As a passion project I have developed a music app, which will be launching soon. What is the best way to promote it?

Hard to say with no information, but...

I would always suggest starting with the community your customers belong to.

1. Try and get relevant music blogs writing about your app.
2. Look for tweeters who are big influencers of your potential customers and see if you can get them interested in tweeting
3. Try creating some incentive for people to share the app with their friends / peers
4. Write your own content for your website or a blog, good quality content is what google looks for these days
5. Decide based on your markets demographics what other networks are good to establish a following on and create useful content there, e.g. instagram

Blogging and social media are a lot of work. The best advice would be to focus on App Store Optimization (ASO). That will get you the most downloads. Then in your app to collect the user's email. Then you can keep them coming back, inform them of updates, increasing retention. Then you can put most of your effort into the product.

If you would like more details. We can schedule a call?

Find somebody who has the passion for marketing that you have for your app. You obviously have talent, but you can waste years of work and money trying to do everything yourself.

Do not continue to exchange hours for dollars. It is a losing game. You can never win doing this. Bill only by the project. And get paid according to percentage of completion. In addition, charge a royalty whenever possible. You have to establish yourself as the go-to expert in your field to do this.

Alternatively, follow my advice below.
Spend as much time as it takes to come up with answering this question..Why would I buy your product or service? This will give you your USP. From there you will develop your drive, your, passion, and your marketing voice. From this you will develop unstoppable perseverance for success.

Just hire a VA to do this and get your approval, before submitting or making changes. Contact me if you need to know how to get a good Virtual Assistant for these tasks. It would be great if we all had endless amounts of time, but in order to be really successful you will have to focus your attention on what you do best.

Sign up for all of there newsletters then respond with your brief pitch. Many are do-not-respond emails, but you will be suppressed at how many are not. Secondly, type in words related to your product and put the name of the newspaper, media that you want behind it in the search. For example, (type of product) WSJ. Then contact the writer who wrote a similar story as yours. Their email address will usually be at the bottom of the article. I have been featured in NYT, WSJ, ABC News and other media by doing this.
Best of Luck,
Mike
From the Trenches to the Towers Marketing
I will be glad to help as my time permits.

Hope you're launch was great! You'll want to build a marketing strategy aligned to targeted users who are most likely to adopt your app/service. Without a budget, your greatest resrource is human labor - you. I can help you learn how to organize your marketing plan with some primary and secondary research, setup a basic, effective model and an implementation plan that keeps you organized as you execute tactics. From there, it's a matter of analytics and understanding which channels (strategies) to spend your time in.

The most economic and powerful mode of marketing is Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM)

Nothing can beat this WOMM and because its suggested or told or promoted by nearones/dearones to others it has its max reach with trust. That too you a app for MUSIC, liked by everyone.

With this modern world after Social Networking sites came in everyone forget this WOMM but even now WOMM wins.

So try this with zero cost.

As for marketing, if that's a Windows app, The Windows Marketplace is quite a good resource.As a matter
of fact, the advantage of the windows marketplace is that you don't actually have to promote it.People will
check it eventually.You just need patience.If your app is available for all the main platforms, then you
probably won't have to worry much about promoting.Although, a helpful thing would be creating awareness
about it on Instagram.Instagram is so right for these things.Another important thing is if you can discuss
about it spread a word on App Devoloping forums or websites, that will knock some attention.

Hi there, based on your situation, here are some free app marketing methods for you:

App Store Optimization
App Store Optimization (ASO) is the SEO of the App world and a key part of mobile app marketing. The more you can do to optimize your App store listing page, the better your App will rank in the App stores.making it easier for potential users to discover you.Following these steps to boost your app ranking on the app store:
1.Choose the right keywords - Your chosen keywords will affect where your App will show up in search results, so be sure to research and choose these carefully.When you choose keywords, you should take relevance, competition, and traffic into account.
2. Add important keywords in app title
3.App Description(Gooogle Play Store) - Be sure to add 8~12 keywords in the description, which are benifical to boost app ranking in the app store.
4.Choose the right category in the App Stores
5.Place the important keywords in sub title, developer name and the name of in-app purchase items(iOS)

Because of low budget, you can target keywords with low competition and lower search volumes which are much easier to rank for.

Appeal Optimization
You can optimize the following methods to increase the download rates:
1.Create an attractive app title.
2.Using eye-catching icon and screenshots and videos. Graphical elements are always helpful to convince users.
3.Writing a great description. Keep it short and simple. Highlight your app features and advantages in first 3~5 lines.

Social Media
Social media marketing is inarguably the most effective and economic strategy for app developers to publicize their app and make it viral.App developers can make use of social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to promote their app. Tips on promote app with social media:
1.Create Value Based And User Generated Content
2.Humanize Your Content With Social Media
3.Reward Users for Social Shares
4.Encourage Users To Share Your App Content
5.Images Are Worth A Thousand Words
6.Work With Social Media Influencers( This method may cost you some money, but Most people prefer to follow others and be influenced by the words of some celebrities or well-known business people, so it's worthy.)

In fact, besides promotion, you can buy several positive reviews(Bestreview is a reliable review provider, which provide real reviews. If you buy fake reviews, there is a great chance that your app will be removed from the app stores. https://www.bestreviewapp.com/?from=cr-chris) to boost the download rates at the first stage, which will not cost you much, only a little, after your gain a certain number of users, you can invite users to review your app.

A survey shows that about 95% users will take the app reviews as one of the most important reference factors to judge the app, and most people prefer to download an app which has much more positive reviews, especially for a new app.

Hope these methods are useful to you.

Congratulations!

Most of the Experts have mentioned about ASO (i.e. App Store Optimization). 65 % of the Mobile Apps are searched by users before downloading the app.

ASO has two things (just like a SEO),
- Organic Downloads
- Paid Downloads

Organic Downloads is where the user knows about the App. While the Paid downloads happen through AD networks or Referrals or Bonus System. ASO is equally important.

Now the promotions part.
Promotions can be made using two channels.
1. Online
2. Offline.

1. Online Channel - includes, creating subscriber/user funnels, increasing boosting traffic to your lead generation site, email marketing and blast and advertisements (paid) and referrals (like, share this app and get 2 exclusive songs frees!)

2. Offline Channel - You put the stickers of your app or advertise your app in Bus, Taxis, Hotels or a Hoarding using Print Media.

The online channel has much more penetration as the add is directly shown on the user's device like Mobile or Laptop or an iPad. It also helps you to gather data online and make analytics based on the campaign for your future needs.

Should you have any questions, give me call or write me a message.

Thanks,
Navjyot

As a passionate music app developer, you’ve taken a significant step! Promoting your app is crucial, especially when you’re working with a limited budget. Here are some budget-friendly strategies to market your music app:

Create a Website: Having your own website is essential for a professional presence. Benefits include:
Setting up an online shop to sell music and merchandise directly to fans.
Establishing a personal online space where you control your story and own the property (unlike social media accounts, which are on rented land).
Social Media: Leverage social media platforms to engage with your target audience. Regularly post content, including screenshots, videos, and news about your app.
Electronic Press Kit (EPK): Create an EPK that includes essential information about your app, such as features, screenshots, and a brief description. Use it when reaching out to potential partners, influencers, and bloggers.
Music Distribution: Initially, use free platforms like SoundCloud, YouTube, BandCamp, and AudioMack. Eventually, consider getting your app on digital service providers (DSPs) like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music through music aggregators like DistroKid or CD Baby.
Pitch to Independent Music Blogs: Reach out to independent music blogs and offer your music for review or feature. Building relationships with bloggers can help spread the word about your app.
Remember, persistence and creativity matter more than a big budget. Use the resources available to you, and consider the long-term impact of each strategy. For more detailed insights, check out this music app development guide: https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/how-to-create-a-music-streaming-app/. Good luck with your music app!