How to advertise your app on a small budget

Short answer: start paying for ads only once people who install your app keep using it. Then pick one channel where your audience already is, such as Apple Ads on the App Store, Google App campaigns on Google Play, Meta or TikTok app ads, Reddit ads, or a sponsorship in a niche newsletter, and run a small, time-boxed test. Compare what each install costs with how long those users stay, keep what works and stop what doesn't.

When should I start advertising my app?

Ads multiply what your app already does. If new users leave in the first few days, ads only pay for more people to leave. Before spending money, check:

• Retention. A meaningful share of users comes back on day 1 and day 7. See app retention: how to keep users coming back.
• Store page conversion. People who visit your store page install at a reasonable rate. If they don't, fix screenshots and the description first.
• Tracking. You can see where installs come from and what those users do. See app metrics that matter for indie developers.

If those aren't ready, start with free channels: how to promote your app for free.

Where can I advertise my app?

The main options, roughly from most to least targeted:

Apple Ads (App Store)

Apple's ad platform, called Apple Search Ads until Apple renamed it Apple Ads in 2025. Its best-known placement is the top of App Store search results, so you reach people who are already searching for something like your app. Start with your exact app name and a handful of keywords that describe what it does. Because people searching have high intent, this is often the most efficient paid channel for iOS apps.

Google App campaigns (Google Play and beyond)

Google's App campaigns promote Android apps across Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, Discover and partner apps and sites. You provide text, images and videos, set a budget and a goal (installs or in-app actions), and Google's system decides where to show the ads. Google needs data to learn, so give a campaign some time before judging it, and judge it on in-app actions, not only installs.

Meta and TikTok app ads

Facebook, Instagram and TikTok all offer app promotion campaigns that optimize for installs. They are a good fit when your app is visual or easy to show in a short video. Use your best organic video as the ad, since what people watch for free usually performs well as an ad too.

Reddit ads

Reddit lets you target communities by interest. It works for niche apps whose audience gathers in specific subreddits. Write ads that sound like a person, not a brand, and expect blunt comments.

Newsletters, podcasts and niche sites

A short sponsorship in a newsletter or podcast that your exact audience reads can outperform broad ads, especially for productivity, developer, finance or hobby apps. Ask the publisher for audience size, open or download rates and past results from similar sponsors before buying.

Sponsored spots on discovery sites

App discovery sites, including TrueLaunch, may offer sponsored spots. On TrueLaunch they are always labeled "Sponsored" and never change ratings, reviews or the organic ranking (see how ranking works). Treat them like any other ad: a way to be seen, measured by what visitors do next.

How do I advertise my app outside of Google Play and the App Store?

Most ad platforms send people straight to your store page, but you can also advertise outside the stores:

• Run ads to a landing page that explains the app, collects emails before launch and links to both stores.
• Sponsor newsletters, podcasts and YouTube channels in your niche.
• Use search ads on Google for problem keywords ("track shared expenses") that point to your website.
• Use social and Reddit ads that point to your site or store page.

Whichever you choose, use campaign links (for example UTM parameters on your website, and the campaign tracking your store console supports) so you know which source each user came from.

How much should I spend on a first test?

Spend an amount you're comfortable losing completely, split across a fixed period (for example two to four weeks) and one channel at a time. Decide in advance what result would make you continue, such as a target cost per install for users who are still active after seven days. Running several channels at once with a tiny budget makes it hard to learn anything.

How do I know if an ad is working?

Look past the cost per install:

• Cost per install (CPI): what you pay for each new install.
• Retention of paid users: do people from this channel stay as long as organic users?
• Cost per active or paying user: the real price of a user who sticks around.
• Revenue per user, if your app earns money: over time, a user should be worth more than they cost to acquire.

A channel with a higher cost per install can still be the better deal if those users stay and pay.

How do I market my app without wasting money?

• Test one variable at a time: one audience, one message, one creative.
• Refresh creatives when results fall, since people get tired of the same ad.
• Cut losers fast. If a test misses its target clearly, stop it and try a different message or channel.
• Keep organic work going. Store optimization, content, community and honest reviews make every paid install cheaper.
• Stay honest. Never buy ratings, reviews, fake installs or fake followers. They break store policies and give you misleading data.

Next steps

Check your day-7 retention and store page conversion this week. If they look healthy, choose one channel where your audience already spends time and plan a two-week test with a clear success target. Meanwhile, keep improving the app with honest feedback from real people: list your app on TrueLaunch for free.