How We Hit #1 on Play Store for 12 Consecutive Months

In 2019 Krishi Network had an idea: build an app that connected Indian farmers to agricultural knowledge and a peer community. By 2022 they had built a 4 million+ farmer community at ₹7 CPI and held the number 1 Play Store keyword ranking for 12 consecutive months. Here is how we built the growth engine behind that.

The Challenge: Reaching Farmers Who Don't Think of Themselves as App Users

Most app marketing assumes the target audience is already smartphone-comfortable. Krishi Network's audience — Indian farmers primarily in Hindi-speaking states — was different. Many were first-time smartphone users. The concept of downloading an app for agricultural information was new. The standard playbook needed fundamental rethinking.

The Three-Layer Growth Stack

We built app growth across three parallel tracks. First: paid installs optimised for post-install activation, not just installs. An install that does not open the app twice is not a real user. By setting optimisation events deeper in the funnel we forced the algorithm to find users who actually engaged. Second: ASO in Hindi not English. Terms like kisan app and kheti jankari had real search volume but almost no competition from well-optimised apps. We held the number 1 ranking for 12 consecutive months. Third: referral loops. Farmers trust other farmers. We built a structured referral programme that generated 5 lakh+ referrals through a simple mechanic — share the app, get access to premium features.

The Creative: Hindi Always

Every creative asset was produced in Hindi. Not translated from English but written natively in the language and idiom that resonated with a farmer in UP or Rajasthan. We produced video content featuring real farmers talking about real problems.

The Result

4 million+ farmers. 2 million+ paid installs at ₹7 CPI. 1.5 million+ organic installs. 5 lakh+ referrals. Number 1 Play Store ranking for 12 months. The strategy has to match the audience. For Krishi Network that meant Hindi-first creative, deeper funnel optimisation, and aggressive ASO in an under-competed category.