Four weeks before launch
- Define the primary user, problem, promise, and one action you want each visitor to take.
- Create a landing page with a real product view, concise benefits, store destination, privacy link, and contact route.
- Prepare store metadata and screenshots that accurately reflect the shipping app.
- Recruit a small beta group that matches the intended audience and ask task-based questions.
- List relevant communities, newsletters, creators, partners, and reporters; learn their submission rules before outreach.
- Set up analytics for the journey from campaign link to activation, within your consent and privacy design.
One week before launch
- Confirm the release build, store status, support workflow, and fallback plan.
- Create one launch narrative plus channel-specific versions for each selected platform.
- Export a short demo, screenshots, icon, founder note, and accurate feature summary.
- Draft direct outreach that explains why the app is relevant to each recipient’s audience.
- Check every link, campaign parameter, image crop, caption, and time zone.
- Prepare answers for pricing, supported devices, data handling, cancellations, and support.
Store-page check: Google says listings should accurately describe functionality and avoid misleading claims. Apple recommends a product page that clearly communicates the app with a strong icon, screenshots, and an accurate description.
Launch day
- Verify that the store page and download work before sending traffic.
- Publish the clearest demonstration first, then adapt the angle for other channels.
- Send personalized outreach to the small, relevant list you prepared.
- Respond quickly to product questions and support issues; record repeated confusion.
- Share meaningful progress or learning, not a stream of empty milestones.
- Fix broken onboarding and unclear copy before increasing promotion.
The first 30 days
Week one is for learning. Group feedback into bugs, onboarding friction, unmet expectations, and message confusion. In weeks two and three, publish answers to the strongest questions and show improvements. In week four, compare channels by qualified activation and retention, then choose the next campaign.
If a meaningful fix or feature ships, follow the app update marketing guide to give it a focused story rather than burying it in a changelog.
Launch metrics that help decisions
- Message: qualified replies, saves, clicks, and store-page visits.
- Conversion: store-page conversion and install completion.
- Product: activation, early retention, and support patterns.
- Channel: cost or time per activated user—not merely cost per click.
Small launch samples are noisy. Use them to identify questions and obvious friction, not to declare a final growth model after one day.
Launch checklist FAQ
When should I start marketing my app?
Start once you can clearly show the problem and credible product experience. Four weeks gives a small team time to test its message and prepare distribution, but useful audience conversations can begin earlier.
How many channels should I use at launch?
Use the few channels where your intended users already pay attention and where you can participate authentically. Two well-prepared channels usually beat six neglected ones.
What if the store review delays launch?
Avoid promising a precise date until approval is sufficiently certain. Prepare a status message and keep owned channels ready so you can adjust without creating confusion.