how to promote your app: 20 tips from pros who've done it

“For B2C apps, create a sense of exclusivity. (Good examples: Subtle,

Quibb, Mailbox.) The longer you can’t have something, the more you want it.”

HEATHER ANNE CARSON, Onboardly

“Optimize the app title & keywords in iTunes Connect.”

DANIEL YOO, Timer+

“Prompt the user to rate the app with a pop up – but only after it has been used 5

times or after 10 mins of play time.”

SARA CORNWELL, Appbackr

“Plan your marketing in bursts. One of the most important discoverability locations in

the app stores are the Top Rank lists. Building momentum from burst marketing campaigns – concurrently doing PR, social, ads – can help you move up those lists and get more organic downloads and visibility.”

AARON WATKINS, Appency

“For B2B you have to really narrow down your target audience as much as possible, and turn that audience into loyal followers who will spread the word about your app

to other businesses.”

CARSON BARKER, Appspire.me

“Developers have been seeing good results from Facebook Mobile Install Ads, where

you can specify target audiences. This works well for paid apps and apps where

the audience is defined.”

TOPE ABAYOMI, App Design Vault

“Cross promote your own apps such that each progressive app you release does

better than the one before it.”

AARON WATKINS, Appency

“When launching a new app or a major update to an existing app, create a dynamic (yet

consistent) marketing pitch and use this to showcase your app on as many channels as

possible. We email our newsletter subscribers, pitch to bloggers and promote ourselves on

Facebook and Twitter.”

JAMES ABELER, Infuse

“Paid apps that drop to free and use a drop-to-free promotional site can get a ton of new installs. Try FreeAppADay or AppGratis (yes, AppGratis is still around

even after the snafu with Apple).”

AARON WATKINS, Appency

“Email marketing. App developers rarely think about reaching users outside the

device – but email marketing is the most effective way to reach an audience. Start collecting emails now via your website so

you can keep subscribers informed of updates, promos and new apps.”

SARA CORNWELL, Appbackr

“Optimize for App Store search to reach that audience organically.”

DANIEL YOO, Timer+

“I’ve been testing Facebook pages to engage an audience of like-minded people. Spend a bit on ads to grow the user base

and, with the right targeting and split-testing, you can grow an audience on

Facebook cheaply.”

TOPE ABAYOMI, App Design Vault

“Advertising is the best way to get massive installs. But it can be expensive and a

waste of time if you don’t have a targeted strategy for it.”

CARSON BARKER, Appspire.me

“You may look at making your app free or deeply discounted for a few days.

AppsFire has a great way to take advantage of a lower price point to get a hefty spike in

user downloads, which may just be the ticket to get over that critical mass hump.”

JAMES ABELER, Infuse

“Don’t blanket the press with form letter emails in a ‘shotgun’-like approach.

Spewing info at the press does nothing but annoy them.”

AARON WATKINS, Appency

“You may be tempted to sign up for a ‘for pay’ review site, in other words a site that offers to review your app for a fee. DON’T DO IT! These types of sites usually get far less real traffic than they claim, and few people actually use them to

make purchasing decisions. Save yourself the time (and a few bucks), and devote your efforts

elsewhere.”

JAMES ABELER, Infuse

“Avoid outbound marketing (PPC, banner ads, etc) if it’s not your forte. You’ll get

quantity, but you won’t get quality. It’s a huge waste of money for early-stage apps

or beta apps.”

HEATHER ANNE CARSON, Onboardly

“I wouldn’t waste my time trying to acquire users via paid channels like AdMob or Tapjoy

(when the Long Term Value of a user is so low).”

DANIEL YOO, Timer+

“Don’t throw good money after bad. If the app is not good, if it doesn’t play well, if it has bugs, if it has poor UI, any marketing

money is going to be wasted. You are going to be paying for users to find your app and

give it bad reviews.”

SARA CORNWELL, Appbackr

“Don’t make the mistake of running a press release and hoping the media will rush in to ask to cover your app. Press releases

have lost their effectiveness because there are 100s of new apps launched every day –

it’s hard to cut through the noise.”

TOPE ABAYOMI, App Design Vault

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