Kickstart: Launch Retrospective

I launched Kickstart one month ago, and the response from users has been genuinely incredible – so many happy App Store reviews, a ton of emails with feature requests, and – *cough* – just a couple of bug reports too.

In this post I want to share what went well, what went not so well, and what’s coming up in the immediate future, so other indie developers can learn from me and do better. (As the famous Despair Inc™ sign says, “it could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning for others”.)

What went well

After four weeks Kickstart had 4380 downloads, most of which came in the first week – it gets about 50 a day right now.

The first TestFlight went out February 2nd, and the final one only a few days before release in May, so that meant the initial release had four months of fixes and improvements and the end result was pretty solid – there were no serious bugs on launch!

However, to get to that point I had to withdraw a few features that I just couldn’t get in shape in time – Apple Ads got withdrawn, as did macOS competitor tracking. Both got re-added in subsequent updates, and although that was an inconvenience I would always prefer to hold off with a feature until I was sure it was ready.

• What the launch goal was, and how success was defined before launch day.
• The launch timeline: early idea, private testing, public preparation, and release.
• What marketing assets were ready in advance, including the website, App Store page, screenshots, press material, and social posts.
• Which launch channels performed best: personal audience, Hacking with Swift, social media, newsletters, communities, or direct outreach.
• What App Store Connect data showed after launch, including downloads, conversion, ratings, and early revenue.
• What customer feedback appeared first, and which messages were most useful.
• Any unexpected problems from launch week, such as unclear onboarding, missing docs, pricing questions, support load, or bugs.
• How Kickstart itself helped with the launch, including tasks, website preparation, press materials, reviews, analytics, or marketing workflows.
• What should be repeated for future launches.
• What should be changed next time.
• Concrete advice for indie developers preparing their own launch.

Possible Structure

1. The context: why Kickstart exists and who it was built for.
2. The preparation: what was ready before launch.
3. Launch day: what happened, what changed, and what stood out.
4. The numbers: the useful metrics, not vanity metrics.
5. The lessons: what worked, what did not, and what comes next.

Open Questions

• Which exact launch date should be referenced?
• Which screenshots, charts, or App Store metrics should be included?
• Are there specific quotes from users, press, or social media worth adding?
• Should this focus more on the product story, the marketing process, or practical advice for other developers?