How to market an app, from how real apps grew
Most app marketing advice is a list of every channel. Real apps lean on two or three. Here are the ones our reports keep finding.
Pick one paid and one organic channel and go deep: for consumer apps that's usually TikTok and Instagram creator videos, Meta ads that send people straight to the store, and App Store search. In our app reports (Duolingo, Cal AI and Opal), TikTok mattered for 3 of 3 and Meta ads for 3.
Which channels do apps actually grow on?
Short video, paid social and the store itself.
What order should I try them in?
Store first, then organic video, then creators, then paid.
- Fix the listingThe title, subtitle and first screenshots decide whether anyone who finds you installs. Every other channel sends people here.
- Post short videos yourselfDaily TikToks and Reels of the app doing its one job. It's free and it tells you which hook works.
- Pay small creatorsCreators with 10K–100K followers posting the hook that worked. Cal AI's report found about 250 on retainers.
- Then buy Meta adsTurn the best creator videos into ads. Opal's report found ads tuned to pay back by day 8.
How do I learn from a competing app?
Break it down channel by channel, starting from its listing.
See app growth analysis for any app, or estimate its size first with how to estimate an app's downloads.
Questions
What is the best way to market an app?
Pick one organic and one paid channel. For consumer apps that's usually short TikTok and Instagram videos, creators, and Meta ads that link straight to the store.
How do I get my first users for an app?
Fix the store listing, then post short videos of the app doing its one job every day until one hook works, then pay small creators to post it.
Do app store ads work?
For some apps: Opal's report found App Store ads as a main channel. They work best once the listing converts well.
Sources
- Duolingo's growth breakdown, read 2026-10-29
- Cal AI's growth breakdown, read 2026-10-29
- Opal's growth breakdown, read 2026-10-29