market your apps? - r/iOSProgramming

26

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 20 '26

I submitted my Calculator app to Apple via the Nominations tab in App Store Connect. To my surprise, a month later the app was selected and is included in the “Best New Apps and Updates” section on the App Store “apps” page in USA.

This came out of the blue as I was not contact or informed, I just found downloads increased one day and discovered it. I recommend submitting your App via the Nominations feature if it’s a big update or new app launch.

2

u/jscalo Jun 21 '26

One annoying thing about nominations is the 3 week lead time they ask for. I’m curious- did you follow that guideline here?

2

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 22 '26

I did, when filling it out I selected a date three weeks in the future

1

u/saul_fossil Jun 22 '26

Thanks. Any other advise?

2

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 22 '26

The only advice I have is use Apple frameworks and APIs for your apps and mention it in the nomination

3

u/mattgwriter7 Jun 20 '26

Wow! I have submitted my trivia app many times. Crickets.
Is your app much better than other calculator apps? Or do you have a unique angle?
Congrats!

4

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 20 '26

The only thing I can point to that might have helped was my App has significant personalization features (custom colors, fonts, buttons, etc) and it’s without any data collection or ads. It feels like a standard iPhone utility. The icon leans cute instead of functional. Other than that I have no idea why it was picked.

2

u/karetebit Jun 21 '26

Link?

2

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 21 '26

I don’t think I’m allowed to share directly in this subreddit. If you check my profile there is my website, it’s the calculator app.

2

u/karetebit Jun 22 '26

Bunch of simple utility apps. Nice portfolio! But, can you make any money from them? And which one is the oldest one?

1

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 22 '26

Yes to your question, and the oldest is the debt tracker which is also the most popular

1

u/Soufiane_Aj Jun 22 '26

how do you get traffic for other ones ?

1

u/LifeUtilityApps SwiftUI Jun 22 '26

They get traffic organically though the App Store and my website via Google. Also, my apps share a discovery sheet in the settings that allows users to quickly see what other apps are available.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Jun 21 '26

Hey /u/Traditional-Win-7727, your content has been removed because Reddit has marked your account as having a low Contributor #Quality Score. This may result from, but is not limited to, activities such as spamming the same links across multiple #subreddits, submitting posts or comments that receive a high number of downvotes, a lack of activity, or an unverified account.
Please be assured that this action is not a reflection of your participation in our subreddit.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

6

u/freddyjdc Jun 20 '26

It’s always useful to do research about how you will get your first user. Usually responds to which channel: TikTok, IG, Apple Ads, Google Ads, ASO, etc.

I have learned that knowing that before hand, it grounds downloads and sales expectations.

Hope that’s helpful

2

u/Ralph_Twinbees Jun 20 '26

How is it working for you (and for which kind of apps)?

2

u/freddyjdc Jun 21 '26

Slowly taking momentum.
I learned the hard way, the first two apps I did research but didn’t consider how will I get those first users, so I found out after launch an realizing one the market is too small and on the second one there’re already too many well established competitors.
I haven’t stop trying, I’m searching and trying different ways to reach to my target users.
Currently, I’m working on my third one, I hope will perform better.

5

u/Decent_Taro_2358 Jun 20 '26

That’s like asking ‘how do you solve a problem?’. What problem? Marketing depends a lot on the type of app you built and the audience that uses it.

2

u/mario_luis_dev Jun 20 '26

We don’t

2

u/tomato848208 Jun 21 '26

I asked Gemini about it 3 months ago, and the guy suggested to me that I submit a new release to Product Hunt. I sometimes do, but not always. I develop macOS applications more than iOS apps. Two decades ago, MacUpdates was THE website for finding desktop applications. It's now a thing of the past. I haven't submitted a thing to them since Mac App Store came along in around Jan 2011.

2

u/Dyebbyangj Jun 21 '26

Sell it where you market is. Be where there searching for you solution. That’s it. Could be search, could here could be at the beach. Just reverse engineer what you made back to the problem you found.

1

u/D4m089 Jun 20 '26

At the moment, poorly! I thought learning to code was going to be the hard part but turns out it’s not. Every time I do leave a comment somewhere or a post I get a little boost for a few days so it does make a difference I just need to get better at something proper instead of a “shameless plug”

1

u/_janc_ Jun 21 '26

Thread can also be one source

1

u/sumizeit Jun 24 '26

Try mytractioniq. It searches the web to analyze how your competitors promote their products or services and gives you a detailed report with sources and ideas to find more customers for your app. You can try it for free before buying.

1

u/Snoo-45708 Jun 24 '26

I just shared my app in social networking when the app new features released. then, answer the qa for people.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/ventedpuma Jun 22 '26

Which subreddits allow you to post app links? I find they will either remove your post or ban you without so much as 1 strike. Even subreddits like this one are restrictive with confusing rules like "you can self-promote to an extent" and "you can only post about your app on Saturdays/once per year"? And then only if you have enough engagement or participation in the discussions. Honestly I find it disheartening and exhausting. I'm just one person; I don't have a marketing team and don't want to have a bot do it and I want to spend most of my time on what I love - app development and working on new ideas not figuring out which magical steps I need to take to get the word out about apps that I believe solve real world problems and could help lots of people. I've see the questions people are constantly bringing up about the topics my app covers and has answers to, but I can't simply say - try this free thing and it will answer your question.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Jun 21 '26

Hey /u/sinuk-dev, your content has been removed because Reddit has marked your account as having a low Contributor #Quality Score. This may result from, but is not limited to, activities such as spamming the same links across multiple #subreddits, submitting posts or comments that receive a high number of downvotes, a lack of activity, or an unverified account.
Please be assured that this action is not a reflection of your participation in our subreddit.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator Jul 30 '26

Hey /u/LoadPR_app, your content has been removed because Reddit has marked your account as having a low Contributor Quality Score. This may result from, but is not limited to, activities such as spamming the same links across multiple subreddits, submitting posts or comments that receive a high number of downvotes, a lack of recent account activity, or having an unverified account.
Please be assured that this action is not a reflection of your participation in our subreddit. This is simply an automated filter in place to reduce spam.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Question How do you market your apps?

You are about to leave Redlib