I love that you included a tiered goal list! 🙌🏼

(I'm going to loop @screenfluent in here since he's familiar with iPhone apps and will probably have iPhone-specific suggestions.)

I'm moving forward with the assumption it's the Dad App (which as a single mom coparenting with my kids' dad, this is a VERY necessary thing 🤣).

If it's not that app, let me know!

Some follow-up questions:

1.) Are you starting narrow in your app targeting (like first-time dads, stay-at-home dads, etc.)? Or are you starting wide?

No approach is wrong, but it helps us to tailor the approach.

2.) Have you done in-depth market research? Competitor research? (What makes you different from them?) What about analytics/data?

From the site, I see you already have 112 users. Seriously, congratulations! It's a solid start.

You have enough to not have to make educated guesses but use data (if you've collected it).

• Can you see which features are most used? If so, that's valuable for your messaging.

• If you haven't already, actually write down the problems your app solves (and how it solves them). Get specific with this. Like uncomfortably specific where when a dad reads your post, he feels instantly called out.

• What's your retention rate? Are these all paid users or is there a free version? (If there's a free version, what's the upsell rate from free -> paid? And what's the paid retention rate?)

• Make a list of competitors and what makes you different. You can think of it as saying, "It's like X, but..."

• Make a list of people who've created similar tools but aren't direct competitors and consider reaching out to them to collaborate.

3.) Make a list of communities dads go to crowdsource support/answers, podcasts and YouTube channels they listen to (for dad support), and keywords they're searching to find information about the problems they have (that your app solves).

This would be like:

✨Reddit (r/daddit, r/parenting, r/fatherhood). I'd include some smaller communities (with a high engagement rate) as well.

✨Social media (Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, Twitter groups, Threads, Bluesky, etc.) Pick the ones you like to create content on and engage with the most. You don't have to be everywhere. Omnipresence is a myth. Make sure to tap into spaces (and hashtags, esp on Threads and Twitter) where dads come together to support each other.

✨If you like creating long-form written content, post on Quora (answer questions, write your own posts) and Medium (publish stories to fatherhood/parenting-specific publications). If you don't, then don't.

(Medium: This publication looks active and relevant: medium.com/a-parent-is-born)

You can also Google "dad blogs" and pitch a guest post related to your app.

You could just turn long-form articles into Tweet threads as well. Something like: Top 5 Things I Forgot Before Using DadApp. Each item would be its own tweet in the thread.

✨ Other resources (podcasts, YT channels, etc.): I always recommend The Good Men Project to every man (father or not) I know. It's a big one, and I'm sure you can find your audience there. Life of Dad also has a BUNCH of resources/communities you can tap into.

• www.youtube.com/@Fathercraft : You could reach out to these guys and potentially get featured in a review video. They review and recommend apps/tools specific for fathers.

• Check out different Substacks and see if there are dad-centric ones there.

• Don't sleep on moms/wives. They're not your DIRECT target audience, but they're adjacent. This is a great way to tap into your unaware audience (dads who are struggling but don't know they're struggling). Guarantee their wife (or coparent) knows they're dropping the ball, and they can recommend your app.

(HUGELY underrated since most people only go after their target audience and miss out on a LOT of opportunities.)

✨ Keywords: You can use something like Ahrefs, Google Search Console, or Answer the Public (all have free capabilities) to figure this out. You can also find dad-specific websites (like those above) and tools (apps, etc), put them in Ahrefs or GSC, and see what they're ranking for. That'll give you a good idea of what your target audience cares about and is actively searching for. Keep a record of this info and use it to inform your content strategy & how you SEOify your site.

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Obviously that's a shit ton, so pick what jumps out to you most.

My rule is to have at least one immediate source of traffic and one long-term/sustainable source I work on each quarter.

Go with the most accessible to you right now.

✨✨✨ PRACTICAL MARKETING:

For you, I'd suggest:

SHORT-TERM:

• Reddit (pick max 3 subreddits you engage in regularly)

• 1-2 social media spaces (i.e. 1-2 Facebook groups and Twitter)

• email list -- my god if you're not doing this already, start now. You need a way to communicate with your growing audience, and with how volatile social media is, it's best to own your audience. You can create a simple newsletter offering tips, sharing stories of app users, etc. You can also offer incentives/bonuses to people who sign up during a certain time. You can also do holiday-themed challenges (i.e. it's approaching Thanksgiving in the US, and it's almost Christmas season).

You don't have to create original content for all your newsletters. I love the simplicity of a solid round-up post, and you could include articles/podcasts/videos/posts about fatherhood that were helpful, insightful, or made you laugh. If you're sending through Substack (or something similar like Beehiiv where it's published on the web), then make sure to link to the person. They just may notice the extra backlink and say thanks.

(As always, choose content by brands that share similar beliefs/values as yours to build brand trust.)

This is where brand building is CRITICAL. Your brand isn't the app. Your app is a tool -- a vehicle for your brand. Your brand needs to be about something bigger and a central idea people (dads) can believe in that inspires them to be better (which your tools helps them become better dads).

But whatever it is, make it true and something you can write content about.

So for example, here are some core brand ideas and the kind of off-shoot content you can create so it's not just "buy my shit" in every post:

• parenting is a shared responsibility: importance of remembering small details, conversation tips with wife/coparent, importance of staying organized, what "mental load" is and how to share it, self-dev for dads, etc.

• a present dad makes a lasting impact: importance of remembering small details of their kid's life, mindfulness and self-dev for dads, activities dads can do with kids at different ages/stages, raising confident kids, etc.

• dads thrive when they're informed: becoming a confident and capable dad, etc.

• good parenting is about balance: balancing personal goals with parenting goals, etc.

• intentional dads build strong families: family-oriented content, masculinity/being a man/inner work, marriage/relationships, etc.

You get the point.

Make it something YOU genuinely care about and fiercely believe in since it'd be the majority of your content. You'll just weave your customers' challenges and your app's solution within that.

It'd also give you ideas of which features to build out in the future.

It also gives people a core idea of what to associate with you/brand, and you'll go much further, especially if you want to collaborate, leverage people's audiences (i.e. podcasts, etc.), grow your authority in the space (i.e. publishing a book, etc.).

(Even if you want to sell the business, having a solid brand increases brand equity, so you'll be able to sell it for more.)

Also note: When you build a brand, you're no longer selling just another tool/app. You're selling an idea, which is FAR more potent.

Cults are built on shared ideas/beliefs. (Don't build a cult lol. But also...if it's a cult that creates more present, more reliable men/dads/husbands, I mean...)

LONG-TERM:

• SEO (i.e. guest publishing articles (i.e. on Fatherly) & posting on Medium/Quora and getting backlinks)

• leveraging other people's audiences & building a referral network (i.e. pitching Fathercraft and similar channels to get featured) -- unless you're connected with people already, this might be difficult to get their attention until you have more brand awareness. You build brand awareness when you have a consistent message and create consistent content your audience cares about.

You can reach out to relevant people/sites that create listicles and product round-ups -- i.e. top 10 best apps for dads.

You can also check out niche directories to get listed there.

S-tier tip I don't see nearly enough people doing: Offer reviews and case studies for adjacent products, tools, and services that share a similar audience as yours (dads). That'd be organizational, self-dev, parenting, and other similar things. You can not only get a backlink but create a relationship with that person, and they're more likely to check out/recommend your app.

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✨✨✨PRACTICAL MARKETING:

I'd batch create social media content (incl reddit posts that aren't comments) and email marketing content (i.e. newsletter, etc.) on a day when you have lots of time/energy and distribute social media content throughout the week and schedule your email content.

If you repurpose ideas/content (and you should), it only takes about 1-2 hours a week.

Then spend 30 minutes a couple times a week engaging with your chosen communities (i.e. answering relevant questions in subreddits).

For social media content, make it fun and engaging. Don't just advertise. (Marketing and advertising are different.)

You can create user-driven challenges (like sharing a (non-identifying) fact or memory about their kids). Keep it light-hearted and fun. Share the app in the posts, but don't make it like an ad.

You can use this UGC to pad your posts throughout the week -- i.e. take screenshots and share to your story if you're on IG/FB or share as its own post if you're on Twitter.

When engaging with people in communities and answering questions, don't spam. Answer the question, offer tips, and subtly weave in the app.

When you can, batch create social media & email content in advance in case you don't have time some weeks. You'll still maintain the illusion of consistency while spending your limited time on non-scalable/non-batchable tasks (i.e. engaging in Reddit comments).

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If you haven't already SEOified your app, do that first. Do some basic ASO (app store optimization) for keywords and description.

Track your app’s ranking for key terms, download rates, and conversion rates.It should be a quick monthly task you just check on and alter as needed.

If you don't yet have a preview video showing the most valuable features, make it. It won't take you long.

If you don't yet have annotated screenshots, do this. Things like "simply your family's routines." It takes minutes to do this.

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Take about 20 minutes to reach out to existing app users to get testimonials and stories. Put those on your site and in your app description.

Make a dedicated hashtag for social media (like #DadApp) for UGC to share their experiences. Share/repost/screenshot on your socials. (People are more likely to trust existing consumers, even if they're strangers, so use that to your advantage.)

S-tier suggestion: Create a space where people can offer you testimonials and feedback directly within the app, not just rating on the app store. (But do ask them to rate/give feedback there as well to build trust.) Every time someone shares something, send a thoughtful reply. This is totally doable at the stage you're in right now.

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After you do all your basic marketing and maintenance tasks, then spend the rest of your time building referral partners and collaborations and/or doing long-term SEO, however that makes sense for you and your preferences.

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Okay, last thing (and I put it last so you remember it): Write your SPECIFIC goals and metrics you want to hit.

Yes, money is important, but that's a byproduct of your goals.

(Think: What goal do I have to work toward today to hit $X revenue?)

Be meticulous with tracking your projects/tasks to see if what you're doing is actually getting you to your short-term goal (and long-term vision).

For ex: If you're planning on selling this, your strategy is VERY different than if you want to keep building this out to create a large community where you're known for fatherhood content.

Your goals now should reflect where you want to end up later.

And there's no shame in switching your strategy if something isn't working (or not working as fast as you'd like).

If you notice you're getting a shit ton of engagement on social media and email signups, but nobody is buying the app, something is broken. (Probably your message tbh.) I really like deploying the OODA loop for rapid pivoting.

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Ok, signing off now. I hope this helps and isn't confusing! It's challenging to pack a bunch of context in a comment lol

(For a tl;dr, find the ✨✨✨ sections labeled "practical marketing." There are two.)

I do strategy consults, so it'd be like a free mini consult :)

You said you wanted to make your first successful app.

1.) How are you defining "successful app?" Like what qualities and metrics would make it a success in your eyes?

2.) Has the app already been built?

Are you open to brainstorming some suggestions in the comments?