I’m running three marketing efforts for PopSmart in parallel: small-budget keyword ads in the Shopify App Store, cold emails to relevant stores, and collaboration outreach to agencies.
This is a snapshot of what I’m doing now. I’m sharing the mix while the work is underway, rather than presenting it as a formula for growing an app.
A small keyword ad test
The attached screenshot shows active search campaigns for PopSmart AI Upsell & Bundles, PopSmart Size Chart Fit Finder, and PopSmart AI Virtual Try On.
I’m keeping the advertising budget small. This part of the effort is about reaching merchants through App Store searches while the other outreach continues alongside it.
An active campaign tells me the ads are running. It doesn’t, by itself, tell me whether this is the right channel to invest more in. I’m not sharing install numbers or a return-on-spend claim here.
Direct outreach to stores and agencies
At the same time, I’m sending cold emails to relevant stores. The focus is on stores where there could be a fit with the apps, rather than treating every store as the same prospect.
I’m also sending cold emails to agencies about potential collaborations. That’s a different conversation from asking an individual merchant to consider an app. The point is to explore whether there is a useful way to work together around the stores they support.
Those are outreach efforts in progress. Sending an email isn’t the same as getting an install, and asking about collaboration isn’t the same as having a partnership.
The current mix, still open to other ideas
I’m doing these together rather than finishing one before starting the next. The ads cover search, the store emails are direct merchant outreach, and the agency emails explore collaboration.
There may be other approaches worth trying alongside them. I’d rather hear a specific experience from another builder or merchant than assume these three cover everything.
If you’ve grown a Shopify app on a small budget, what other marketing approaches would you suggest? What worked for you, and what made it worth continuing? Share your experience in the comments.
