Influencer marketing for mobile apps

Updated 3 October 2026

The short version

Influencer marketing for a mobile app works when the creator shows the app doing a real job on their own screen, in a format their viewers already watch. Give each creator their own offer code on the App Store or promo code on Google Play, plus a tracked store link, and count installs per creator in App Store Connect and Play Console. Never reward anyone for ratings: both stores forbid it.

Formats that show an app well

The formats that sell an app let viewers watch it do its work, in the creator's hands, on a task the viewer has too.

Screen recording with commentary: The creator's own screen and voice, one real task from start to finish. Ask for the result in the first seconds, and text big enough to read on a phone.
A routine the app is part of: "How I plan my week", "what's on my phone". The app appears where it really gets used, next to apps the viewer knows.
A series over time: A budgeting app across a month, a language app across weeks of practice. Progress is the proof, and each post reminds viewers again.
Comparisons: "[App] vs [app]" and "best apps for [task]", for viewers already choosing. Agree in advance that the creator gives an honest view of each.

Vertical video suits apps, because a phone screen fills the frame; tutorials suit YouTube, where people search for how-tos. Our post on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok helps you choose. Before you get in touch, check your app is available where the creator's viewers live, and if it's on one store only, that the video says so.

Offer codes and promo codes on each store

A code per creator gives viewers a reason to act and tells you whose audience it was:

Store and code	What it gives	How it's redeemed
App Store offer codes for subscriptions	A free or discounted price for a set time, for new, existing or expired subscribers as you choose.	Custom codes you name yourself, through a redemption URL or in your app. One-time-use codes also through the App Store.
App Store offer codes for other in-app purchases	Free or discounted access to an in-app purchase.	The same two kinds of code as subscriptions.
App Store promo codes	A free copy of a paid app. Each code works once, for four weeks.	People who download with a promo code can't rate or review the app.
Google Play promo codes	Free access to a paid app, a one-time product or a subscription.	One-time codes in Google Play or the app. Custom codes, for subscriptions only, in the app, for people who haven't subscribed before.

For a subscription app, a longer free period on a custom code per creator is the cleanest offer: viewers get longer to try it, and every redemption names the creator. Give paid-app promo codes to the creator instead, so they can use the app before they talk about it.

Measuring installs from each creator

App Store campaign links. Give each creator a link with their own campaign token. App Store Connect's analytics shows impressions, product page views, downloads, sales and subscriptions per token, counting a first-time download made within 24 hours of using the link (campaign links).
App Store custom product pages. Extra versions of your product page, each with its own URL, measured by impressions, downloads and conversion rate (custom product pages). Match the screenshots to what the creator showed.
Google Play UTM links. Play Console's acquisition reports count visitors who reached your listing from a UTM-tagged link as tracked channels (acquisition reports). Build one link per creator, the same way each time: see UTM parameters.
Google Play custom store listings. A listing with its own URL, which you can compare in your store listing reports (custom store listings).

Links miss viewers who search the store by name. Code redemptions and a "where did you hear about us" question in onboarding catch some of them. Say a creator cost 600, their link and code account for 150 first-time downloads, and 12 of those pay after the trial: 4 per install, 50 per paying subscriber. Judge after the trial ends, not on install day.

What the stores say about ratings and reviews

Apple: The App Review Guidelines warn that manipulating reviews or inflating chart rankings with paid, incentivised or fake feedback, or using third-party services to do it for you, can get you expelled from the Apple Developer Program. Guideline 5.6.3 adds that manipulating charts, search, reviews or referrals to your app is not permitted.
Google Play: The ratings, reviews and installs policy says developers must not manipulate an app's placement on Google Play, including by inflating ratings, reviews or installs through fraudulent or incentivised means. Its examples include asking users to rate an app while offering an incentive.

How Nakodo helps an app team

Nakodo reads your app's website, the homepage and up to 5 key pages, and writes a brief you can edit, with 3 to 6 groups of search keywords. The same keywords are searched on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. On TikTok, a creator's region and language count towards audience fit, which matters when your app is only in some countries. Every creator is scored from 0 to 100 with written reasons, as how it works explains.

In automatic mode, the default, Nakodo emails the best-scored fits that publish an email, strongest first, within a daily quota. In manual mode it contacts only the creators you pick. It sends Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 in the creator's local time, follows up, pauses for out-of-office replies, and introduces each creator who says yes in the same thread, with you in Cc. You then send the codes and links.

Nakodo isn't connected to App Store Connect or Play Console. It doesn't create codes or links, and doesn't see your installs.
It never shows, sells or exports creators' email addresses, and never sends DMs.
The Free plan searches Instagram and TikTok; YouTube is on the paid plans. See pricing.

Questions

How does influencer marketing work for mobile apps?

Creators show your app doing a real task on their own screen, in formats their viewers already watch. Each gets their own offer or promo code and a tracked store link, so you can count installs and paying users per creator.

Can I give influencers promo codes for my app?

Yes. On the App Store, offer codes give free or discounted access to subscriptions and other in-app purchases, and promo codes give a free copy of a paid app. On Google Play, promo codes cover paid apps, one-time products and subscriptions.

How do I track app installs from an influencer?

On the App Store, give each creator a campaign link with their own token and read downloads per token in App Store Connect. On Google Play, use a UTM-tagged link per creator and read Play Console's acquisition reports. Code redemptions catch some viewers who search the store instead.

Can I pay influencers to rate or review my app?

No. Apple's App Review Guidelines treat paid or incentivised reviews as manipulation that can get you expelled from the developer program, and Google Play's policy forbids incentivised ratings and reviews. Pay creators for their content, and keep ratings out of the deal.

Does Nakodo work with App Store Connect or Google Play Console?

No. Nakodo finds creators on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok from your app's website, scores them, and emails them on your behalf. Codes, campaign links and install reports stay in your store accounts.