In 2024, getting your app noticed and downloaded is more difficult than ever before. Every day, thousands of apps are released on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store, with yearly downloads hitting an incredible 148.2 billion.
To stand out, you need more than just a great app idea; you need a smart plan that uses data and modern marketing strategies.
Success today means not just making your app available but making sure people can find it, want to download it, and find it essential. This requires keeping up with the latest trends in app store optimization, social media, and user experience improvements.
In this guide, we’ll cover 15 strategies to help you get more downloads for your app on both the Google Play Store and the App Store. By following these tips, you can help your app reach more than 5,000 downloads—a milestone that nearly 70% of apps don’t achieve.
These steps can boost your app’s visibility, increase its download numbers, and make it a regular part of users’ lives.
Content Outline
Top 15 Ways to Increase Mobile App Downloads
1. Make App Store Optimization (ASO) a priority
The key to a successful app is how it appears in app stores, similar to how an attractive display window can draw people into a store on a busy street. App Store Optimization (ASO) is essential for making your app’s “display window” appealing in a crowded market.
ASO involves improving every part of your app listing, from the icon and preview videos to screenshots, to make it more visible and rank higher in search results.
Since 65% of app downloads occur through searches, a good ASO strategy will emphasize your app’s features by effectively using keywords. This is very important for increasing the number of people who install your app.
While there are many ASO tips and success stories to learn from, keeping up with the constantly changing rules for how apps are ranked by different app stores can be tricky.
Each app store, like the Google Play Store and the App Store, has its own specific criteria for ranking apps which are important to understand to improve your app’s visibility.
For the best results in ASO, it’s a great idea to work with a professional app marketing agency like CrowdMob.
2. Target your ideal users by personalizing and prioritizing
66% of customers expect companies to know what they need. Apps that pinpoint and address the specific worries or needs of their audience tend to be favored by users, especially when they’re overwhelmed by too many choices.
To really connect with and understand your users, it’s important to figure out what emotional triggers will motivate them to download your app.
These triggers should be a key part of your marketing efforts, along with highlighting what makes your app unique (your unique selling proposition, or USP).
Focusing on highly personalized messages and targeting specific groups will give you a better return on investment than using broad, general messages. Here are a few ways to do this:
Dating App for Single Professionals in Their 30s:
This app should market itself as the best choice for busy professionals looking for meaningful relationships.
It should address common problems for single people in their 30s, like not having enough time to date or the frustration of spending too much time trying to find a good match.
Fitness App for Early Morning Joggers:
This app should cater to people who enjoy jogging early in the morning. It could offer personalized workout plans and motivational content that helps users start their day with energy and enthusiasm.
Investment App for First-time Investors:
This app would be aimed at beginners in investing. It could offer simple guides to the stock market and personalized investment recommendations that match the user’s willingness to take risks and personal interests
3. Make your app localized and internationalized
Expanding your app to reach a global audience means making sure it appeals to people from different cultures.
This process, called app localization and internationalization, involves more than just translating the text; it’s about adapting your app so it feels right at home in different countries.
This might include considering cultural habits, following local laws, and catering to local preferences. For example, 90% of online shoppers prefer to see content in their own language.
You might need to change your app’s layout to work with languages that read right-to-left, or incorporate local holidays into your marketing efforts. When apps are tailored to fit the needs of new regions, they often see a big increase in downloads.
For example, when we worked with Uber, we used a detailed localization strategy that included using important keywords in over ten different languages. This helped Uber increase its organic downloads by 27% in just three months.
4. Utilize Promotional Content & In-App Events
Promotional Content on the Google Play Store and In-App Events on the App Store are effective ways to increase how visible your app is and how many people download it.
On the Google Play Store, promotional content includes things like feature graphics, promotional videos, time-limited events, and special offers.
These are used to grab the attention of users quickly because they appear in prominent places like your app’s store listing, the homepage, and search results.
A good graphic or an engaging video can make users more interested in checking out your app, which can lead to more downloads.
For the App Store, Apple started a feature in 2021 called In-App Events. This feature lets app owners show off events happening inside their apps right on the App Store. These events could be live events, challenges, launches of new content, or big updates.
In-App Events are shown clearly in the App Store, which helps potential users find your app through the events you’re hosting. This makes it easier for people to discover and get interested in your app.
5. Refine Your Branding and Visual Identity
In 2024, capturing a user’s attention quickly is crucial because people only focus for about 3-6 seconds before deciding whether to download an app.
This is why having a strong brand identity is so important—it can make the difference between your app being ignored or becoming a top download.
What is app branding?
App branding includes your app’s logo, color scheme, and the style of your messaging. It’s not just about looking good; it’s about making a real connection with potential users.
Why is a consistent and appealing brand important?
A recognizable and trusted visual identity across all platforms helps people remember your app and feel confident about it. In fact, being consistent in how you present your brand can boost your revenue by up to 23%.
How can you create effective branding for your app?
Logo Design: Your logo should be simple and memorable, reflecting what your app does. The colors and shapes you use can evoke emotions and communicate your app’s values.
For example, an astrology app might use circles or ovals in its logo to represent celestial bodies like the moon or sun.
Color Scheme and Typography: Choose colors and fonts that showcase your brand’s personality and are easy on the eyes. These should be the same across your app and all marketing materials to ensure consistency.
Tone of Voice: Decide if your brand’s voice should be professional, casual, or playful, and use it consistently in all communications. This helps build a recognizable personality for your brand that users can relate to.
Branding Materials: Make sure all your branding materials, such as app icons, banners, screenshots, and promotional videos, look cohesive and align with your overall visual identity. This consistency helps strengthen your brand in users’ minds.
Why does good branding matter?
Apps that have focused on refining their branding and visual identity have seen big improvements in how much users engage with them and how many downloads they get.
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6. Build a Website (or a Blog)
Many app owners think they don’t need a website just because they have an app. However, even if your app is great, it doesn’t mean people will automatically find it in app stores. In fact, a lot of app downloads come from people doing a simple Google search.
People might search on Google for things related to your app instead of directly in app stores if you create a website or blog to showcase your app.
Just like you work on making your app easy to find in app stores through App Store Optimization (ASO), you should also focus on making your website easy to find through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO involves tailoring the content of your website, including details about your app and brand, to rank higher in search results.
The keywords you choose should be those that people are most likely to search for when looking for services like yours. If you’re not sure what the difference is between ASO and SEO, here’s a quick explanation:
ASO (App Store Optimization) is about optimizing your app’s listing in the app stores so that it ranks higher in search results within those stores. This includes improving the title, description, and keywords related to your app.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is about optimizing your website so it shows up higher in search engine results like Google. This involves using keywords and content strategies that attract visitors to your site.
Both ASO and SEO are important for making sure more people can find and download your app.
7. Elevate Your Social Media Presence
Besides having a great website or blog, it’s important to build a strong presence on social media for your app.
Social media campaigns help you connect with potential users in a place where they spend a lot of their time.
With nearly 5 billion people using social media worldwide, this platform offers a massive opportunity to increase your app downloads through targeted and creative campaigns.
Social media also allows you to talk directly with your audience, providing personalized interactions that can encourage more downloads.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have tools that let you target specific groups based on things like age, interests, and behavior, making sure your app reaches the right people.
Here are some steps to help you start promoting your app on social media effectively:
Choose the Right Platforms: Pick social media sites where your target audience hangs out the most. Each platform attracts different types of users, so choose those that fit best with your app’s focus.
Create a Content Strategy: Plan what kind of posts will connect with your audience. This might include promotional posts, content created by users, engaging videos, and peeks behind the scenes of your app’s development and features.
Use Paid Advertising: Use paid ads on social media for wider reach and more specific targeting. Sites like Facebook and Instagram have various ad types like stories, newsfeed ads, and in-app ads that can lead more traffic to your app’s download page.
Engage with Your Audience: Make an effort to reply to comments, messages, and mentions. Use social listening tools to keep track of what people are saying about your app, which lets you join relevant conversations and manage your brand’s reputation online.
By following these steps, you can effectively use social media to boost your app’s visibility and downloads.
8. Collaborate with Influencers & UGC Creators
Influencer marketing and User-Generated Content (UGC) are becoming vital components of modern marketing strategies.
They help make your brand appear more authentic and trustworthy, which can increase engagement and build loyalty among users. Here’s how to effectively use these strategies to boost your app’s downloads:
Influencers:
Purpose: Use influencers to gain targeted exposure for your app. Influencers have their own audiences who trust their recommendations.
How to Implement:
Select influencers whose followers match your app’s intended users. Ask these influencers to create content that demonstrates the unique aspects of your app, like how it works or its special features. This could be in the form of walkthroughs, reviews, or tutorial videos.
Outcome: The content shared by influencers can capture the interest of their followers and direct them towards your app, increasing the likelihood of downloads.
UGC Creators:
Purpose: Collaborate with UGC creators to produce original content that can be used on your app’s store listing or within the app itself.
How to Implement:
Unlike influencers whose content is generally shared on their own channels, UGC creators produce content that you can directly use.
This might include testimonial videos or demo content showing how the app works. Place this content where potential users can see your app in action, like in the app store or as part of the app’s interface.
Outcome: This type of content often feels more genuine than polished advertisements and can effectively engage potential users. It gives them a real look at what your app offers, encouraging downloads and use.
By incorporating both influencer partnerships and user-generated content into your marketing strategy, you not only enhance your app’s visibility but also its credibility.
People are more likely to try an app when they see real users or trusted influencers positively reviewing it. This strategy not only helps in acquiring new users but also in retaining them long-term due to the authentic connection they feel towards the app.
Here’s a detailed explanation of how to use these strategies to boost app downloads:
Influencers:
Partner with influencers who have a following that matches your app’s target audience. Get these influencers to create and share content that showcases the unique features of your app, like walkthroughs, reviews, or how-to videos.
This targeted exposure can help attract users who are likely to be interested in your app.
UGC Creators:
Work with UGC creators to produce custom content specifically for your app’s marketing. This content could be featured directly in your app or on its listing page.
For example, you might hire a creator to make a testimonial video or a demonstration video that you can use in your app store listing or as a tutorial within the app itself.
This type of content tends to be seen as more authentic than traditional advertisements and can significantly increase user engagement with your app.
Organic UGC:
Organic UGC includes social media posts, reviews, and ratings that users create based on their experiences with your app. This content acts as social proof and helps improve your app’s SEO and visibility.
It’s crucial because it’s what users often look for and consider before downloading an app.
Encourage your current users to share their honest experiences by using in-app prompts after they reach certain milestones, organizing competitions where users post content with a specific hashtag, or simply by delivering an outstanding user experience that they’ll want to talk about.
Example Strategy:
Suppose you have a fitness app. You could team up with a fitness influencer to create a series of workout videos that use only your app’s routines, which the influencer would share on their social media channels.
At the same time, hire a UGC creator to produce testimonial videos that document real users’ weight loss journeys with your app. These could be featured on your app store page.
To encourage organic UGC, introduce a feature in the app that lets users share their workout achievements or before-and-after photos directly from the app to their social media.
You could incentivize this by offering app credits or unlocking special features for users who share.
Additional Examples:
Language Learning App: Collaborate with influencers who are polyglots or who are learning a new language. They can use your app and share their progress in learning a new language with their audience.
Simultaneously, get UGC creators to make videos about how your app helped them improve their language skills, which can be used on your website and app listing.
Cooking App: Partner with culinary influencers who can create dishes using your app’s recipes. They can post these cooking sessions online.
Additionally, encourage users to submit photos of their culinary creations made through your app for a chance to be featured in the app’s gallery.
Using influencers and UGC effectively creates a more relatable and trustworthy image for your app, which can drive downloads and user engagement.
9. Encourage Ratings and Reviews
Don’t underestimate the importance of ratings and customer reviews when it comes to increasing app downloads.
The user experience is crucial for the success of any mobile app, and ratings and reviews play a big role in shaping how people see your app. They offer valuable feedback and can help you make improvements.
These ratings and reviews come directly from users and serve as a natural form of User-Generated Content (UGC), enhancing the story told by influencer campaigns and other user content. This boosts your app’s credibility and visibility.
Ratings and reviews not only confirm the quality and dependability of your app but also help it rank higher in app store search results. Since being more visible in app stores leads to more downloads, it’s important to encourage users to leave feedback.
To collect this feedback effectively, try to ask for ratings and reviews at moments when users are likely to feel positive about your app—like after reaching a milestone or enjoying a particularly good experience.
Use gentle reminders that fit naturally into the app experience, without being intrusive.
Additionally, responding to the feedback by thanking users for positive reviews and addressing concerns in negative ones shows that you care about their satisfaction and are committed to improving the app.
This not only helps maintain a good relationship with current users but also makes your app more attractive to potential new users.
10. Launch a Referral Program
Referral programs work by giving benefits to both the person who recommends the app (the referrer) and the person who downloads it (the referee).
For example, they might get in-app money, premium features for a short time, or access to special content. This not only motivates current users to tell others about your app but also makes it attractive for new users to download it.
For a referral program to be effective, it should be easy to understand and use. Make sure the process for referring others is simple, and the rewards are clearly explained.
You can promote this through straightforward sharing options right in the app and by regularly reminding users or prompting them to spread the word.
Besides boosting the number of downloads, referral programs can also increase user involvement and loyalty. When users get something in return for sharing an app they like, it makes them feel good about the app and helps create a community of active users.
These users are more likely to stay engaged and contribute positively to the app’s community.
11. Change the pricing strategy of your app
If your app’s pricing strategy isn’t working as well as you hoped, consider changing it. The right pricing strategy not only attracts users but also ensures a steady income.
It’s important to choose a pricing model that matches what users expect and what the market demands, and you might need to change this strategy from time to time.
One popular option is the freemium model. This model lets users download and use a basic version of your app for free, but they have to pay if they want premium features.
The advantage is that people can try your app without spending money, and if they like it, they might pay for the extra features.
The challenge here is to offer enough in the free version to keep users interested, but make the paid features attractive enough that people want to buy them.
Another approach is the subscription model, which has become more popular recently. This model involves users paying a regular fee to access your app’s content or services.
It works well for apps that provide ongoing value, like productivity tools, news outlets, or entertainment apps. The key here is to keep updating and adding value to the app to make sure users feel it’s worth continuing their subscription.
Seasonal promotions and limited-time offers can also help adjust your pricing strategy. These promotions can draw in new users and bring back those who stopped using the app by offering discounts for a limited time.
No matter which pricing model you choose, being clear and transparent is crucial. Users should easily understand what they’re getting for their money and how the pricing works.
Finally, it’s important to keep an eye on how your app is performing and listen to user feedback about pricing.
This can help you decide if you need to adjust your prices, change what’s included in different payment levels, or even switch to a different pricing model entirely.
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12. Embrace Email Marketing
Email marketing can be an effective way to increase app installs if you use it thoughtfully. By creating a targeted email list and sending engaging, personalized content, you can not only promote your app but also build relationships with potential users.
Here’s how email marketing can help promote your app:
Build Your Subscriber List Before Launching Your App: Start by setting up a landing page to collect email addresses before your app launches.
This helps you gather a group of people who are interested in your app from the start. You can increase their excitement and anticipation by providing information about what your app offers and by sharing exclusive content or special deals.
Keep Potential Users Informed and Engaged: Use email campaigns to keep your audience updated about new features, updates, or special offers within your app. This keeps your app top of mind and can encourage more installs and engagement.
To effectively build your email list, consider these strategies:
Use Your Online Presence: Make use of your app’s website or social media platforms to encourage sign-ups. Offer something valuable in exchange for their email address, such as exclusive content, early access to features, or a chance to enter a giveaway.
Offer Clear Value: Make it clear what benefits subscribers will receive by giving you their email address. This could be insider information, discounts, or first dibs on new app features.
Capture Interest with a Strong Call-to-Action: As soon as you have their attention, show them how your app can benefit them, as well as new updates and positive user reviews. Highlight why your app is valuable and how it stands out from others.
Pro Tip: Ensure that all your emails are optimized for mobile devices. Since most people check their emails on their phones—especially non-work-related emails—it’s crucial that your emails look good and function well on smartphones and tablets.
Tailor your emails to the user’s operating system and mobile device type to enhance readability and engagement.
This targeted approach in email marketing can lead to more app installs by keeping potential users interested and informed about what your app has to offer, while also making them feel connected to your brand.
13. Invest in Media Outreach
Investing in media outreach is a traditional but effective method for increasing your app’s visibility and encouraging more downloads.
This strategy involves connecting with journalists, bloggers, and influencers who specialize in areas related to your app, aiming to get them to cover your app in a way that introduces it to potential users.
Here’s how to effectively implement a media outreach strategy for your app:
Craft a Compelling Press Release:
Begin by writing a press release that showcases what’s unique about your app, its benefits, and any positive testimonials or success stories.
The press release should clearly address why your app is important, how it’s better than competitors, and why people should be interested in it.
Build a Targeted Media List:
Identify where your target audience gets their information and create a list of media outlets that cater to this audience.
This could include major publications, niche blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels that align with your app’s demographic. Once you have this list, identify specific journalists or content creators who cover topics related to your app.
Personalize Your Pitches:
When reaching out, personalized pitches are much more effective than generic, mass emails. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the previous work of the journalists and influencers you plan to contact.
Tailor your pitch to align with their interests and coverage style, which increases the chances that they will be interested in featuring your app.
Leverage Niche and Local Media:
Don’t overlook niche media outlets or local news sources, especially if your app has a local element or if you’re based in a smaller community. Niche channels tend to have highly engaged audiences, and local media are often keen to support local businesses and startups.
Track and Measure Success:
Monitor how coverage from different sources affects your app downloads. Look for spikes in downloads that correlate with media mentions.
This will help you understand which types of media outreach are most effective for your app, allowing you to refine your strategy over time.
Prepare Your App and Website for Media Attention:
Make sure your app and its website are ready to handle increased attention. Create a media kit that includes high-resolution images of your app, a detailed description, and contact information.
This kit should be readily accessible so you can respond quickly to media inquiries, maximizing your chances for coverage.
By following these steps, you can enhance your app’s visibility through media outreach. Effective communication with the right journalists and influencers can lead to significant exposure, helping to drive app downloads and build your app’s reputation.
14. Experiment with Affiliate Marketing
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Affiliate marketing is a way to increase app downloads by working with partners who help promote your app.
This method is based on performance, meaning you only pay your partners, such as bloggers, influencers, and other content creators, when they successfully help you gain downloads or in-app purchases.
Here’s how you can start your affiliate marketing efforts:
Find the Right Partners: Look for affiliates who fit well with your app’s theme and values. These partners should have a good relationship with your target audience, which makes their recommendations more effective.
Use Affiliate Networks: There are platforms and networks that specialize in affiliate marketing. These can help you find and manage relationships with the right affiliates easily.
Set Clear Rules: It’s important to clearly define how much you’ll pay your affiliates (commission structure), when they’ll be paid, and how your app should be promoted.
Track Everything: Give your affiliates unique codes so you can see which ones are sending you traffic and downloads. This helps you know which partnerships are working best.
Provide Materials: Make it easy for your affiliates to promote your app by giving them promotional tools like banners, social media posts, and other ready-made content. The easier it is for them to promote, the more likely they are to do it.
Combine with Other Marketing Efforts: To get the most out of affiliate marketing, consider combining it with other promotional methods like social media campaigns or email marketing. This can create a bigger marketing push, increasing your app’s visibility and downloads.
By following these steps, you can set up an effective affiliate marketing strategy that helps you attract more users to your app.
15. Monitor, Optimize, and Repeat
App marketing needs to keep evolving because user behavior and technology are always changing. A key strategy to increase app downloads over time is to constantly monitor, optimize, and repeat what works.
This approach helps improve your marketing efforts continuously, maximizes your return on investment (ROI), and increases app downloads.
To start, you should implement various strategies like focusing on app store optimization (ASO), using promotional content, engaging in email marketing, and reaching out through media. These methods form a strong base for your app marketing plan.
For instance, after analyzing your ASO efforts, you might discover certain keywords that attract more downloads. Or, you might find that specific types of email content engage more people.
Similarly, by checking the results of your affiliate marketing or media outreach, you can figure out which partnerships or platforms are most effective for promoting your app.
With this information, you can fine-tune your strategies by focusing more on what’s effective and stopping or changing tactics that aren’t working as expected.
This could mean tweaking your app’s messages, trying different promotional deals, or focusing on the most successful marketing channels.
By constantly adapting and optimizing your marketing tactics based on what the data tells you, you keep improving your approach and boosting your app’s success.
Key Takeaways:
In conclusion, increasing app downloads is a process that keeps evolving. By using the strategies we discussed, you can develop a marketing plan that adapts to both your app and its users over time.
This doesn’t just boost downloads; it also helps build a strong, loyal user base for the long-term success of your app.
As a full-service app marketing agency, we at CrowdMob understand the intricacies and challenges of marketing apps.
Our expertise and approach, which rely heavily on data, have helped many apps go from being unknown to leading their categories, achieving millions of downloads and substantial growth.
Whether you’re launching a new app or trying to improve the performance of an existing one, we can provide the strategic guidance and excellent execution you need to succeed in today’s competitive market.
