For developers · Checked 28 September 2026

How to market an app: a stage-by-stage plan

Marketing an app comes down to four stages done in order: get the first people using it before launch, make the store page convert the people who arrive, launch in a controlled way, then keep bringing people in from outside the store and turn them into reviews. Apple and Google already give you free tools for each stage, from TestFlight and pre-registration to custom product pages and store listing experiments. This page lays out the order and links to a full guide for each step, with every store limit quoted from Apple’s and Google’s pages.

The plan at a glance

Each row links to a guide that quotes the store rules. Limits as the stores’ pages read in late September 2026.

Stage	What to do	Key store facts
Before launch	recruit beta testers, open pre-orders or pre-registration	TestFlight public link; Play open and closed testing tracks
Store page	keywords, screenshots, icon, preview video, localization	100-character keyword field; icon 1024 × 1024 (Apple), 512 × 512 (Play); previews 15–30 s
Launch	launch checklist, phased release, featuring request	phased release over 7 days, 1% to 100%; Featuring Nomination in App Store Connect
Traffic	creators on TikTok and YouTube, directories, Apple Ads	paid promotion must be disclosed on both platforms
Growth	reviews, custom pages, experiments	review prompt up to 3 times in 365 days (Apple); up to 70 custom product pages, up to 50 custom store listings

1. Before launch: find your first users

A new listing has no reviews and no history, so the first users come from people you reach yourself. Put the beta where anyone can join: a TestFlight public link on iOS, an open or closed testing track on Google Play, then share it where your future users already talk; the setup is in how to find beta testers. Around launch day, a pre-order on the App Store or pre-registration on Google Play lets people commit before the app ships. The full sequence, from testers to promo codes, is in how to get first users for an app.

2. Make the store page convert

Every channel ends on your store page, so fix it before paying for traffic. Start with the ASO checklist, then the pieces one by one: App Store keywords (the 100-character field and what not to repeat), the subtitle and promotional text, screenshot sizes, app icon size and app preview video specs, plus the Google Play feature graphic. If you sell outside your home market, localize the listing. Two compliance items can block or pull a release, so check them early: age rating and privacy labels and Data safety.

3. Launch without surprises

Run the app launch checklist and read the common App Store rejection reasons before you submit. For updates after launch, phased release on the App Store spreads an automatic update over 7 days and a staged rollout on Google Play goes to the share of users you choose, so a bad build reaches few people. On Android, Android vitals affect how visible the app is. Every Google Play update must also meet the target API level requirement. Neither store sells featuring, but both let you ask: see how to get featured on the App Store.

4. Bring people in from outside the store

Store search rewards apps that already get installs, so outside traffic matters most early on. Creators are the most common paid channel, and both big platforms regulate it: read how to promote an app on TikTok and on YouTube for the disclosure rules and restricted categories. Directories and launch sites cost nothing but differ in whether their link to you is followed; we checked the main ones in free app promotion sites. For paid search inside the App Store, and managing it with an AI assistant, see Apple Ads MCP. Each store’s own free promotion tools are collected in how to promote an iOS app and how to promote an app on Google Play.

5. Grow: reviews, custom pages and tests

Once people use the app, turn that into reviews through the native prompt only, at a good moment, and answer the reviews you get: how to get more app reviews. Then give each audience its own landing page in the store with custom product pages and Google Play custom store listings, and test your icon and screenshots with product page optimization and store listing experiments. Between updates, in-app events put a timely card on the App Store, and promo and offer codes hand out free access to press, testers or lapsed users. To see which of these moves downloads, read App Store Connect analytics and Google Play store listing reports, and give each channel its own tracked link. If you charge a subscription, the rules on offers and trials are in how to market a subscription app.

Marketing by app category

Some categories carry their own store and advertising rules, so the general plan needs adjusting: fitness, finance, dating, kids, mobile games, VPN and AI apps. Each guide covers what the stores and ad platforms require for that category.

Where Censuus fits

Censuus is one of the outside channels in stage 4: a live census that ranks apps by the real visit traffic they draw. Adding your app is free on the submit page, and it can rise on the visits it earns. Sponsorship raises placement and adds a followed link to your website; details are on the sponsor page. We do not promise downloads, reviews or store rankings.

Frequently asked questions

How do I market an app with no budget?

Use the free tools first: a TestFlight public link or a Play testing track for early users, pre-orders or pre-registration, a well-built store page, free directories, and the stores’ own promotion tools such as custom product pages, promo codes and featuring requests.

What should I do first when marketing a new app?

Get a first group of real users through a beta before launch, and fix the store page, since every channel ends there. Paid traffic to a weak store page wastes the budget.

How do I get my app noticed on the App Store?

Fill the keyword field well, make the screenshots, icon and preview video clear, ask for reviews through the native prompt, and submit a Featuring Nomination in App Store Connect. Apple does not sell featuring.

Do I need to disclose paid promotion of my app by creators?

Yes. TikTok’s Branded Content Policy and YouTube’s paid promotion rules both require disclosure, and some app categories are restricted or prohibited on each platform.

Guides for app developers

Put your app in the ranking

Censuus ranks apps by the real visit traffic they draw, no bots. Listing is free; sponsorship raises placement.

Submit your app See sponsorship Indie app landscape: apps and visits by category