I launched the app, now what?

Intro

While working on Ritual and already having one app on the App Store, I decided to wait no longer. I started marketing using social media,specifically TikTok.

Stick around until the end to see what I learned and how I failed miserably on the first try.

Launching your app is only the first step

We all know that launching an app does not translate into tons of immediate downloads, unless you already have a big fanbase waiting for the release.

For the majority of us, we need to check off every box to reach our "dream users":

Create a great-looking landing page with cool images and sections explaining the app.
Do our homework regarding App Store Optimization (ASO).
Post about it on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn.
Hope for the best.

But deep down, despite our hopes, we know this rarely matches our expectations. We need to go deeper into marketing.

The marketing plan

Things have changed. SEO isn't what it was a couple of years ago; positioning high in Google search results takes time and a lot of content, and we might not get as much from it as we used to.

Even though branding is still a big part of a successful app, it isn't necessarily the top priority anymore. It is actually simpler these days to find niche users because we all belong to our passions.

Reddit: A must-have option

In my experience, reddit is currently the best way to find active users for your niche or target community. If your niche isn't on Reddit or isn't active, you might have created a product without an existing user base.

I used my account to join a few subreddits, participated a bit, and searched Google for questions that could lead to my app. I answered those questions—new posts are best, but old posts with a lot of traffic are even better.

A good "evergreen" Reddit post stays relevant and often appears at the top of Google searches, even without typing "Reddit" in the search box.

TikTok: The big league

TikTok is currently the biggest space to grow a community and market your app with almost no limit. However, for many of us, TikTok is unknown territory.

I knew what TikTok was, but I had never used it. After a few YouTube tutorials and relevant Reddit posts, I felt I had a path to gain thousands of installs.

Let's test it out

While working on Ritual, I decided to create a "dev-focused" account to share my projects, upload different types of videos, and learn what works. It was a "TikTok Lab."

Posting 3 times per day

Everywhere I read said I should post 2 to 3 times per day and be consistent. I "copied" recipes from successful creators to create hooks and videos aiming for a 70% retention rate.

I thought it would take forever, but it took about 8 hours to create 60 videos in Canva using 7 different templates. Once I figured out the workflow, I could create 10 videos in less than an hour.

All content done for the next 30 days

Happy with my 60 videos, I went to TikTok Studio on the web to schedule them. I scheduled one for the morning and one for the evening using trending songs from 2025 and 2026.

By the tenth video, I couldn't upload anymore. I kept seeing a message: "Try again later."

The first marketing defeat

That is when I saw the message: "Your account is currently suspended."

After 10 hours of work, my brand-new account was banned. Scheduling several videos on a new account looked like spam to TikTok. I appealed the suspension, but 7 days later, I heard nothing.

The second round

I realized I wasn't getting that account back. Since I had just published Ritual: Breathe Reflect, I created a new account specifically for it: @ritual.app.official.

Warming the account

To make the algorithm feel I am human, I used the app like a normal user—scrolling, liking, and watching videos in my niche. After that, I started posting real content.

The first videos

I have posted my first 10 videos. The first 7 were purely about the app, showing screenshots of me using the main feature: the Sigh-Joy session.

I tested different lengths, messages, and audios (popular songs, ambient music, and inspirational speeches). So far, views are between 200–700. The retention rate is below 30% after the first 3 seconds, which is a bad indicator. The videos feel a bit too much like an ad.

The 80-20% rule

I realized I won't grow much by only showing the app. To fix this, I’m following a new rule: 80% of the video provides pure value or entertainment, while only the last 20% focuses on the app itself.

I have created 10 new videos to test this, focusing on being relevant to the community rather than just promoting a product.

Be an honest user

It is important to actually care and be part of the community. People can sense greediness. I have been leaving kind, honest comments and liking videos I genuinely enjoy to connect with the community.

The next step: Keep it up!

The goal is to keep up the marketing and grow organically to find real users. Eventually, I will try Apple Search Ads and TikTok ads to see how they work.

Stay tuned! Feel free to leave a comment on my Twitter to share your experience and tips.