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It can be a real heartbreak when you have a great idea for an app, and you put a lot of time and energy into building this amazing app, only to finally put it in the app stores and get as little as 10 installs, or worse, one install a day.

Do you want to hit millions of app installs? If yes, you are not alone.

At TEDMOB it is our job to support all our clients and startups with the launch campaigns for their apps. From our own experience, we can confirm that success depends largely on sharability and discoverability.

Luckily, there is a secret sauce you can apply to put the odds on your side, boost the number of installs, and make you app go viral in little time and at no cost.

Checklist: How to Guarantee a Successful Launch

1. Include in-app social sharing buttons

There is nothing fun about being secretive; we enjoy showing off or sharing our information to our network. So adding share buttons to your app can potentially get your app millions of installs. Sharing your app data on social media is a good way to push other people to try your app out.

On one hand, people trust their friends or share their interests, so app data shared by their friends can drive them to check out your app.

Sharing app data also works on the competitive level. For example: I’m sure you have noticed how some of your friends share their gaming high scores or achievements on Facebook. This sort of puts a challenge out there to their other friends, including you. It can motivate you to download that same app and try to beat your friends’ high score.

2. Add a social share bonus

Always keep this rule in mind: as long as you offer value to your users, they will be more than happy to share your app. It’s up to you to make this worth their while. For example, you could reward your users for sharing your app with extra credit, points, a level boost, additional content, etc. Let’s call this the motivation lever.

3. Create a social media fan page

The fan page will be the bridge linking you to your users. It can also serve as an additional channel for you to get additional exposure and insights for your app, including finding out about users’ hidden needs and expectations. This will make your app reliable and useful, and increase the likelihood of it being accessed and used.

4. Optimize your presence on app stores

Like SEO, app store optimization (ASO) has become a necessary strategy in every developer’s marketing plan. It aims to provide increased visibility and higher ranking in an app store’s search results and top charts, therefore increasing the number of downloads of a mobile app.

One method of achieving ASO is through keyword optimization. Tools at your disposal include: Amazon, where you can check out apps similar to yours and use a similar wording to theirs; Google Adwords to discover high-traffic keywords; app stores where you can check out apps similar to yours that have a high rating; and research platforms like Sensor Tower and OneLook that provide insights on apps and keywords.

*As the co-founder and CEO of TEDMOB, Mario Hachem focuses on developing the best mobile apps and solutions for telecom operators, startups, and entrepreneurs. Previously, he was a Managing Partner at apps2you where he led a team that received the award for Best Mobile Application Developers in the MENA for 2013/14. He has over 12 years of experience in the telecom, VAS, and mobile industries, and is also a member of BCC and a keynote speaker at global tech events.