If you’re launching an app, you’re probably guilty of self-sabotaging your marketing efforts without even realizing.
Here are five common mistakes founders often make. See if any sound familiar and fix them before they end up costing you thousands in MRR.
1. No app in sight
This is by far the most common one.
Here’s the thing: most app founders leave out their app name or link in posts to keep things mysterious and avoid looking like a paid ad.
We get it, and for the most part, we stand by it.
But if your content doesn’t give any clue about any app, people won’t know what to search for.
That’s exactly what happened with Bible Project, an app launched by a massive TikTok creator in the biblical space. He had over 200 million views, but most people had no idea he’d launched an app, simply because he didn’t mention it in 9 out of 10 videos.
There’s a clear trade-off here. Sure, it’s way easier to go viral when there’s no mention of a product or app, but at what cost? You could be burning money on creators, editors, and more, and still see zero return.
Going viral feels great, but watch out for the “empty views” trap. If you’re not giving people a clear way to find your app, don’t expect them to magically figure it out.
2. Following trends blindly
Trends can be your best friend. Think of them like having free proven hooks and formats that keep refreshing every day, while you can just plug and play them as you wish.
But here’s the catch: too many creators follow trends blindly. If you’re not tailoring them to your niche and audience, they’ll probably fall flat. And if you’re not linking them to your CTA in some way, you’re just collecting empty views.
Bottom line: don’t waste your reach on content that doesn’t drive downloads.
3. Not iterating on content that works
It might seem obvious, but a lot of founders still fall into the “original content” trap.
If something works, keep using it. Swap “mom” for “sister” in the hook, wear a green shirt instead of a blue one. Small tweaks are all it takes. The key is to spread that same viral format across all your ambassadors.
Only after you’ve fully tapped out a winning idea should you start chasing the next big thing.
Just look at InsideLux. Their whole strategy was built on smart iteration, consistently repeating the exact same AI-generated format and script over and over again, simply swapping brands and places that were mentioned. They pulled in 42M views in 42 days.
4. All eggs in one basket
One account can get shadow-banned, pushed down by the algorithm, or just never take off. And when that happens, you’re back to square one.
Spread the risk and accelerate learning by launching multiple accounts and creators. Put together a handful of formats, a few dozen (of researched and proven) hooks, and blast them everywhere.
It’s the only way to actually rule out the poor performers from the hits, while multiplying your chances by ruling out external factors.
Emmy BFF felt the impact of relying on a single TikTok account. Despite having a decent number of views, this took a toll on their early growth, as their reach was capped from the start, no matter what they did.
5. All or nothing
Believe it or not, you don’t always need to promote your app as a whole.
Focus on your highlight features and, if you don’t have any, go make some from scratch.
Take it from Copia, who designed features optimized for virality, or from Couple Joy, who drove most downloads through their lock screen widget feature.
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