By Quick answer: How can I increase app downloads without paying for ads?
- ASO — better keywords and a higher-converting listing.
- Store featuring — Apple featuring nominations; Google Play promotional content.
- Web to app — SEO content, smart banners and deep links.
- Referrals and sharing — make users your marketers.
- Partnerships and PR — borrow other audiences.
Key takeaways
- Free channels cost time; pick two or three and do them well.
- Your website and content can be a steady install source if they answer real questions.
- Shareable outputs (results, invites, creations) turn usage into acquisition.
- Store editors feature well-crafted apps with a story — tell yours.
- Organic growth compounds only if users stay; fix retention first.
Paid installs are easy to buy and hard to afford. Free channels take more patience, but they compound: a well-optimised listing keeps converting, a good article keeps ranking, a referral loop keeps spinning. Here are twelve, in rough order of how much they tend to matter.
In the stores
1. Optimise your listing (ASO)
Every channel ends at your store page. Better keywords and creatives raise both visibility and conversion — see the ASO guide.
2. Ask for featuring
Apple accepts featuring nominations for new apps, major updates and in-app events through App Store Connect1. Editors look for quality, design, accessibility and a story worth telling.
3. In-app events and promotional content
Time-bound events — challenges, launches, festivals — can appear in store search and editorial on the App Store, and Google Play offers promotional content for eligible apps.
On the web
4. Web content that ranks
Answer your users' real questions on your website or blog; content ranks for months and sends readers to your app.
5. Smart banners and deep links
Apple's Smart App Banners invite iPhone visitors to open or install the app2; Android App Links open the right screen in the app when installed3. Use QR codes offline.
In the product
6. Referral programme
Reward both sides for invites when the app delivers clear value — see 25 referral program examples.
7. Shareable outputs
Results, creations, plans and invites that look good when shared — with a link back to the app.
In the world
8. Communities
Be useful in the groups where your users gather — WhatsApp, Reddit, LinkedIn, Discord — and share the app when it genuinely helps.
9. Partnerships
Team up with non-competing brands that serve the same users: co-hosted events, bundled offers, mutual mentions.
10. PR and founder stories
Pitch a genuine story to journalists who cover your space — a specific problem solved, a surprising insight, a founder journey.
11. Short-form video
Show the app's "aha" moment in 15 seconds on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
12. Re-engage lapsed users
Win back people who installed and left with a meaningful update, a reminder of value or a new feature they asked for.
Pick two, do them well
- Fix ASO first — it multiplies everything else.
- Choose one owned channel — web content or referrals — and commit for three months.
- Choose one borrowed channel — partnerships, communities or PR.
- Measure installs and retention by source monthly.
Apple's product page guidance is a good checklist for the listing itself4.
Key terms, defined
Organic downloads — installs not driven by paid ads. Deep link — a link that opens a specific screen in an app. Smart App Banner — Apple's banner prompting website visitors to open or install an app. In-app event — a timely event promoted on the App Store. Referral loop — users inviting users who invite more users.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free way to increase app downloads?
Usually app store optimization, because every channel ends at your store listing. After that, referrals and in-app sharing compound best, followed by web content that ranks in search and points to your app.
How do I get my app featured on the App Store?
Apple accepts featuring nominations through App Store Connect for new apps, updates and in-app events. Strong design, accessibility, localisation and a clear story improve your chances, but featuring is at Apple's editors' discretion.
Can a website increase app downloads?
Yes. Content that ranks for your users' questions can direct them to install through smart app banners, deep links and QR codes. It's one of the most durable free channels.
Do referral programs work for app downloads?
When the app delivers real value and both sides get a meaningful reward, referrals are among the most efficient growth channels. They don't work for apps people don't love.
How do I get press coverage for my app?
Pitch a genuine story — a problem solved for a specific group, interesting data, a founder journey — to journalists who cover that space, with a short, personal email and a ready press kit.
Should I cross-promote with other apps?
Partnerships with non-competing apps serving the same audience can work well — co-marketing, bundled offers or mutual mentions — if the audiences genuinely overlap.
Sources
- Apple Developer — Getting featured on the App Store
- Apple Developer — Smart App Banners
- Android Developers — About App Links
- Apple Developer — Creating your product page
- Checked October 23, 2026. Figures that change — fees, salaries, prices — are reviewed every six months; if something is out of date, tell us.
Where to go from here
- App store optimization guide — the first channel to fix
- 25 referral program examples — designs that drive installs
- App marketing & ASOHow to get app downloads: a playbook for your first 1,000 usersA practical playbook for your first 1,000 app downloads: pre-launch waitlist, communities, founder-led outreach, ASO basics, referrals and small paid tests.
- App marketing & ASOApp influencer marketing in India: costs by creator tier, results and the rulesApp influencer marketing in India: what nano, micro and macro creators charge, how to measure installs and retention, and ASCI disclosure rules.
- App marketing & ASOHow to rank your app on the Play Store: what Google rewards in 2027How to rank an app on Google Play: keywords across the listing, conversion assets, ratings, Android vitals, retention and listing experiments.
- App marketing & ASOApp marketing strategy: a launch-to-scale playbook for 2027An app marketing strategy in four stages — pre-launch, launch, traction and scale — with the channels, budgets, metrics and gates to move between stages.
- App marketing & ASO25 referral program examples from top apps — and the design behind each25 referral program examples — Dropbox, Google Pay (Tez), Harry's, Robinhood and more — grouped by reward type, with the design lessons and India-specific tips.
- App marketing & ASOGoogle app campaign cost in India: cost per install, budgets and how to bidWhat Google App campaigns cost in India: CPI benchmarks by category, Google's 50× target CPI budget rule, bidding options and how to judge payback.
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