ASOhack
Back to Blog
Growth Hacks

The Indie Mobile App 90-Day Launch Playbook (2026)

A week-by-week launch plan for indie mobile developers — from soft launch through global launch — covering ASO, paid acquisition, press, reviews, and the milestones that matter.

ASOhack TeamMay 19, 20267 min read

Launching a mobile app well requires more coordination than indie devs typically plan for. Skip a step and you'll either burn the soft-launch window (zero validation) or rush the global launch (zero leverage on press, ASO, paid).

This is a week-by-week 90-day playbook. Pick what applies to your scale; skip what doesn't.

The phases

Days -90 to -61    Pre-launch: soft launch + foundation
Days -60 to -31    Validation: iterate on data
Days -30 to -1     Global prep: locked-down build + outreach
Days 0 to +30      Launch + 30 days
Days +31 to +60    Compounding

Days -90 to -61: pre-launch foundation

Week -13 (T-90)

  • Pick 2-3 soft-launch countries (see soft launch playbook).
  • Run a free ASO audit on the build today. Fix the top 5 issues.
  • Set up analytics: RevenueCat / Apphud + Mixpanel / Amplitude. Free tiers are fine.
  • Decide on subscription tool: see RevenueCat vs Adapty vs Apphud.
  • Define conversion-value mapping for SKAdNetwork (iOS).

Week -12 (T-83)

  • Soft launch in target countries.
  • Start instrumenting D1, D7, D30 retention cohorts.
  • First press list build: 30-50 Tier 3-4 outlets (see PR strategy).

Week -11 (T-76)

  • First paid acquisition test at $500/week budget.
  • Start review velocity push in soft-launch markets.
  • Iterate onboarding based on first cohort data.

Week -10 (T-69)

  • First A/B test in App Store Connect / Play Console (icon or first screenshot).
  • Build press kit: high-res screenshots, video, founder bio, app description in multiple lengths.
  • Identify your unique story — for press pitches.

Days -60 to -31: validation phase

Week -9 (T-62)

  • Read first 30-day retention cohort. Compare to category median (see benchmarks).
  • First major iteration: onboarding length, paywall placement, or pricing tier based on data.

Week -8 (T-55)

  • Second A/B test: try a different visual variant.
  • Refine soft-launch listing based on conversion data.
  • Begin Tier 3-4 PR outreach with a soft-launch story angle.

Week -7 (T-48)

  • Test paywall variant (hard vs soft, see data).
  • Push for reviews velocity — should be hitting 50+ reviews in soft-launch markets by now.
  • First Reddit / community post in target subreddits — story angle, not pitch.

Week -6 (T-41)

  • Check exit criteria (see soft launch playbook):
    • D1, D7, D30 retention ≥ category median
    • Install → Paid ≥ category median
    • Average rating ≥ 4.4
    • Crash-free sessions ≥ 99.5%
  • If criteria not met: don't go global. Iterate.

Week -5 (T-34)

  • Localize for top 5 global markets (see localization guide).
  • Refresh listing screenshots based on A/B test winners.
  • Pitch Tier 2 outlets with launch story.

Days -30 to -1: global prep

Week -4 (T-27)

  • Lock the build. No major changes for 4 weeks.
  • Pitch Tier 1-2 outlets with embargo for launch day.
  • Plan Product Hunt launch — pick the date (Tuesday-Thursday).

Week -3 (T-20)

  • Tier 1 outreach with story angle.
  • Pre-feature submission to Apple App Store / Google Play editorial.
  • Set up paid campaigns for launch day. Approved, paused, ready.

Week -2 (T-13)

  • Reach out to influencers / podcast hosts in your niche.
  • Pre-launch email list build if you have one — pre-announce launch date.
  • Backup plan ready for unexpected issues (Cloudflare, support inbox).

Week -1 (T-6)

  • Final pre-launch check: server capacity, support inbox staffed, paid campaigns ready.
  • Final free ASO audit on the locked build.
  • Embargo materials sent to confirmed press.
  • Submit final build with launch day in mind (allow 1-3 day review buffer).

Launch day (Day 0)

  • Product Hunt post at 12:01am PT (peak vote window).
  • Show HN post at 7-9am PT.
  • Reddit posts in 2-3 target subreddits.
  • Tier 3 outlets publish (if embargoed).
  • Twitter / X launch thread in your network.
  • Email subscribers (if list exists).
  • Activate paid campaigns in target markets.
  • Monitor crashes, support inbox, install rate.
  • Plan to NOT iterate for 48 hours unless critical bug.

Days 1-7 post-launch

Day 1

  • Monitor install spike. Plan for 3-10× soft-launch volume.
  • Respond to every press mention with thanks + amplification.
  • Tier 2 outlets often publish day 1-3 — handle their follow-ups.

Day 2-3

  • Check D1 retention of launch cohort. Compare to soft-launch baseline.
  • If significantly worse than soft-launch: investigate. Onboarding likely needs polish, not the app.
  • Engage with Reddit / HN comment threads.

Day 4-7

  • Tier 1-2 outlets may publish in this window.
  • Continue Reddit engagement.
  • Push for reviews via in-app prompt at right moments.
  • Refresh creative variants for paid campaigns.

Days 8-30: compounding

Week +2

  • Apply for App Store / Google Play editorial features with launch numbers.
  • Continue paid acquisition at scaling budget.
  • Watch D7 retention from launch cohort.

Week +3

  • First listings A/B test post-launch (if hypothesis emerged from data).
  • First "lessons learned" content (blog post, Twitter thread) — feeds PR follow-ups.

Week +4

  • D30 retention from launch cohort. Compare to soft-launch.
  • Decide on scale: aggressive (D30 ≥ category top quartile) or conservative (still iterating).

Days 31-60

Weeks +5 to +8

  • Sustain paid acquisition at validated ROAS.
  • Iterate on listing based on data.
  • Pitch follow-up press angles ("30 days in: lessons from indie app launch").
  • First major feature update (if delays don't matter).
  • Continue review velocity push.

Days 61-90

Weeks +9 to +13

  • Plan first major release.
  • Localize for 5 more markets if data supports.
  • Expand paid acquisition to new channels (if metrics held in earlier ones).
  • Build long-term content / SEO strategy on your web presence.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping soft launch. Launching globally without validated unit economics = burning cash.
  • Launching before exit criteria met. Bad metrics scale into worse metrics at higher volume.
  • No PR plan. Press doesn't happen organically — you pitch.
  • Iterating during launch week. Confuses cohorts; breaks momentum.
  • No paid campaigns ready. Organic + press only ≠ scale.
  • Skipping localization. Each major market is a missed install pool.
  • Burning your soft-launch data. Use it to set baseline for global.

Compound or fizzle: the day-90 fork

By day 90, you're at one of two points:

Compound

  • Retention metrics solid (D30 ≥ category median).
  • LTV / CAC ≥ 2 in best channels.
  • Sustained organic discovery (rankings, reviews).
  • Press / community attention ongoing.

You can scale aggressively from here.

Fizzle

  • Retention below category median.
  • LTV / CAC < 1 in paid.
  • Press attention gone.
  • No organic ranking lift.

Don't scale. Go back to product. Either pivot, find a tighter niche, or accept the level.

The 90-day window doesn't make or break the long-term outcome, but it sets the trajectory.

Run the audits

Throughout the playbook, the free ASO audit should run at each major milestone — week -13, week -4, day +30, day +90. The fixes change as the app matures.

Related reading

Try the tools

Ready to Optimize Your App Store Listing?

Try our free ASO tools — no signup required.

Keyword Density CheckerView All Tools