App marketing is different from SaaS marketing. SaaS lives on the web, ranks via SEO, and sells through trial. Apps live in app stores, rank via ASO + paid acquisition, and sell through onboarding. Confusing the two is the most common founder mistake - and the reason indie app launches usually flop.
This guide covers both mobile apps (iOS/Android) and AI-built web apps (Lovable, v0, Bolt apps). The marketing playbooks differ; pick the section that fits your situation.
What's different about app marketing
Three things separate app marketing from SaaS marketing:
Discovery happens in app stores, not Google. 70%+ of mobile app downloads come from in-store discovery - keyword search in the App Store and Play Store. That makes ASO (app store optimization) the equivalent of SEO for mobile apps.
The product self-demos in onboarding. A SaaS landing page sells the trial; an app's onboarding sells the install-to-active-user conversion. Most failed app launches drove fine traffic but lost users in the first 30 seconds of the app.
Paid acquisition works (and is sometimes the only thing that works). App ads on Meta, TikTok, and search-ads-on-Apple-Search-Ads have been a primary growth channel for indie apps for a decade. SaaS ads usually don't pencil; app ads often do.
For AI-built web apps (Lovable, v0, Bolt), most of these differences don't apply - those are essentially SaaS apps with a different build process. The SaaS playbook from SaaS marketing applies.
Mobile app marketing playbook
If you're shipping a real mobile app:
1. ASO first, before anything else. Spend 2-3 days getting your app store listing right:
- Title with primary keyword (iOS gives you 30 chars, use them)
- Subtitle/short description with secondary keywords
- 3-5 screenshots that show the value, not just UI
- Preview video on iOS - converts dramatically better than static screenshots
- Real category (don't pick the obscure category to "win" - pick where users search)
- Reviews and ratings (early reviews from real users matter more than stars)
ASO compounds. A well-ranked app keyword keeps generating downloads forever, like SEO. ASO research tools (Sensor Tower, AppFollow, AppTweak) help validate keywords before committing to titles.
2. Web landing page for paid traffic + organic search. Even though most discovery is in-store, you need a web page for:
- People searching "[your app name]" on Google before downloading
- Sharing on social and Twitter
- Paid ads landing somewhere
- Press coverage and backlinks
The page is short (one screen), screenshot-heavy, with two install CTAs (App Store + Play Store).
3. Paid acquisition starting at small budgets. Test $500-1000 per channel:
- Apple Search Ads - highest-intent paid traffic for iOS apps
- Meta ads (Facebook + Instagram) - broadest reach, best for consumer apps
- TikTok ads - strong for under-30 audiences and creator-y apps
- Reddit ads - niche communities, high relevance
Track install + day-7 retention, not just installs. An expensive install that retains beats a cheap install that uninstalls.
4. Press + community at launch. Mobile app launches still benefit from press in a way SaaS launches don't - TechCrunch, Lifehacker, The Verge cover apps regularly. Pitch them 1 week before launch with screenshots and a clear angle.
For indie apps, ProductHunt is still useful (1-3K signups for top-of-the-day apps). Reddit communities relevant to your app's category. Influencer partnerships in your specific niche.
Web app marketing (Lovable, v0, Bolt builds)
If you built your app with a vibe-coding tool, you have a web app, not a mobile app. The marketing playbook is the SaaS playbook:
1. SEO for organic discovery. Build product-shaped landing pages targeting specific use-case keywords. See SEO for SaaS for the full playbook.
2. Twitter / community for distribution. Build-in-public, share milestones, post the product in relevant communities. The first 100 customers come from people watching you build.
3. ProductHunt launch (if you have a launch list). Coordinate hunt + launch day Twitter for a spike of attention.
4. Trial-to-paid optimization. Marketing matters less than onboarding for SaaS. If trial-to-paid is under 5%, fix the product before more marketing.
The full SaaS playbook is in SaaS marketing guide.
Common app marketing mistakes
The five we see most often:
Treating an app like a SaaS. Mobile apps don't get organic web traffic by default. Web pages exist for shareability and brand search, not for acquisition. The acquisition is in the App Store.
Skipping ASO until "we have time." ASO is the foundation. Skipping it means every paid dollar works half as hard because the in-store conversion rate is lower than it could be.
Pouring paid into a leaky funnel. If your day-7 retention is under 20%, paid acquisition is lighting money on fire. Fix retention before scaling spend.
Targeting the wrong keywords. "Best photo editor" is brutally competitive. "Photo editor for [niche]" is winnable. Same logic as SEO long-tail.
Launching to silence. ProductHunt is a one-shot moment. Many indie founders launch with a tiny hunt list, get 50 votes, and assume their app is dead. The launch is one channel; SEO and paid scale beyond it.
Realistic timelines
For mobile apps:
- Week 1-2: ASO setup, screenshots, web landing page, App Store submission
- Week 3-4: Soft launch to a small audience (Twitter, friends, ProductHunt). Iterate based on feedback.
- Month 2-3: Test $500/channel paid ads. Find one channel where installs + retention pencil.
- Month 4-6: Scale the winning channel to $2-5K/month. Press outreach to relevant publications.
- Month 6+: ASO compounding, paid scaling, organic press hits.
For AI-built web apps, see the SaaS marketing timeline in SaaS marketing guide. Roughly 6-12 months until SEO becomes a primary channel.
When to hire help
Most indie app founders DIY marketing for the first year. Exceptions:
- ASO becomes the primary growth channel and you want a specialist to optimize copy and screenshots
- Paid scales past $5K/month and needs a dedicated buyer
- You're transitioning from mobile-first to web-and-mobile and need SEO strategy
We don't do mobile app marketing consulting (different skillset). We do SaaS and AI-built-web-app marketing - that's SaaS SEO strategy territory.
What to do next
For mobile apps, the next step is ASO research. Look up your top 5 competitors' keywords using App Store search and adjust your listing accordingly.
For web apps and SaaS, head to SaaS marketing guide for the broader playbook or SaaS SEO strategy for the SEO-specific version. If you're building with AI tools and want to also rank, see build a SaaS with AI.