Getting your first 1,000 users is one of the most critical milestones for any consumer mobile app. But with limited budget and no existing user base, where do you start?

This cheatsheet breaks down the 7 main marketing channels successful apps have used to reach their first 1,000 users, based on insights from founders at Calm, Blinkist, Duolingo, Headspace, Uber, Airbnb, Instagram, and more.

• Manually recruit users one-by-one.

• Pitch door-to-door or visit physical locations where your target users already gather. | - Instagram emailed tech influencers directly

• Uber recruited black car drivers manually

• Airbnb scraped Craigslist to cold-email property owners

• Etsy pitched vendors at craft fairs

• Tinder visited college sororities/fraternities

• Snapchat handed out flyers at malls | | 2. Search (ASO & SEO) | Apps solving problems people actively search for | ASO:

• Start with low-competition keywords

• Localize keywords and screenshots

• Test keywords with Apple Search Ads

• Leverage secondary localizations

• Build consistent ratings & reviews

SEO:

- Editorial: Create high-quality blog content - Programmatic: Generate thousands of keyword-targeted pages | - Rootd targeted "panic attack" keywords (4M downloads)

• Momego used location-specific keywords like "MTA subway" (5.2M downloads)
• Headspace built hub-and-spoke content (400K monthly visitors)
• Transit created 10K-21K programmatic landing pages for specific routes | | 3. Communities & Events | When your app needs to build relationships and trust before asking for downloads | Events: - Host meetups with target users.
• Run on-the-ground campaigns in new cities
• Create exclusive parties (app install as "ticket")

Online:

• Join relevant subreddits, Facebook Groups, Discord
• Launch on Product Hunts. | - Airbnb organized host meetups in new cities
• Headspace led guided meditation events across UK
• Pinterest launched "Pin It Forward" blogger program
• Tinder hosted exclusive college parties (app install as entry) | | 4. Press & App Store Features | Apps with compelling personal stories, timely social issues, or genuinely novel features | - Focus on telling a timely & compelling story.

Press: - Start with local journalists, work up to global publications

App Store Features:

• Note that it might require multiple submissions | - Rootd launched on World Mental Health Day

• Rootd submitted 15+ times before getting App Store feature

• Calm created DoNothingFor2Minutes.com (100K email signups pre-launch) | | 5. Content Marketing | Apps with existing audience or willing to invest in viral contents | Pre-launch: - Build audience before launching product

Short-form (TikTok):

• ****Create platform-native content (raw, iPhone-shot) Focus on teaching or entertaining

• Research customer reviews to use the same language in your creatives. | - Waking Up leveraged Sam Harris's existing audience from books/podcast

• Ladder went viral first on TikTok with short-form videos before amplifying their reach with paid ads | | 6. Paid Advertising | ONLY after validating product-market fit and optimizing your funnel through organic channels | Social Ads (Meta/TikTok): - Start with broad targeting

• Test creative variations consistently

• Budget minimum $50-60/day per ad set on Meta

• Optimize for installs first, then conversions

Search Ads (ASA/Google):

• Use ASA to amplify your traffic coming from ASO.
• Bid on keywords relevant to your apps. | Blinkist used paid social ads to scale from 100 to 1M+ users post-PMF | | 7. Influencer Marketing | Apps where personal connection with trusted experts/coaches is central to the product experience | - Focus on micro-creators (15K-100K followers)
• Create custom pitch decks for each creator
• Structure generous revenue splits (50/50)
• Build clear attribution (UTM tracking)
• Provide messaging frameworks | - Ladder grew to $1M ARR through influencer marketing on Instagrams in the early day. |

Source: How to Get Your First 1,000 Users by Linh Nguyen from Rey.

Key Principles

• Know your business model. Subscriptions, marketplaces, and ad-supported apps each require fundamentally different approaches to growth.
• Focus your efforts. Spreading yourself thin across every possible channel means you won't do anything well enough to learn from it. Pick your channels based on where your users are and give each one enough time and resources to generate real signal.
• Resist the temptation to spend early. Paid advertising is powerful, but only after you've validated product-market fit and optimized your funnel.

With that in mind, let's go out there and get your first 1,000 users.