You’ve built an app. It works. It solves a real problem. Now what?
For many solo developers, launching the app is the easy part. Marketing it is where things get uncomfortable. But if you want users, sales or traction, marketing isn’t optional. The good news is you don’t need a big budget or a dedicated team. You just need a plan, some consistency and a little creativity.
Here’s a tactical guide to help solo developers launch and market their apps without feeling like a full-time salesperson.
Start with positioning
Before you do any outreach, clarify what your app is, who it’s for and why it matters. What problem does it solve? Who benefits the most? What makes it different from other solutions?
This isn’t just a branding exercise. It shapes every part of your marketing from your landing page to your pitch emails. If you can’t explain your app clearly in one or two sentences, you’ll lose people before they ever try it.
Test your positioning on real people. Not just friends and family but developers in forums, indie hackers or your target users. Use their feedback to refine how you talk about your app.
Build a simple but strong landing page
Your landing page should do three things: explain what your app does, show how it helps and give visitors a clear next step. That could be signing up, downloading or joining a waitlist.
Use simple language and avoid jargon. Show the product in action with screenshots or a quick demo. Include one strong call to action and make it easy to follow through.
Tools like Carrd, Framer, Notion and Webflow make it easy to launch clean landing pages without code.
List your app on startup directories
There are dozens of free directories and communities that exist to help people discover new tools. These often drive early traffic, backlinks and user feedback.
Start with:
- Product Hunt
- BetaList
- Indie Hackers
- Hacker News (Show HN)
- AlternativeTo
- Startup Base
- SaaSHub
Each has its own submission process so follow their guidelines and spend time crafting your description. These platforms are filled with early adopters who love trying new products.
Use dev-focused communities
If your app solves a problem for developers, technical founders or digital makers, go where they hang out. Share your app in:
- Dev.to
- Indie Hackers
- r/SideProject or r/webdev on Reddit
- Twitter (especially Dev Twitter)
- Discord communities
- Hacker News
Don’t just drop a link and bounce. Share your story. What motivated you to build the app? What did you learn in the process? Ask for feedback. Be helpful in return.
This approach builds goodwill, traffic and often leads to great word-of-mouth promotion.
Create valuable content
You don’t need to become a blogger or YouTuber. But sharing content that teaches or helps others can attract attention to your app.
Write about:
- The tech stack you used and why
- Challenges you faced building the app
- How your app solves a specific problem
- Lessons from your launch
- Open metrics or what’s working in your growth
Post this on your site, Dev.to, Medium or Indie Hackers. Share it on Twitter or LinkedIn. Content builds trust and gets your product in front of people without being salesy.
Use email early
Even if you don’t have many users yet, start collecting emails. Use a waitlist or newsletter signup on your landing page. This lets you notify users about updates, launch news or new features.
Email gives you control over your audience and keeps your app top of mind. You can use simple tools like ConvertKit, Buttondown or Mailchimp.
Incorporate affiliate or referral marketing
If you have a paid product or premium upgrade, offer an incentive for users who share it. Affiliate marketing lets bloggers, influencers or other developers earn a cut from promoting your app. It gives people a reason to talk about your product and is a smart move for long-term reach.
You can set up affiliate tracking with tools like Rewardful, FirstPromoter or even Gumroad if you sell digital licenses.
Keep iterating and sharing
Marketing is not a one-time event. Keep sharing your progress, user feedback and improvements. Post small wins on Twitter. Share new features in forums. Celebrate milestones publicly. People love following along with indie dev journeys.
This transparency builds trust and keeps your app in the conversation. You don’t need to go viral. You just need to show up consistently and invite others into your process.
You don’t have to become a marketing expert to get traction. Just think of marketing as another extension of building. You’re creating something useful and sharing it with people who need it.
Start small. Be real. Focus on solving problems and making connections. That’s how solo developers win.
If you’re a product-focused founder or indie developer looking to get more visibility without relying on ads, agencies like Public Haus help brands grow through smart earned media, affiliate PR and influencer-driven strategies.
Top comments (0)