In one paragraph
In this video, Arsh Singh, founder of ApsteQ, lays out the three stages ApsteQ uses to market apps for clients: awareness before launch, acquisition once the app is in the store, and retention after the download. He covers more than 20 strategies across those stages, from user personas and a landing page to app store search ads, referral programs and push notifications.
Watch on YouTube: 20+ Best Mobile App Marketing Strategies To Launch Your App. The Ultimate App Marketing Guide 2026 (channel @arshsingh).
What are the three stages of app marketing?
Arsh splits app marketing into awareness, acquisition and retention. Awareness is the pre-launch stage, and he says to start it at the beginning of development so no time is lost. It starts with a user persona and competitor research: who the ideal user is, what their pain point is, and what the competing apps offer, so the app can have its own selling point.
Then comes early buzz on social media, a landing page that collects interested users before launch, simple video, preparing the app store listing, and content marketing in audio, video, written and image formats.
Which strategies bring in users once the app is live?
The acquisition stage has paid and organic routes. Paid routes in the video are Apple search ads, Google universal app campaigns, in-app ads, other ad networks and social media app-install campaigns. Organic routes are press releases, review sites, referral marketing and micro-influencers.
He adds that traffic must then convert. Ratings and reviews matter because most people check them first, and fast support lowers uninstalls and bad reviews. For a closer look at how we run this work for clients, see ApsteQ app marketing.
How do you keep users after they download?
Arsh cites research that 25 percent of downloaded apps are used only once, so a download is not enough. He names onboarding that shows the core value on the first visit, personalized push notifications sent to user segments, and gamification such as badges, rewards and leaderboards as the retention tools.
He closes by saying monetization is a fourth pillar that follows once awareness, acquisition and retention are working.