Hey —
Most builders treat the App Store search bar as their entire distribution strategy. It's one channel, and a crowded one. Here's where merchants actually find apps — and how to use the list.
App Store search & browse. Still the biggest door. Won by ASO (see the keyword-map issue), not luck.
Partners & agencies. Agencies install apps for their clients at scale. Selling to the agency is a completely different motion than selling to a single merchant — and a huge multiplier.
App-to-app & integrations. Complementary apps send you merchants. Build the integration, then co-market it.
Content & SEO. "How to {use case}" and comparison pages that rank, feeding your listing. One problem-led article a week compounds.
Communities. Shopify Partner Slack/Discord, niche merchant groups. Be helpful for weeks before you mention your app.
Build in public. Sharing the journey on X/LinkedIn builds an audience that installs and refers.
The one rule
Pick one channel and work it properly before adding a second. "Working" means signups and activations, not likes. Most builders dabble in six channels and get traction from none. One channel, worked for 90 days, beats six half-tried.
Reply and tell me: which channel is actually driving your installs right now? I'm curious how the data lines up with what people think works.
— Paige