What Every App Brand Gets Wrong in Their First 90 Days? Lessons from Top Growth Leaders!

Launching a new app is exciting, but it’s also the most fragile phase of your journey. The first 90 days often decide whether your app will make it big or fade into the noise. Many app brands jump straight into aggressive marketing or feature building, missing what truly drives growth: understanding user behavior and learning fast.

To help founders avoid the most common pitfalls, we reached out to a few top growth leaders who’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t) in those critical early days. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Focus on What Moves the Needle — Not on Vanity Metrics

Bill Gaule, Co-Founder & SEO Director, SERPsculpt

“A common mistake is focusing on things that don’t move the needle (or at least not right away). The first 90 days can make or break a project. So shortening the feedback loop is important. In B2B, I recommend focusing on Google Ads to begin so you can get feedback quickly to test ideas and validate offers.”

Bill emphasizes one powerful principle: speed of learning matters more than perfection. Instead of chasing traffic or downloads, early-stage app brands should focus on collecting quick insights from paid campaigns. This helps validate offers, messaging, and audience intent early on, saving time, money, and energy in the long run.

2. Track the “Why” — Not Just the “What”

Abhinav Puri, Organic Growth Strategist 

“We launched with generic analytics, tracking ‘downloads’ but not the ‘why’ behind user behavior. The pivotal shift was implementing a robust event-tracking plan from day one. Without mapping the user journey from ad click to in-app action, you’re optimizing in the dark.”

Abhinav’s insight is a reminder that data without context is meaningless. Many app teams rely on surface-level analytics like installs or impressions but ignore deeper signals that reveal why users behave the way they do. By setting up strong event tracking from day one, brands can make smarter marketing decisions and understand which ad or campaign truly drives conversions.

3. Don’t Chase Metrics — Chase Moments

Chanakya Jayabalan, Founder, Athen & LeanProfit.ai

“Most app brands focus on marketing in their first 90 days, not on user behavior. The truth is that your product’s retention curve tells the story your ads can’t. The biggest mistake early apps make? They build features before understanding patterns. The first 90 days are for listening, not scaling. Every click, every drop-off is feedback, if you’re paying attention. In the first 90 days, the smartest founders don’t chase metrics, they chase moments that one ‘aha!’ where the user says, this just made my day easier. Capture that, and growth takes care of itself.”

Chanakya brings a product-first perspective, listen before you scale. Instead of rushing into heavy marketing or new features, early-stage app founders should focus on understanding the user’s emotional journey. When you identify and double down on that “aha” moment, you unlock sustainable growth that no ad campaign alone can deliver.

Final Thoughts

The first 90 days of an app launch are not about perfection; they’re about learning, listening, and adapting.

From Bill’s focus on rapid feedback loops to Abhinav’s stress on deeper analytics and Chanakya’s advice on chasing user moments, one message stands out loud and clear:

If you want to build an app that lasts, pay attention to your users before you scale.

Whether you’re working with a Mobile App Development Company or building in-house, remember that your biggest advantage is how quickly you learn and respond. Because in the world of mobile app development, the winners are not the ones who launch fastest but the ones who listen the hardest.