Hey HN, I'm a solo developer and I built Steps: Workout & Pedometer, an iOS pedometer and workout tracker.

Last week, two German iOS publications wrote about the app. I didn't pitch them. I didn't send a press release. I didn't even know it was happening.

I woke up to a spike in downloads, checked the analytics, and traced it back to their articles. That coverage pushed the app past $1,000 in sales.

I still have no idea how they found the app. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience getting featured in publications, whether organically or through outreach. What worked for you? Any tips for a solo dev trying to get more press coverage?

Here are the links to the articles: - https://www.iphoneblog.de/2026/02/21/steps-visualisiert-das-... - https://www.iphone-ticker.de/schrittzaehler-mit-mehrwert-com...