The nine mistakes that most often kill an app launch are: no MVP, no pre-launch marketing, ignoring app store optimization, no web presence, too little beta testing, no customer support, neglecting ratings and reviews, no update plan, and no sharing features. Nearly all are decided before launch day, so they are cheapest to fix while the app is still being built.
Video length 10 min 14 sec | Published on YouTube October 14, 2020 | Watch on YouTube
Key takeaways
- Nine mistakes cause most failed launches, and nearly all are decided weeks before release, when fixes are cheap.
- Outcomes are lopsided: the top 5% of new apps earn over 400 times the revenue of the bottom 25% after two years (RevenueCat).
- Store listings have hard limits: 30 characters for an App Store name and subtitle, and 30 for a Google Play name and 80 for its short description.
- TestFlight allows up to 10,000 external testers; new Google Play personal accounts need 12 testers for 14 days in a closed test.
- Stability affects discovery: Google Play flags apps above a 1.09% user-perceived crash rate.
- Referral is trusted: 88% most trust recommendations from people they know (Nielsen 2021).
What the video covers
- Introduction (0:00)
- Mistake 1: no MVP (1:35)
- Mistakes 2 and 3: pre-launch marketing and ASO (3:35)
- Mistakes 4 and 5: web presence and beta testing (5:12)
- Mistakes 6 and 7: support, ratings and reviews (6:35)
- Mistake 8: no update plan (7:40)
- Mistake 9: no virality features (8:26)
What are the biggest mistakes that kill a mobile app launch?
Nine mistakes do most of the damage, and almost all of them are decisions made before launch day: building too much instead of an MVP, skipping pre-launch marketing, ignoring app store optimization, having no web presence, testing too little with real users, offering no support, neglecting ratings and reviews, planning no updates, and leaving out features that let users share. The stakes are high because outcomes are lopsided. RevenueCat's data on newly launched apps found that the top 5% make over 400 times as much revenue after two years as the bottom 25%. Launch quality does not decide that gap alone, but a launch that skips these basics starts from the wrong end of it. The table gives each mistake, the usual symptom, and the fix, and the sections after it go through them in the order they bite.
| # | Mistake | What it looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No MVP | Months of building, no user feedback | Ship the smallest version that solves the core problem |
| 2 | No pre-launch marketing | Launch day with zero audience | Build a waitlist and a channel before the build is done |
| 3 | Ignoring ASO | The app cannot be found by search | Write the listing around real search terms |
| 4 | No web presence | Nowhere to send traffic that is not the store | One landing page, then a site |
| 5 | Weak beta testing | Crashes and confusing flows reach the public | Run a real beta on TestFlight and Play closed testing |
| 6 | No customer support | Users leave instead of asking | A support address and a response time |
| 7 | Ignoring ratings and reviews | Low social proof, unanswered complaints | Ask at a good moment and reply to reviews |
| 8 | No update plan | Bugs linger, OS changes break the app | Budget for a release rhythm from day one |
| 9 | No share features | Every install is paid for | Add one share or referral mechanic |
For a task-by-task version of the same ground, use our app launch checklist. For the growth errors that come after launch, see app marketing mistakes, and for the paid and onboarding side of a launch, our video on 7 app launch marketing mistakes. This page covers build readiness: what to get right before the first public install.
What is an MVP, and why do founders get it wrong?
A minimum viable product is the smallest version of your app that fully solves one real problem for the user, so you can learn from real use before you build more. The common error is to treat it as a half-built version of the final product. In the video we used a transport example: if the goal is to get someone from point A to point B, a single wheel is not a first version, because it moves nobody anywhere. A skateboard is. It solves the whole problem in a basic way, and users tell you what to add next, such as a handle, then a motor. The test is simple. Can a new user complete the core job from start to finish? If not, you have a part, not an MVP. Everything that is not needed for that job waits for version two, including settings screens, extra profiles, and second payment methods.
Cutting scope is hard because every feature has an owner. Use one rule: a feature goes in v1 only if removing it would stop the core job. Everything else goes on a list, ordered by how many early users ask for it.
A smaller first build costs less and reaches users sooner. Our guide to MVP app development goes through how to scope one, and our app build cost video shows what it tends to cost. If you want a team to build it, see our app development service.
How early should pre-launch marketing start?
Pre-launch marketing should start while the app is still being built, usually 8 to 12 weeks before release, because the things that take time cannot be rushed on launch week: an audience, a waitlist, a store listing that has been thought through, and early reviews from beta users. "If you build it, they will come" fails for apps because stores hold millions of listings and you are not visible by default. The work in this phase is small and specific. Post about the problem the app solves on the one or two platforms your users use, collect emails on a landing page, and line up a few beta testers. By launch day you should be able to name how many people you can tell, not hope that some will find it. We cover the weeks in order in our pre-launch app marketing guide and the app pre-launch strategy guide.
App store optimization before you ship
The listing is where launch traffic turns into installs, and its fields have hard limits. Apple's name and subtitle are each capped at 30 characters, and the keyword field takes up to 100 bytes and should not repeat words already in your name. Google Play allows a 30 character app name, an 80 character short description and a 4,000 character full description.
| Field | App Store | Google Play |
|---|---|---|
| App name | 2 to 30 characters | 30 characters |
| Subtitle or short description | Subtitle, 30 characters | Short description, 80 characters |
| Keywords | 100 bytes, not shown to users | No separate keyword field |
| Description | 4,000 characters | 4,000 characters |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | Not applicable |
Do the keyword research before you finalise the name, because the name is hard to change once you have reviews. Our app store keyword research guide shows the process, and the free ASO launch checklist lists each listing field to fill before submission.
Why a website still matters
A landing page is the one place you control. It holds the email form, screenshots, an explainer video and the store links, and gives social posts and ads somewhere to send people that you can measure. One page, one form and two store badges is enough for week one. A blog can follow for search traffic.
Why does beta testing matter, and how do you run it on iOS and Android?
Beta testing puts the app in front of real people on real devices before the public sees it, and it finds problems your own team cannot see because you built the thing and know where to tap. Internal testing catches bugs against a spec. A beta catches confusion, slow screens on older phones and flows that make sense only to the person who designed them. Both stores give you a route. Apple's TestFlight lets you add up to 10,000 external testers, with each build available to test for up to 90 days. The first build you send to external testers goes to App Review, so allow time. Google Play offers closed testing, and for personal developer accounts created after 13 November 2023, you must have at least 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 days before you can apply for production access. Plan the beta as a fixed phase.
The Google Play rule changes the calendar. A new personal account cannot publish to production on day one of testing, so recruit testers early and keep them opted in.
Give testers a job. Ask five or ten of them to complete the core task and tell you where they hesitated. Then fix what blocks it and release. A beta that never ends is a different launch mistake.
Do ratings, reviews and customer support really affect a launch?
Yes, in two ways. Ratings and reviews are the first thing many people check before they install, so a launch with no reviews or a handful of bad ones loses installs the listing would otherwise win. And support is what turns a frustrated user into a review you can reply to, rather than a one-star rating and an uninstall. Nielsen's 2021 study of 40,000 consumers found that 88% most trust recommendations from people they know, and reviews are the closest thing an app listing has to that. The practical steps are to invite your beta users to review after a good experience, answer reviews quickly and politely, and give users a way to reach you that is not the review box. Apple lets you publicly respond to a review, and only one response per review appears on your product page. Replies take up to 24 hours to appear. A reply is a message to every future reader too.
Support does not need a desk. For a new app it can be one monitored address and an in-app link to it. The point is to give people a route that is easier than leaving. It also gives you free product feedback: the same three questions asked repeatedly are your next three fixes.
Ask for ratings at a good moment, such as right after a user finishes something they care about, and never at first launch. Our guides on app rating optimization and app review management cover the tactics.
Why do apps need an update plan before launch?
No app is finished at launch, and stores and phones keep changing underneath it, so an app without a release rhythm gets worse by default. Updates fix the bugs real users find, add the features early users ask for, and keep the app working with new versions of iOS and Android. Stability also affects discovery. Google Play sets bad behaviour thresholds of 1.09% for user-perceived crash rate and 0.47% for user-perceived ANR rate across all devices, and says that if you exceed them, Play may reduce the visibility of your title and may show a warning on your store listing. Retention is the other reason. RevenueCat found that nearly 30% of annual subscriptions are cancelled in the first month, so the first weeks after install are when an app proves it is worth keeping. Budget for a release every two to four weeks in the first quarter, even if some of them are small.
Build the plumbing into version one: crash reporting, basic analytics for the core task, and a way to prompt old versions to update. These are cheap to add at the start and awkward to add after launch.
Should you build virality features into version one?
Add one share or referral mechanic to version one, but do not build a complex programme. Paid installs end when the budget does, while a share that works keeps bringing people in. Referral works because of trust. Nielsen found that 88% most trust recommendations from people they know, which beats any ad format on credibility. The video named the usual forms: gamification, social sharing and referrals. Pick the one that fits the app's core job. A fitness app has shareable results. A language app has streaks. A marketplace has invitations. Make the share a single tap, put it at a moment of success rather than on the home screen, and give the person who arrives a reason to join. See our Lensa AI viral marketing breakdown for what a loop looks like at the extreme, and our app referral program guide for the mechanics.
What we see across 300+ apps
We have shipped 300+ apps since 2015, with 52M+ installs between them. The mistakes in this video are the same ones we still see, and a few patterns stand out.
- Most launches fail on scope, not code. Teams build for months and test with no one. The fix is cheap: cut the first release to the core job and get it in front of ten real users.
- Marketing is treated as a post-launch task. By then the listing is set, the name is fixed, and there are no early reviews. We start the listing and the audience work while the app is in build.
- The store listing is written last, in an hour. It deserves the same research as the product. Keyword choices in the name and subtitle shape discovery for months.
If you are early and unsure what to cut, our 7 step framework video lays out the order of work, and our app launch marketing plan covers the marketing side.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common mobile app launch mistakes? Skipping an MVP, skipping pre-launch marketing, ignoring app store optimization, having no website, testing too little with real users, offering no support, neglecting ratings and reviews, having no update plan, and leaving out share features. Most of these are decisions made weeks before launch, which is why they are cheap to fix early and expensive to fix after.
How long should an app beta test last? Long enough to run the core task with real users and fix what blocks it, usually two to four weeks. Google Play also requires new personal developer accounts to run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 days before they can apply for production access. Plan the beta as a fixed phase.
How many testers can TestFlight handle? Apple allows up to 10,000 external testers on TestFlight, and a build can be tested for up to 90 days. The first build you send to external testers goes through App Review, so allow time for that before your planned start date. Internal testing with your own team is separate and does not need that review.
When should I start marketing my app? While it is still being built. Start with a landing page, an email list and posts about the problem your app solves. Work on your store listing early too, since the name and keywords are hard to change after you have reviews. Our working rule is 8 to 12 weeks before release, though this is guidance, not a store requirement.
Do app reviews really matter before launch? Yes. People check ratings before they install, and a listing with no reviews gives them nothing to trust. Invite your beta testers to review after a good experience, and reply to every review you get. Apple lets developers respond publicly, with one response shown per review on the product page.
Related
- Our app development service
- Our app marketing service
- App launch checklist
- App marketing mistakes
- Video: 7 app launch marketing mistakes
- Video: 7 step framework to build and launch your app
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