How to Get Your First 100 App Users (Without Paid Ads)

The first 100 users are the hardest, and they almost never come from App Store search. A new app has no ratings, no ranking history and no reviews, so search won't surface it yet. The first 100 come from you, personally, reaching people one conversation at a time.

That's good news: it costs nothing, and those early users teach you more than any analytics dashboard.

Why "build it and they will come" fails

App Store search rewards apps that already have downloads, ratings and engagement. Until you have some, you're mostly invisible. Paid ads can buy early installs, but with no proven message and no reviews they're expensive and teach you little. Manual outreach does both jobs: it gets users and it tells you what to say.

1. Write down exactly who you're looking for

You can't find "users". You can find "freelance designers who forget to send invoices" or "new runners training for their first 5k". Write one sentence describing your ideal first user and the problem they have, in their words. Every step below depends on it.

2. Find where they already ask for help

Search Reddit, Google and social platforms for your problem in plain language, the way your user would type it. Make a list of 5–10 specific places:

• Subreddits where people describe the problem
• Facebook groups, Discord servers and Slack communities in the niche
• Forums and Q&A sites
• TikTok and Instagram hashtags in the niche
• Newsletters and YouTube channels your users follow

3. Help first, then share

In each community, spend a week being useful before you mention your app. Answer questions, share what you know, and learn the language people use.

Then share your app where it genuinely fits:

• Reply to a question your app actually answers, and say plainly that you built it.
• Write a value-first post: a useful lesson or story, with your app mentioned once near the end, only if the rules allow it.
• Offer free access in exchange for honest feedback.

Ten users from each of ten communities is your first 100. Read each community's rules first; see how to promote your app on Reddit without getting banned.

4. Tell your own network, personally

Friends, former colleagues, classmates and followers won't all be your target user, but many know someone who is. A personal message works far better than a broadcast post:

"I just launched an app that helps [specific person] with [specific problem]. Do you know anyone who struggles with this? I'd love their honest feedback."

Ask for introductions, not downloads.

5. Post short demo videos

If your app can be shown in a few seconds, short-form video is the best free reach channel available to indie developers. Post the same 10–20 second video on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

Formats that work:

• POV: "POV: it's 7pm and you have no idea what to cook" → show the app solving it.
• "I built an app because…": the personal story behind it.
• Before/after: the frustrating old way, then your app.
• Reply to comments with a video: these often outperform the original.

Post consistently for a few weeks before judging results.

6. Do one value-first launch post

Once you have a little feedback, do a launch post in a community that welcomes it (r/SideProject, Indie Hackers, or Product Hunt). Lead with the story and the lesson ("I spent six months building X, here's what I learned"), not a sales pitch. Reply to every comment the same day.

7. Turn early users into your marketing

Your first users are your most valuable asset. Treat them that way:

• Talk to them. Email or message every one of your first 50 users. Ask what made them try it and what nearly stopped them.
• Fix what they tell you, fast. Then tell them you fixed it. That turns users into fans.
• Ask for a rating at a "win moment". Trigger the native review prompt right after the user gets value, not on first launch. A handful of genuine ratings makes a visible difference for a new app.
• Use their words. The phrases early users use to describe your app are your best screenshot captions, hooks and keywords.

8. Fix the free App Store basics

Once people start arriving, make sure your listing converts them: a clear benefit in your subtitle, your main keyword in your title, and screenshot 1 showing the outcome, not a feature. The no-budget iOS marketing guide covers this step by step.

A realistic timeline

• Week 1: define your user, list communities, start helping.
• Weeks 2–3: share where relevant, message your network, start posting videos.
• Week 4: launch post, talk to every user, ask for ratings.

The developers who get there are rarely the ones with the best launch day. They're the ones who kept doing the small things every day after it.

If you want a day-by-day version of this for your app, with the posts written for you, get a free 7-day marketing plan.