

Ask HN: What is the best way for a single developer to get its first downloads? - theycallmeg

I almost finished to build my first android app and I was wondering how could I get people to download my app?<p>Do you know of some examples of single app developers and how they approach the subject?
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jsfour
The best thing for you to do is build a list of people and reach out to them
asking them to try the app. You then use that group of people to gather data
about the product. Also ask the people to refer their friend.

I actually wrote a great post on how I drove the first users for a product
here:
[http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237922](http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237922)

Ping me on twitter and I am happy to help you: @jsfour

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taprun
People will download it if and only if:

1) They find your app 2) They want your app

Posting on relevant message boards, forums, twitter and the like well help
with #1. For #2, you have to frame your description and talking points to the
pain point that your app addresses.

#2 will help you figure out where to post and how to describe you app. What is
it that you've built?

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xiaoma
Wow. I find it interesting you assumed the app was intended to address _pain_.

My first thought was that it was a game! I guess the lenses through which you
view the world make an even starker difference than I'd already thought.

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lgas
What are games, but apps intended to relieve the pain of boredom?

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xiaoma
For me at least, games tend to fit one of the following two categories:

1) Fun caused by learning—whether if it's an 80's style sidescroller a racing
game or a RTS, many many games are about steadily mastering skills and using
them to take on progressively harder challenges.

2) Immersive stories—RPGs can offer many of the same benefits of either
reading fiction or watching movies. This type is pretty rare on a mobile
device, but certainly not unheard of.

In either case, a game is something I'd actively seek out, not a way of
escaping "pain". I certainly don't feel a "pain" of boredom that needs to be
relieved. I'm just not that morose.

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lgas
I know I'm a little late in replying, but you're taking the term pain overly
literally. My point was that you can frame anything in terms of pain.

For example if you're playing a game to learn, you can view that as trying to
escape the pain of ignorance.

There's nothing morose about it.

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onaclov2000
I would suggest finding people on twitter who fit the typical user and mention
it? I did that, posted about it on my blog and a few other things, not sure
really what actually got me going, but I did get some downloads that route. If
it's a good app _hopefully_ those people will share it, I would recommend
including a "share this app" link within the app

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theycallmeg
putting a "share this" link is actually good idea, thanks.

