Black Hat App Growth Strategies You Don’t Know (But Your Competitors Might Be Using)

Ever wondered how some apps skyrocket up the charts while you’re still stuck optimizing screenshots? 🤔 In this talk from RevenueCat’s App Growth Annual 2025, Steve P. Young reveals the most controversial app growth hacks, ASO tricks, and questionable strategies dominating the App Store today. You’ll learn: ✅ Real-world growth hacks that boosted one app from a few hundred to $90,000 ARR ✅ What “keyword installs” really are — and why big companies secretly use them ✅ Why some “grey-hat” tricks still work (but come with a warning ) ✅ What Apple’s quietly cracking down on in 2025 ✅ How to grow smarter without getting banned This talk is part of the App Growth Annual 2025 by RevenueCat — a must-watch series for app founders, marketers, and product managers who want to scale smarter and grow faster. 👉 Watch the full RAGA 2025 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsFOrkX_y0B6o8zs8PUOWQbUi_nTQn_uD Something exciting is brewing at AppsFlyer - their first Fall Release is almost here! We’d love to tell you more... but you’ll have to register for the November 18 online event to find out what’s shaping the future of marketing. 👀 https://shorturl.at/gmZog ********************************************* Want expert guidance to grow your app? Book a quick call with App Masters: ⁠https://appmasters.com/contact-us/⁠ Indie App Santa: ⁠https://www.indieappsanta.com⁠ Get training, coaching, and community: ⁠⁠https://appmastersacademy.com/⁠ ********************************************* SPONSORS The new Appsflyer Benchmarks site Attention mobile marketers! Want to invest smarter? The new AppsFlyer Benchmarks site is here! Check out performance over time across countries, media types, and app categories to find growth opportunities, optimize spend, and see how you stack up. With two years of data, quarterly updates, and an upcoming AI co-pilot, it’s the must-have tool for smarter UA. Check it out today and take the guesswork out of your next move. Check out now: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/537v4e9e⁠ ********************************************* Arcads is the fastest and best indie-friendly platform to create authentic, AI-powered UGC-style video ads — all from just text input. Emotionally resonant, human-like videos Perfect for app demos, testimonials, and paid social creatives Built for speed, built to convert Whether you're launching or scaling, Arcads makes it easy to test and iterate video ads. Try it now: ⁠⁠https://www.arcads.ai/?comet_custom=appmasters ********************************************* Follow us: YouTube: ⁠⁠AppMasters.com/YouTube⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@App Masters⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠@App Masters⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@stevepyoung⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠App Masters⁠⁠ *********************************************