How to Launch an App

Market Research

• Find out who your competitors are.
• How much do they charge / do they use an advertising model?
• What features do they offer?
• Have a look at competitor app reviews.
• Why would users be interested in this app?
• Unique selling point.
• How to reach target audience.
• Best time to launch app.

Competitor research:

• Who they are.
• What are their unique selling points.
• Where are they successful / unsuccessful.
• How are we different?
• Use their app and see what the experience is like.
• Are they actively improving their app? Check update schedule.

(source: https://mindsea.com/how-to-launch-an-app/)

Define success metrics

• We need measurable metrics to gauge success.
• Active install rate - number of people that install the app who then do not uninstall.
• Number of ratings received as well as over-all ratings.
• Compare ratings to average of competitors.
• Use analytics to track app usage.
• Keep an eye on ranking metrics over time.
• Return on app spend.

Create content

• Create landing page.
• Write blogs on topics related to the app.
• Create press releases.
• Social media posts.
• Respond to any social media comments.
• Record demos on app use.

App store / website SEO

• Create beautiful screenshots and demo of app.
• Create promo video
• Use good keywords.
• Ranking is governed by:
  • Keyword usage in description.
  • Visuals and branding.
  • Number of downloads.
  • Number of positive reviews.
• See what wording competitors use, speak language of audience.

(source: https://mindsea.com/how-to-launch-an-app/)

See how the images can invoke a feeling and draw a user into the app?

Exposure

• Network with complimentary app developers. Try and get a mutually beneficial co-marketing deal. e.g. a stock listing app can team up with a broker. Make sure you team up with a good app / developer.
• Pitch app to bloggers. Make sure app is available for them to use, also have a good video demo of its use.
• Landing page:
  • About page, screenshots and video demo.
  • Capture email.
  • Call to action => direct to app.
  • Blog.
• Media:
  • Search google for competitor products and contact bloggers who talk about those products.
  • Reverse google search images of competitor apps and see which blogs they are on.
  • HARO: Help-a-reporter-out connects bloggers with experts.
• Contact blogger tips:
  • Follow on Twitter.
  • Send them a couple of tweets.
  • Comment on their blogs.
  • Share their blog posts.
  • Email them with the ‘ask’ for them to comment / review / share.
• Social:
  • Watch for influencers who promote similar types of apps.
• Create a press kit:
  • App logo, screenshots and promo video.
  • Description / blurb.
  • Link to app and social media accounts.
  • Contact information.

Social

• Claim social media tags for your app name.
• Create social sharing buttons with each press release.
• Contact influencers and thought leaders.

Advertising

• Google Adwords.
• Facebook ads.
• Create affiliate program to encourage downloads.

Beta

• Invite only beta to create an air of exclusivity.
• Fix bugs before it is released to the public.
• Create feedback mechanism within app.

The Pitch

When we contact an influencer / blogger. Here are some techniques.

• 1-2 sentence description of who I am, how we found them and why they might be interested.
• 1-2 sentence describing app including use case.
• Link to press kit.
• Offer beta access.
• Call to action - ask nicely and tell them exactly what they can do.

After launch

• Monitor feedback, reviews and social media.
• Engage existing users to keep them engaged.
• Encourage rating and reviews.
• Ask only loyal users to rate your app (those who have launched it a number of times).
• Monitor app store rank and other analytics.
• Fix bugs reported by users. Beware that each update may reset the rating so lump as many fixes together as possible.
• Incentivise continued usage:
  • Game-ify usage.
  • Prizes, in-app achievements.
• Encourage referrals:
  • Make app easy to share.
  • Give app referral bonuses.