Growing your App

If you published your app on Deta Discovery, congratulations! This is an exciting step in your journey to bring your ideas to the world.

You may be looking for other people to use it, give you feedback, and take it to the next level. Here’s a couple channels you can use to show others what you have built and get an initial set of users.

The Deta Team

If you are working on something exciting, the Deta Team would love to hear about it. Send us a note at [email protected] describing what you are building and any supporting material you have (pre-release Discovery links are great).

We can help give you ideas for what you can do next — like organizing a demo in a community call, giving you feature ideas, or supporting you with a Product Hunt launch.

The Deta Community

The Deta Community is a great resource to promote your Space app and give you feedback.

Discord

The Deta Discord server is an active community of people building and using Space.

There is a specific channel for apps built and published on Space. To share your app with the community on Discord, create a post in the Channel. You will need to provide a Title and Description. For your Title, we recommend following the format Title: a short tagline.

For example, Deta Space: your personal computer on the internet.

For the description, include a few points on what your app does and why it may be interesting. Make sure to include a link to the Discovery page, where others can install your app. Here’s a good example of a Discord launch post:

growing-1

Community Calls

Deta also hosts community calls on a periodic basis. All community calls include a demo component, where the floor is open to community members who want to demo. This is a great opportunity to show what you’re building, promote your app, and get live feedback from the Deta Team and community.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next community call by joining the Deta Discord, and reading the Deta Space Newsletter. Then make sure to show up, ready to demo your app live!

Deta sends a bi-weekly newsletter containing the latest news from Deta Space and adjacent galaxies. This newsletter contains a featured apps section, where new apps are promoted to the entire Deta community.

The best way to get into the newsletter is to build something interesting!

Product Hunt

Product Hunt is a popular platform for discovering new products. By publishing your app there, you can connect with an engaged audience, resulting in a potentially large number of installs & user engagement.

To present your app effectively on Product Hunt, you will need to do a few things:

Title: start with a captivating title that succinctly conveys your app’s purpose.
Tagline: craft a tagline that intrigues potential users and highlights what’s unique about your app.
Description: write a concise and clear description, detailing the app’s functionality, benefits, and target audience.
Thumbnail Gallery: prepare a visually appealing thumbnail and gallery, showcasing your app’s interface and key features. The images should be high-resolution and well-designed to make a lasting impression.
Link: the call to action link can link to your Discovery page, but you can also link to your own marketing page (which should link to the Discovery page).
Maker Comment: write an initial comment including why you built your app and what it does, and post it immediately after your app goes live.

Make sure to engage with the Product Hunt community by responding to comments and questions promptly. Consider sharing your launch on social media to drive initial traction.

Here are a few examples of Space apps that executed Product Hunt launches well:

Here’s Deta’s last Product Hunt launch. If you are considering launching your app on Product Hunt, send the team a note at [email protected] and we are happy to support you in creating an effective launch.

GitHub

GitHub is the place where much of the worlds open source software lives. If your app is open source, GitHub offers your app unparalleled visibility and plenty of opportunities.

To present your app on GitHub effectively, make sure to create a well-structured README.md file with a clear title, brief description and instructions for using and contributing to your app. Screenshots and GIFs are also helpful. One tip: make sure to edit the About section of your repository, and include the deta and deta-space topics to maximize visibility (also include other technologies you use).

See WebCrate for an example of a well presented and complete GitHub repository.

Reddit can be a great channel for sharing your app within specific communities, known as subreddits (“subs”). These subreddits cater to a wide range of interests, connecting like-minded individuals through shared topics. You can find subreddits dedicated to nearly every programming language and framework, as well as subs for weekend hobbyists and hackers, making it an ideal place to share your app with relevant audiences.

When posting on Reddit, carefully identify relevant subs and make sure to follow their specific rules. Create titles and descriptions that reflect your app’s uniqueness. Focus on providing value rather than self-promotion or spam. If people engage with your post, interact respectfully and remain open-minded. Finally, remember to upvote and engage with other posts in the spirit of community and reciprocity.

Here are two examples of WebCrate’s posts on reddit:

App Icons