Yes but at some point your feature updates will lead to bloat and maintenance issues. There is a problem with accumulating features before getting customers too. You will not know which ones are actually wanted and which you should have cut. But of course any feature will have some users so removing them afterwards will lead to complaints.

In my case publishing a relatively unknown app, any kind of press obliterates the increase in customers due to features.

I guess 80% of my revenue was made on days of and immediately following press releases.

You don't have to release new features. Customers (at least mine) appreciate tightening up current features almost as much.

I never tried the press release route, sounds like you had good success with it?

There is also quite a gap between what current users want (mostly no surprises and stable software) and what new users think they want (more features, I believe many have the mindset "it does all this but I really want X before I commit").

And of course journalists only want new releases and new large features. Which is why getting features is usually only feasible on launch.

Depends on definition of success :) My app is not very successful in that it brings in only a few k$ per year.

However it has been featured here and there and these features were always massive spikes.

Reaper goes this way. They have regular updates with fixes and the rare huge new feature like the notation editor.

Even the big guys. I moved from sublime to VSCode just because the relentless updates spelled the writing on the wall.