6M views in 30 days for a brand new app (full breakdown)

A social activities app we partnered with got App Store approval the same day we started the UGC campaign.

Full cold start. No users. No reviews. Nothing to stand on.

Despite that, we crossed 1M total views less than 7 days into the UGC campaign.

Most founders launch the app on the App Store, wait a couple months before doing any type of marketing, and decide to go paid first instead of organic.

The founder of this app did the exact opposite.

When an app has been live for six months, you have something to work with.

A review base. Keyword ranking. A rough idea on what converts.

On day zero you have none of it.

You don't know your hook. You don't know your format. You don't know which creator archetype your buyer trusts. You don't even know if the thing people say they want is the thing they'll actually install.

Part of the goals of this UGC campaign was just to test the market on what resonated as this was a brand new app.

This consumer app helps people make new friends by finding recurring, beginner-friendly local activities like run clubs, trivia nights, and classes.

So we had to find an angle around activities/friends and that resonated most with its target audience.

Viral angle we found: When it's ok to cancel plans

After testing a couple of angles, we found that talking about how frustrating it is when people cancel plans hit best.

Using this pain point, we then mentioned the app organically as the solution to this problem, as with this app you have tons of things to do with other people.

3.5M view Instagram Reel:

1.4M view TikTok:

Here's the viral format:

This is NOT okay to cancel plans hook - > have creator do something while filming video (make up / writing) -> list out relatable reasons why people say that they have to cancel -> mention app as solution and soft CTA.

Repeat framework for any consumer app:

Pain point call out hook -> list out relatable things to ICP -> offer app as solution to initial pain point call out.

Creator selection truth

If the creators were men, none of these videos would resonate and reach the target audience.

Women are more social than men, so naturally more women are going to be interested in an app that gives you more social things to do.

Creator selection is not talked about enough and can literally make or break your apps UGC marketing.

The creators should be the same ICP as your best paying more loyal user.

The Takeaway:

Now this activities app has several ideas and angles to improve the product.

250+ pieces of available content to turn into ads.

3+ new marketing angles to use.

Near instant distribution when they went live on the App Store.

1,000,000+ people now know what this activities app is less than a week into launching.

That same distribution would cost minimum $15,000 on meta ads to a cold audience.

Organic UGC is the most effective and efficient way to get consumer apps in front of its target audience.

My team has driven 600M+ organic views and 430K+ app downloads doing exactly this.

I'm Jonny and I help consumer apps get the installs and distribution they need with organic UGC marketing.

Want to see what your app could do using organic UGC as an user acquisition strategy?

Follow me and let's talk.

Schedule time with me here