Get started

Bluesky is small enough that a founder with zero followers can still be seen, and its search and custom feeds let you find people talking about the exact problem your app solves. The catch is that its users are quick to block and mute anything that smells like promotion. These steps show you where to look and how to show up so people actually want to try your app.

All guidesFor founders of a mobile app

1. Search for the problem, not your app

Use Bluesky's search bar and switch to the Latest tab so you see posts as they happen. Search for phrases a frustrated user would type, like "is there an app that", "any app for" or "I wish my phone could", plus your topic. Example: "any app for tracking" habit, or "wish there was an app" grocery. Save the three searches that return real people and check them every morning.

2. Use search operators to cut the noise

Bluesky search supports operators like from:, since:, lang:en and exact phrases in quotes. Try "recommend an app" lang:en since:2025-01-01 to see only recent English requests. Reply only to posts from the last few days, and only when your app genuinely fits. A good reply: "I built a small iPhone app for exactly this, happy to send a TestFlight link if you want to try it. No pressure."

3. Follow the custom feeds where your users already scroll

Open the Feeds tab and search for feeds tied to your audience, for example parenting, running, cooking, students or ADHD, depending on who your app serves. Pin two or three and read them for a week before posting. You will learn the words people use for their problem, which you can reuse in your App Store description and your replies.

4. Find your users through starter packs

Starter packs are curated lists of accounts around a topic, and people join Bluesky through them. Search the web for "bsky starter pack" plus your niche, or check the starter packs shown on profiles of active people in your space. Follow the people in them, then reply thoughtfully to their posts for a couple of weeks. Do not ask to be added to a pack until people recognize your name.

5. Post in the dev and builder hashtags for testers

Hashtags like #buildinpublic, #indiedev, #iosdev and #androiddev are active on Bluesky and full of people who enjoy trying new apps. Post what you built, who it is for, and one specific thing you want feedback on, with a screenshot or 15 second screen recording. Example: "Built a one-tap expense logger for freelancers. Looking for 10 iPhone users to break the onboarding. TestFlight link in reply." Fellow devs are not your end customers, but they find bugs and repost to people who are.

6. Write one useful thread a week about the problem

Pick the problem your app solves and post a short thread with something useful on its own, like a free method or checklist that works without your app. Mention the app once, at the end, as the faster way to do it. Bluesky has no algorithm pushing strangers' posts to you, so people find threads through reposts and feeds, and reposts come from usefulness.

7. Turn every reply into a direct conversation

When someone tries your app or says it sounds useful, follow up in DMs if they allow messages, or reply asking one question: "What made you download it, and what almost made you delete it?" Write down their exact words. Your first 20 users are worth more as interviews than as installs, and their answers tell you which search phrases to watch next.

8. Keep a daily routine and track it

Spend 30 minutes a day: check saved searches, reply to five relevant posts, and log who you talked to and whether they installed. After two weeks, drop the searches that never convert and add new phrases from your user conversations. Hulby, an AI cofounder, runs this kind of daily search and reply routine for founders who would rather spend that time on the app.

People asking this right now

Real, public posts from the last few weeks. Each one is somebody you could help today.

Mistakes to skip

  • Replying with a bare App Store link to posts that never asked for an app, which gets you muted or added to moderation lists.
  • Posting the same launch message across many hashtags in one day.
  • Treating indie devs as your only audience instead of finding the people with the actual problem.
  • Collecting installs without asking a single user why they downloaded or what confused them.

Want this done for your mobile app, every day?

Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.

Find my first customers

Questions

Do I need followers before this works?

No. Search and custom feeds let you reach people with zero followers. Replies to the right post matter more than audience size.

Is it okay to mention my app in replies?

Yes, when the person asked for a solution or clearly has the problem. Say you built it, keep it short, and offer a link rather than forcing one.

Should I use TestFlight or the live store link?

Early on, TestFlight or a Play Store testing track works well because it frames people as testers and makes feedback feel natural. Switch to store links once onboarding is stable.

How long until I get my first users?

If your app fits a real problem and you reply daily, you should be talking to interested people within the first week or two. If not, change your search phrases before changing the app.