What Are App Store Pre-Orders?
App Store pre-orders let users download your app before it officially launches. Once your release date arrives, the app is automatically delivered to everyone who pre-ordered — and every one of those downloads counts toward your first-day ranking on the App Store charts.
That last point is significant. The App Store's ranking algorithm is heavily influenced by download velocity. A steady trickle of downloads over 30 days looks very different to Apple's algorithm than 500 downloads hitting on a single day. Pre-orders let you bank demand and release it all at once, creating exactly the kind of spike that drives chart visibility.
This guide covers how to set up App Store pre-orders, how to market during the pre-order window, and how to maximize the launch day impact.
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Setting Up Pre-Orders in App Store Connect
Pre-orders are configured in App Store Connect before you submit your app for review. Here's how it works:
- Upload your binary — Your app must pass App Review before the pre-order page goes live. Apple reviews the build, but holds the release.
- Set a release date — You choose when the app becomes available, anywhere from 2 to 180 days in the future.
- Enable pre-orders — In the pricing and availability section, toggle on "Make available for pre-order."
- Publish your App Store page — Once approved, your product page goes live with a "Pre-Order" button instead of "Get."
One important note: you can change the release date during the pre-order window, but only to move it earlier — not later. Apple allows one date change, so plan carefully.
Your App Store page during pre-orders looks nearly identical to a live listing. Screenshots, description, preview video — all of it is visible. This means your ASO work still matters: optimize your metadata before the pre-order page goes live.
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Why Pre-Orders Matter for Launch Rankings
Apple's charts rank apps based on download velocity — how many downloads you accumulate in a given time window, weighted by recency.
When your pre-order period ends and the app releases, all the pre-orders are converted to downloads simultaneously. If you've accumulated 800 pre-orders over a 30-day campaign, those 800 downloads all register on day one.
For context: breaking into the top 25 of a competitive App Store category typically requires 1,000–5,000 downloads in a 24-hour window. Pre-orders are one of the few legitimate ways an indie developer can accumulate that kind of demand before a marketing budget is even necessary.
Even in smaller niches — productivity subcategories, niche utilities, language-specific charts — a few hundred pre-orders can meaningfully impact your launch day ranking position.
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How to Market During the Pre-Order Window
The pre-order period is your marketing window. You have a live App Store link you can share anywhere, and every click can become a pre-order that contributes to your launch day spike.
Build an email list
Start collecting emails before your pre-order even goes live. A simple landing page with a "Notify me when it launches" form is enough. When the pre-order page is ready, email your list immediately with the direct link.
Even 200 email subscribers who convert at 60% gives you 120 pre-orders before you've posted a single tweet.
Post consistently on social media
The pre-order period is an excellent content forcing function. You have something real to share — a live App Store link — and a reason to post regularly: the countdown to launch.
Content ideas that work well during pre-order campaigns: - Feature reveals (one feature per post over the pre-order period) - Behind-the-scenes development content - The problem your app solves, illustrated with real examples - Countdown posts as the release date approaches - User reactions if you have TestFlight testers
Don't just post "Pre-order now" repeatedly. Build genuine anticipation by sharing what makes your app interesting.
Target communities and forums
Find the Reddit communities, Discord servers, Facebook groups, and Slack channels where your target users gather. Share your pre-order link — but lead with the value your app provides, not the ask. Communities respond to authentic excitement about a product, not promotional copy.
A well-received post in r/productivity or a relevant Discord can drive hundreds of pre-orders in a single day.
Reach out to app review sites
Many app review publications — AppAdvice, MacStories, 9to5Mac — are willing to publish launch coverage if you pitch them during the pre-order period. The lead time gives them a chance to actually review the app before your release date, which often results in the article going live on launch day.
A single mention from a high-traffic iOS publication can deliver hundreds of pre-orders in hours. Even small blogs with a dedicated iOS readership are worth reaching out to.
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Preparing Your Product Page for Pre-Orders
Your App Store product page has to do the heavy lifting of converting visitors into pre-orders. Before the pre-order window opens:
Screenshots and preview video: These are the first thing visitors see. They need to communicate value immediately and show the app in the best possible light. Use mockup tools like AppFrame to create polished device frames with compelling captions — the quality of these images directly affects conversion rate.
App title and subtitle: Make it immediately clear what your app does. The subtitle is 30 characters of premium real estate — use it to clarify the core benefit, not just restate the name.
Description: The first three lines appear above the "more" fold on mobile. This is your hook. Don't bury the value proposition — state it immediately and save the feature bullet points for later in the description.
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Managing Expectations Around Pre-Order Numbers
Pre-order counts are not publicly visible on the App Store. Neither you nor potential users can see how many pre-orders you've accumulated. This is both a limitation and a feature — you won't create social proof from pre-order numbers, but you also won't be embarrassed if they're lower than expected.
What you can track: - Pre-order conversions in App Store Connect analytics - Traffic sources sending people to your product page - The source breakdown (direct, web referrers, app referrers)
Use this data to double down on what's working. If Reddit is sending high-converting traffic, spend more time there. If a specific blog post is driving pre-orders, write more content like it.
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Launch Day: Making the Most of Your Pre-Order Spike
When your release date arrives, a few things happen simultaneously: - All pre-orders convert to downloads automatically - Your app becomes available for regular downloads - Your ranking spike begins
This is the moment to activate every channel at once. Send your email list. Post across social media. Reply to every comment and review. The 24-48 hour window after launch is when your ranking is most influenced by activity — everything you do in this window has outsized impact.
If you've built any press relationships during the pre-order period, this is when those articles should publish. Coordinate with anyone who agreed to write about your app so their coverage goes live on launch day or within 24 hours.
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Pre-Orders Aren't Magic — But They're Underused
Most indie developers skip pre-orders entirely. They finish building, submit to App Review, and release as soon as it's approved — missing a natural marketing window that Apple provides for free.
The pre-order period forces you to build marketing habits before launch pressure is at its peak. You learn which messages resonate, which communities are responsive, and what content drives interest. By the time launch day arrives, you're not starting from scratch.
For developers willing to put in the work during the pre-order window, it's one of the most underutilized tools in the App Store marketing toolkit.