🚀 Stop Chasing App Store Approval: Why Indie Devs Should Build an Audience First (and How to Do It)

✨ Excerpt

Tired of waiting for app store approvals, competing with millions of apps, and getting buried in search? Smart indie devs don’t just code—they build audiences before they launch. Here’s how to flip the script, validate demand, and grow with Nazca.my.

1. 📉 The App Store Trap

Ask any mobile developer what their launch plan is, and you’ll often hear:

“I’ll finish the app, submit it to the App Store, and watch the installs roll in.”

But that dream rarely becomes reality.

90%+ of apps get no meaningful downloads.
App Store search is overcrowded.
Paid acquisition is expensive.
Organic discovery is nearly impossible for indies.

2. 🧨 Why Approval ≠ Success

Most devs see Apple or Google’s “approved” badge as success.

Reality check:

✅ App Store approval just means you passed guidelines.
❌ It doesn’t mean you have users.
❌ It doesn’t mean you solved marketing.
❌ It doesn’t mean you built demand.

Approval ≠ Traction.

3. ⚠️ The Broken Indie Launch Pattern

Let’s be honest about how it usually goes:

1️⃣ Spend 6 months building.
2️⃣ Submit to Apple/Google.
3️⃣ Wait for approval.
4️⃣ Ship and… nothing happens.
5️⃣ Panic, try ads.
6️⃣ Burnout and quit.

You can’t just build and hope.

4. 💡 The Modern Alternative: Audience-First Development

What successful indie app devs do:

✅ Build an audience while coding.
✅ Validate demand early.
✅ Collect emails and waitlists.
✅ Launch to real fans.
✅ Use app stores as distribution, not discovery.

It’s audience-first, not app store first.

5. 🌱 Why Audience-First Works

Your audience is:

Your first customers.
Your beta testers.
Your feedback loop.
Your marketing team.
Your word-of-mouth engine.

App stores give you none of this. You have to bring it.

6. 🏗 How to Build an Audience Before You Launch

Step 1: Define a Real Problem

No one wants “yet another app.”
They want solutions.

✅ Who are you helping?
✅ What pain are you solving?
✅ How is your solution better or simpler?

Step 2: Create an Early Landing Page

You don’t need the app ready. You need a promise.

✅ Headline that speaks to the pain.
✅ 3–5 bullet benefits.
✅ Simple mockups or demo video.
✅ Email capture or waitlist.

Tools? Carrd, Framer, Typedream—cheap and fast.

Step 3: Submit to Nazca.my

This is your permanent discovery channel:

✅ SEO-indexed listing.
✅ Early-adopter traffic.
✅ Comment-based feedback.
✅ Evergreen exposure.
✅ Relaunch with every update.

Stop relying on app store rankings alone.

Step 4: Promote Relentlessly

✅ Share your listing on Twitter/X.
✅ Post in relevant subreddits.
✅ Talk in Slack/Discord groups.
✅ Use IndieHackers.
✅ Link back to Nazca listing.

Your goal: Drive real, qualified traffic.

Step 5: Collect Feedback Early

Are people signing up?
What questions do they ask?
What features do they want?
Will they pay?

This is validation. It saves you from building something no one wants.

Step 6: Iterate and Relaunch

Don’t just launch once:

✅ Update your Nazca listing monthly.
✅ Add new features.
✅ Refine pricing.
✅ Relaunch to your audience.
✅ Track growth over time.

Compounding visibility beats one-time hype.

7. 🔍 Why App Store Search Alone Fails Indie Apps

5 million+ apps competing.
ASO is complex, limited, and hyper-competitive.
Apple/Google take 15–30% of your revenue.
No way to build a direct customer relationship.

You must create your own discovery funnel.

8. ✅ The Power of Evergreen Listings on Nazca

When you post on Nazca:

✅ Your app is visible 24/7.
✅ SEO brings ongoing traffic.
✅ Updates keep it fresh.
✅ Comments show social proof.
✅ Links help everywhere else (Twitter, Reddit, email).

It’s your home base on the web.

9. 📈 Real Indie Use Case

Meet “Budget Buddy”:

A personal finance app for freelancers.
Created a Carrd page with simple promise.
Posted early on Nazca.my.
Collected 250+ email signups.
Relaunched 4 times with feature updates.
Reached 1,100 downloads in 3 months.

Not viral hype. Sustainable traction.

10. 🔄 The Continuous Discovery Advantage

✅ Validate demand early.
✅ Avoid months of wasted coding.
✅ Grow SEO traffic over time.
✅ Build pre-launch buzz.
✅ Collect user feedback before launch.
✅ Relaunch forever, not just once.

11. ⚔️ Indie Dev Burnout Comes From Wrong Strategy

Burnout = Coding for months in silence, hoping people care.

Sustainable growth = Talking to users as you build.

Nazca makes this simple.

12. 🛠 Your 30-Day Plan to Flip the Script

Week 1️⃣: Define your problem & target audience.
Week 2️⃣: Build a landing page + waitlist.
Week 3️⃣: Submit to Nazca: https://nazca.my/apps/submit
Week 4️⃣: Share everywhere. Collect feedback.

Repeat monthly.

13. 🎯 The Nazca Advantage

✅ SEO-friendly listing page.
✅ Early-adopter user base.
✅ Comment + save features for feedback.
✅ Update anytime with new features.
✅ Works for apps, SaaS, AI tools, no-code projects.

No other indie platform gives you all of this.

14. 💡 Pro Tip: Build in Public

People love to watch apps grow.

✅ Post your Nazca listing on X.
✅ Share progress updates.
✅ Ask for feedback.
✅ Post changelogs.
✅ Link back to your listing every time.

This creates trust and buzz.

15. 🏆 Say Goodbye to Single-Day Hype

Product Hunt? Great—but one day of traffic.
Reddit? Brutal about self-promo.
App Store? No built-in marketing.
Twitter? Easy to get lost.

Nazca is built for compounding. It’s your indie growth engine.

16. 💬 Real Testimonials from Indie Devs

“My App Store page got 10 installs in a month. My Nazca listing got 300 visits in the first week alone.”
— Sarah, indie iOS dev

“Nazca let me test pricing and messaging before I spent a dime on ads.”
— Mark, solo founder

17. 📦 Your App Store + Audience Combo Strategy

✅ App Store = Distribution
✅ Nazca = Discovery + Validation + Feedback

You don’t have to choose. Use both—but start with audience-building.

18. ❌ Don’t Build for Apple. Build for Users.

Apple/Google don’t care if you succeed.
They care if you follow guidelines.

Your users are who pay you, support you, give you ideas, and share you.

Focus on them first.

19. ⚡️ Ready to Build the Smart Way?

✅ Don’t build in silence.
✅ Don’t hope for App Store magic.
✅ Don’t wait for “perfect.”
✅ Talk to your market.
✅ Build your audience as you build your app.

Nazca makes that easy.

20. 🎁 Next Step: Submit Your App

👉 Submit your app or idea today:
https://nazca.my/apps/submit

✅ It’s free.
✅ It’s fast.
✅ It’s how smart indie founders validate before they burn out.

Your indie journey starts here.

Stop Chasing App Store Approval: Why Indie Devs Should Build an Audience First (and How to Do It)