10-Day Startup Launch: 0 to 1,000 Downloads (Full Behind-the-Scenes)

This article is based on a Raw Startup YouTube video. Please find a link to the video at the bottom of this article.

Ten days ago, we had zero downloads. Today, we have 1,000 downloads and 10,000 ratings for our new app Vota. What nobody tells you about launching a startup is that it's not about one big moment—it's about what you do every single day.

I filmed everything. The wins, the fails, and even the 2am calls with our growth manager. Here's the complete behind-the-scenes breakdown of our 10-day launch, day by day, decision by decision.

What Is Vota?

Vota is restaurant ratings reimagined. Think the Michelin guide for the people—your ramen spot, your burger joint. Every single spot deserves a real rating.

How it works:

• Compare restaurants you've visited, one pair at a time
• No complex rating scales
• Just tell us which place you prefer
• Vota creates personalized and community-driven rankings
• System actually reflects quality based on your preferences

Why Launch an MVP?

We launched a true minimum viable product. Far from perfect. Here's what we deliberately chose:

What we launched with:

• iPhone only (no Android)
• Basic functionality only
• Not ugly, but not perfect
• True MVP focused on core feature

Why we launched an MVP:

• Speed beats perfection when testing new concepts
• You don't learn anything until real users touch your product
• Time is of the essence in early-stage startups
• Focus on one platform allows faster iteration

Remember: You can't learn anything until real users touch your product, even if it's not perfect.

The 10-Day Launch Strategy

We didn't rely on just one strategy. We executed four different approaches simultaneously:

Our 4-Strategy Approach:

1. Social Media Posts - Personal network activation
2. Public Relations - Traditional media outreach
3. Community Engagement - Reddit targeting
4. Paid Advertising - Google & Meta ads

Why multiple strategies matter:

• Different strategies reach different audiences
• Some strategies work better at different times
• Reduces risk of total failure
• Creates compound effects when strategies work together
• Provides backup when one strategy fails

Here's how each day played out:

Day 1: The Social Media Blitz

Strategy: Personal network activation across multiple platforms

Platform-Specific Execution:

• LinkedIn:
  • Short video plus text post
  • Business-focused messaging
  • Professional network targeting
• Facebook:
  • Same content, different caption
  • Personal connections focus
  • Friend and family network
• YouTube:
  • Longer 3-4 minute version
  • Storytelling approach
  • Existing subscriber base
• Threads:
  • Quick text post and short video
  • Casual, social approach
  • New platform experimentation

Day 1 Results:

• Total installs: 363
• Total ratings: 1,757
• LinkedIn performance:
  • 30,000 impressions
  • Nearly 500 likes
  • Clear winner of the day
• Facebook: Smaller reach than expected
• YouTube: Decent performance from existing audience
• Threads: Basically zero impact

Key Learning:

• LinkedIn absolutely loves launch posts
• The algorithm pushes them hard, even for smaller accounts
• Platform-specific content optimization is crucial
• Don't expect equal performance across all platforms

Day 2: The PR Outreach

Strategy: Traditional media coverage

Execution Steps:

• Called reporter at Denmark's biggest financial newspaper
• Pitched personal story angle: "First startup in 15 years"
• Focused on human interest over pure product features
• Leveraged existing relationship/connection
• Prepared talking points about market opportunity

Day 2 Results:

• Total installs: 127
• Total ratings: 660
• Article status: Promised but not yet published
• Momentum: Slower growth while waiting for PR hit

Alternative PR Approaches for Any Founder:

• Local business journals - Often cover new startups
• Industry newsletters - Always looking for fresh stories
• University magazines - Feature graduated entrepreneurs
• Local startup communities - Often have media connections
• Small podcasts - More accessible than major outlets
• Niche blogs - Targeted audiences, easier to reach

Key Learning:

• Start with your level of media access and work your way up
• Personal connections trump cold pitching
• Human interest angles work better than pure product stories
• Don't aim for TechCrunch on day one

Days 3-4: Community Engagement

Strategy: Reddit community targeting

Execution Tactics:

• Focus: Sparking conversations about restaurant culture
• Approach: Provide genuine value, not just promotion
• Content: Discussion starters about local food scenes
• Engagement: Actively respond to comments and questions
• Value-first: Share insights about restaurant rating problems

Days 3-4 Results:

• Day 3: 160 installs, 948 ratings
• Day 4: Similar performance to social media posts
• Community response: Positive engagement in targeted cities
• Growth pattern: Consistent with other organic strategies

Reddit Success Framework:

• Find specific communities where your audience actually exists
• Don't just post and run - engage authentically with comments
• Provide genuine value in every interaction
• Start conversations that naturally showcase your product
• Be patient - community building takes time
• Respect community rules - read guidelines carefully

Key Learning:

• City-specific targeting works better than broad categories
• Authentic engagement beats promotional posts
• Reddit can punch above its weight for the right products
• Community trust takes time to build

Day 5: The PR Hit

Strategy: Major media coverage goes live

Execution:

• Article published in Denmark's biggest financial newspaper Børsen the "Financial Times of Denmark"
• Perfect article with personal angle

Results:

• Significant boost in downloads
• Long-term SEO benefits
• Credibility boost for future outreach

Key Learning: Good PR provides both immediate traffic and long-term evergreen value. The article will continue driving traffic for months.

Days 6-8: The Paid Ads Experiment

Strategy: Google and Meta advertising

What We Tested:

• Google Ads:
  • Used $300 Google Ads voucher
  • App install campaigns
  • Multiple ad variations
  • Audience targeting experiments
• Meta Ads:
  • Facebook and Instagram placement
  • Video and image creative testing
  • Interest-based targeting
  • Lookalike audiences

Painful Results:

• Google Ads performance:
  • $2+ per install
  • Poor analytics and tracking
  • Difficulty measuring user quality
  • High cost, low retention visibility
• Meta Ads performance: Even worse than Google
• Time investment: Massive for minimal return
• Team impact: Distracted from more effective strategies

Why Paid Ads Failed for Early-Stage:

Resource Problems:

• Hours spent optimizing campaigns
• Time better used on product development
• Small team couldn't manage complexity
• Constant monitoring required

Financial Issues:

• $2+ per install with no retention guarantee
• Limited budget burned through quickly
• No clear ROI measurement
• Expensive way to learn basic audience insights

Technical Challenges:

• Can't effectively target unknown ideal customer
• No proven retention metrics to optimize for
• Attribution and tracking difficulties
• Premature funnel optimization

Strategic Misalignment:

• Ad budget could fund better content creation
• Organic strategies showing better results
• Don't yet know what messaging converts

When Paid Ads Make Sense:

• Clear ideal customer profile defined
• Proven retention metrics to optimize for
• Larger budget for proper testing and iteration
• Dedicated team member to manage campaigns full-time
• Strong organic foundation already established

Key Learning:

• Save paid ads for later when you understand your customers
• Focus on organic growth during MVP testing phase
• Small teams should avoid paid ads complexity
• Opportunity cost is massive for early startups

Days 9-10: Hitting the Goal

Final Results:

• Day 9: Strong continued momentum across all working channels
• Day 10: 174 installs, 986 ratings
• Total achievement: 1,000 downloads, 10,000 ratings

Key Learning: Focus on constant growth, not arbitrary targets. Celebrate milestones when you hit them, but don't obsess over specific numbers.

The Four Strategies: What Worked and What Didn't

✅ Strategy 1: Social Media Posts

What worked:

• LinkedIn dominated with 60,000 impressions
• Personal network activation
• Platform-specific content optimization

Key tactic: Tailor content for each platform - LinkedIn wants business insights, YouTube wants storytelling.

✅ Strategy 2: Public Relations

What worked:

• Major newspaper coverage
• Personal story angle
• Long-term SEO benefits

Key tactic: Use existing connections and focus on human interest stories over pure product features.

✅ Strategy 3: Community Engagement

What worked:

• Reddit city-specific targeting
• Genuine value provision
• Conversation starters

Key tactic: Find specific communities where your audience exists and provide real value, not just promotion.

❌ Strategy 4: Paid Advertising

What failed:

• High cost per install ($2+)
• Poor analytics and tracking
• Massive time investment for minimal return

Why it failed: Too early in product lifecycle, no clear ideal customer profile, small team couldn't manage complexity.

Key Learnings for Every Founder

1. Launch with an MVP

• Speed beats perfection every time
• iOS only initially - faster on one platform
• Don't wait for perfection - learn from real users

2. Try Multiple Strategies Simultaneously

• We tried four strategies, three worked well
• If you only try one strategy, you'll probably fail
• Different strategies reach different audiences

3. Tailor Content for Each Platform

• LinkedIn: Business insights and professional networking
• YouTube: Storytelling and longer-form content
• Reddit: Genuine community value and discussion

4. Find Your Level of Media

• Don't aim for TechCrunch on day one
• Start with local newspapers, niche blogs, industry newsletters
• Personal outreach beats PR agencies for early-stage startups

5. Organic Beats Paid for Small Teams

• Put ad budget into better content creation
• Paid ads are too cumbersome for small teams
• Focus on organic growth when testing concepts

The Real Victory

The numbers aren't the real victory. The real victory is that we validated our approach. We proved that with the right strategy, a small team can create momentum with almost no budget.

What's next: Focus on retention. We've shown we can get downloads. Now it's time to prove we can keep users engaged long-term.

For other founders: Stop overthinking. Pick 3-4 launch strategies. Execute them simultaneously. Iterate based on what works.

Most startups fail because they don't launch, not because they launch imperfectly.

Final Thoughts

Launching a startup in 2024 requires multiple strategies executed simultaneously. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't wait for perfection. And most importantly, don't launch in isolation—engage with your community every step of the way.

The bottom line:

• Most successful launches aren't about having the perfect product
• They're about having the right strategy and executing consistently
• Learn from real users as quickly as possible
• Multiple strategies beat single-strategy approaches every time

Your turn. What strategy are you going to use for your launch? The market is waiting for what you're building, but only if you actually launch it.

Remember: Perfection is the enemy of launches. Now stop reading and go build something—something you'll actually launch.

Watch the full Raw Startup YouTube video