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TL;DR
Indie dev Neely got 1,000+ downloads in two days by giving away his app’s lifetime subscription free on Reddit (notably r/AppHookup) plus targeted niche subreddits, and building his own subreddit with reposted viral content to earn karma. The winning move: make it free, talk to moderators first, and engage in the comments. This source belongs to the app-masters-youtube batch.
Biggest lessons
- Free lifetime giveaway is the hook. Set the iOS lifetime IAP price to $0; r/AppHookup banned promo codes but allowed a free lifetime — got 1,000+ downloads in 2 days, with ~50% retention.
- Earn karma before posting. Repost all-time top posts from big subs (e.g. r/GetMotivated, 20M subs) into your own subreddit, then cross-post; Reels/video outperform static images.
- Talk to moderators first and follow the strict format — platform, app name, what’s free, short description, link only. No shortened/custom URLs or you get deleted/banned; don’t post the same app across subs same-day.
- Reddit beats App Advice for feedback — you get comments and DMs (feature requests, bug reports), not just downloads and store reviews; iOS-device posting targets iOS audience.
- Tell a story for non-deal subs — frame the app around a personal struggle (depression, COVID) and offer it free to the community; mods let value-first soft promotion slide.
- Free converts better than discounted even for Android; ~1% of new users leave a review, higher if you communicate directly.
Why it matters
- Reddit is the wiki’s flagship no-budget, zero-audience launch channel — concrete, repeatable tactics for the first 1,000 downloads.
- The free-lifetime-giveaway hack doubles as a ratings-injection play feeding the ASO flywheel.