Real techniques for making MONEY in the app store (LONG)
skotleach
Member Posts: 48
I’ve been developing iPhone apps for my own business and for companies I’ve worked at since the app store launched. To date I’ve launched close to 200 applications. I’m not trying to gloat, in fact most of the apps I’ve launched are terrible... Really really bad. But that said, I’ve learned a bunch about the app store. I’ve seen some great applications built using GameSalad. I personally think GameSalad is an amazing product. In fact I think it’s the most significant thing to happen to app development since the launch of the iTunes app store. When I saw GameSalad at SXSW I was blown away. I’m shocked more people haven’t taken advantage of this powerful tool. in just a few weeks I built and submit a game on my own that would have taken months to create other wise and would have cost somewhere between 10k and 20k to produce. Unfortunately building great applications is only half the battle. Navigating the iPhone store is crucial if you want to be successful. I’m sure many here have learned this the hard way. You build a great app then launch it and after a week or so you’re making a dollar a day. Maybe $5 if you’re lucky. There are the occasional exceptions but in general results are frustrating. Here are the things I’ve learned in the last 2.5 years.
1. Cross Promote. This is the single most effective way to increase downloads. Unfortunately GameSalad does not offer a smooth way to do this. Ideally all your applications should have the ability to throw an alert on launch that you can customize. For example you might have the alert say something like “Hey my new game is on sale, would you like to check it out?” Then you have a yes and no button. The yes would lead them to the app store location of your new app. Is this too intrusive? In many cases yes, but if people like your apps and are using them more then once they will likely be happy to hear that you have a new app out. Further more you should be using this functionality in your free apps. Think about this... By posting this alert the user only needs to click twice to purchase your application. This is a very low barrier to purchase. If and when GameSalad allows this functionality put it in all your apps.
2. AdMob. Again GameSalad doesn’t support AdMob (correct me if I’m wrong) but if and when they do, take advantage. AdMob allows you to create House Ads, these are ads you create to promote your own apps. Once you have House Ads created you can manage where and how frequently you want them to show up.
3. Launch your app as paid, wait a month, then make it free. A free app will roughly do about 100x the downloads of a paid app, however when you make a paid app free something interesting happens. The price change is pushed and various sites online will broadcast the price change and draw bargain shoppers to the app. The result... in the first full 24 hours after you make your paid app free you will see about 1000x the dls you’re used to. Why does this matter? Three reasons. First make sure you have ads in place if you do this. It’s not at all unreasonable to expect that your app that was making $3 a day as a paid app earn you $50 in ads in that first day as a free app. Next, that wave of downloads may push your app into the top 100 of its category, and this is the best thing that can happen to you. Discovery of your app will increase and you will get organic traffic (people you didn’t drive to the app). Finally if you have the ability to throw an alert at launch you want to make sure this is in place. About 1% of the traffic your app gets will be driven to another of your apps. This network effect will cause multiple applications to climb the charts.
4. Create lots and lots of apps. I’m sure this goes against every instinct you have. You probably think you should build top quality apps and not focus on quantity. If you are doing this because it’s a hobby and you love it, great, enjoy it. But if you want to make this a business you need to build a library of applications. Quantity is a strategy and contrary to popular thinking, it leads to quality. You’re going to learn more building three applications in 6 weeks then you are building one in 6 months. Most importantly each app you release increases your network effect. Imagine you have 10 free apps and one paid. Your free apps do about 100 dls a day. That’s a total of 1000 free dls per day. You’re paid app does 1 dl a day. You’re making $.70 a day. Now say you put ads in those free apps. Each of those free will begin earning about $1.50 a day (more depending on the ad network). Lets also assume you have the ability to post an alert at launch in your free apps that directs them to your paid app. This will increase your paid daily downloads by anywhere from 10 to 100. For the sake of being conservative let’s say you’re paid apps jump up to 11 downloads a day ($7.70). Add that to your ad revenue... $22.70. Now if you can continue to release applications you can eventually push an app into the top 100 just by directing the users of your applications. You may be thinking that developing 10 apps would take a year. Maybe, but remember free apps can be lighter. For every paid app you make you can quickly make a lite version. Use free apps as a way to experiment with new gaming mechanics. Some of the most successful apps are simple... Flashlights. Wallpaper. Etc. I realize GameSalad is focused on game development but be creative. This is a very flexible tool. Challenge your self to make a game a week for two months. You can only win from this approach At the very least you will learn more then you can imagine.
5.Mix and match these techniques. If you have 4 paid apps, make 3 free simultaneously and drive that initial wave of free dls toward your paid app. This could be enough to pop your paid app into the top 100. When I first experimented with cross promoting I was doing about 50 dls a day across a few dozen apps. I began directing traffic to one of my paid apps and moved it up the charts to where it was doing 1000 dls a day.
I realize much of what I’m recommending cannot be done at this moment, but you can begin applying the principles. If you can’t throw an alert in your app at least create a scene letting users know you have other apps. If you plan on making multiple apps get iAds in your free apps.
Feel free to ask me any questions. I’ll be as transparent as possible.
1. Cross Promote. This is the single most effective way to increase downloads. Unfortunately GameSalad does not offer a smooth way to do this. Ideally all your applications should have the ability to throw an alert on launch that you can customize. For example you might have the alert say something like “Hey my new game is on sale, would you like to check it out?” Then you have a yes and no button. The yes would lead them to the app store location of your new app. Is this too intrusive? In many cases yes, but if people like your apps and are using them more then once they will likely be happy to hear that you have a new app out. Further more you should be using this functionality in your free apps. Think about this... By posting this alert the user only needs to click twice to purchase your application. This is a very low barrier to purchase. If and when GameSalad allows this functionality put it in all your apps.
2. AdMob. Again GameSalad doesn’t support AdMob (correct me if I’m wrong) but if and when they do, take advantage. AdMob allows you to create House Ads, these are ads you create to promote your own apps. Once you have House Ads created you can manage where and how frequently you want them to show up.
3. Launch your app as paid, wait a month, then make it free. A free app will roughly do about 100x the downloads of a paid app, however when you make a paid app free something interesting happens. The price change is pushed and various sites online will broadcast the price change and draw bargain shoppers to the app. The result... in the first full 24 hours after you make your paid app free you will see about 1000x the dls you’re used to. Why does this matter? Three reasons. First make sure you have ads in place if you do this. It’s not at all unreasonable to expect that your app that was making $3 a day as a paid app earn you $50 in ads in that first day as a free app. Next, that wave of downloads may push your app into the top 100 of its category, and this is the best thing that can happen to you. Discovery of your app will increase and you will get organic traffic (people you didn’t drive to the app). Finally if you have the ability to throw an alert at launch you want to make sure this is in place. About 1% of the traffic your app gets will be driven to another of your apps. This network effect will cause multiple applications to climb the charts.
4. Create lots and lots of apps. I’m sure this goes against every instinct you have. You probably think you should build top quality apps and not focus on quantity. If you are doing this because it’s a hobby and you love it, great, enjoy it. But if you want to make this a business you need to build a library of applications. Quantity is a strategy and contrary to popular thinking, it leads to quality. You’re going to learn more building three applications in 6 weeks then you are building one in 6 months. Most importantly each app you release increases your network effect. Imagine you have 10 free apps and one paid. Your free apps do about 100 dls a day. That’s a total of 1000 free dls per day. You’re paid app does 1 dl a day. You’re making $.70 a day. Now say you put ads in those free apps. Each of those free will begin earning about $1.50 a day (more depending on the ad network). Lets also assume you have the ability to post an alert at launch in your free apps that directs them to your paid app. This will increase your paid daily downloads by anywhere from 10 to 100. For the sake of being conservative let’s say you’re paid apps jump up to 11 downloads a day ($7.70). Add that to your ad revenue... $22.70. Now if you can continue to release applications you can eventually push an app into the top 100 just by directing the users of your applications. You may be thinking that developing 10 apps would take a year. Maybe, but remember free apps can be lighter. For every paid app you make you can quickly make a lite version. Use free apps as a way to experiment with new gaming mechanics. Some of the most successful apps are simple... Flashlights. Wallpaper. Etc. I realize GameSalad is focused on game development but be creative. This is a very flexible tool. Challenge your self to make a game a week for two months. You can only win from this approach At the very least you will learn more then you can imagine.
5.Mix and match these techniques. If you have 4 paid apps, make 3 free simultaneously and drive that initial wave of free dls toward your paid app. This could be enough to pop your paid app into the top 100. When I first experimented with cross promoting I was doing about 50 dls a day across a few dozen apps. I began directing traffic to one of my paid apps and moved it up the charts to where it was doing 1000 dls a day.
I realize much of what I’m recommending cannot be done at this moment, but you can begin applying the principles. If you can’t throw an alert in your app at least create a scene letting users know you have other apps. If you plan on making multiple apps get iAds in your free apps.
Feel free to ask me any questions. I’ll be as transparent as possible.
Comments
Thank you.
I think this is one strategy to earn good money, but I think quality is important too. There's several devs on here that haven't put out a lot of apps but the ones they release are high quality and do very well because they get featured by Apple, post on forums, and word of mouth. I think if you *can* produce high quality apps then that's what you should shoot for. I do like that challenge of trying to produce an app a week (which is totally possible with GS), but I think you shouldn't release unfinished or lame apps just to produce volume. I'm sure you're not saying to release bad apps, but I wanted to clarify that point because people have been known to release templates and unfinished apps which I really dislike.
Oh, and about ads - yes AdMob would be great. The fill rate is not that great w/ just iAds from my experience. Anyone making good money with just iAds?
Another thing is be flexible and keep your eyes open.
Perhaps I'm not saying much with this but the world of apps changes fast.
'Good old' knowledge nowadays is not worth much, you got to know where to find it.
Lump Apps and My Assets
I have one paid app that started out as doing around 7 dls a day. I began updating and asking users to recommend features. After year of updates I've gotten the app to the point where it does about 80 dls a day on weekdays and over a 150 on the weekends.
AdMob solves fill rate by allowing you to substitute your House Ads when there is no fill. My favorite though is Mobclix who aggregates a network of ad partners. They have a 100% fill rate and you can manage which networks you want to use based on their performance.
Have an attribute that adds one every time they open the app and is saved at the same time. When this attribute reaches, say, 5 or something (that way you know they like your app enough to play it 5 times) - have your alert pop up.
And pro users can have html links.
You'd just have to update your current apps with a new alert when you have a new app out. Cos GS can't access the device time and date. (so you couldn't pre plan a bunch of alerts that trigger if the user opens the app after a certain date)
I also suspect that it's possible GameSalad may incorporate AdMob in the future and also iAds my incorporate the notion of House Ads similar to AdMob.
(*Remember when a single NES game was over $50???)
It's an uphill battle but 1 of 100 converting is actually pretty good. If you get a free app on the charts you can easily get tens of thousands of dls a day. Also remember your users based grows. All the users who downloaded your app previously may still play it. So for example say your free app is getting 100 dls a day. Now assume your app is pretty sticky. Say 10% of people who dl'd it keep it. Over time your user base grows. After a month you may have an installed based of 400. Now when you update you are hitting a larger base. This another reason why updates are so important. This is another reason why I believe strongly in releasing apps quickly. They should work and be compelling but once you hit that threshold launch and get feed back. Then update and repeat. Pocket God excels at this strategy.
Mind mentioning how much you make with this technique?
I'm thinking of just putting my first game on Sale for the first day or week : )
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(BTW, my favourite definition of expert is: 'X' is an unknown quantity and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure!)
One of the World's top businessmen - Brain Tracy - has always strongly recommended asking successful people what they do and then copying it. Sounds like a sound strategy to me.
Thanks for sharing what you have tried and learned.
Simon
Daily average revenue between ads and paid app sales is $250... During the holidays it's a completely different story. On Christmas day there is usually a 10x increase in paid downloads. I've witnessed this two years in a row.
Also, I understand the concern about "shovelware" and I realize the way I describe the techniques it's easy to see they can be used in that fashion, however I strongly believe you can achieve quality in a short dev cycle. Take a game like Doodle Jump. It's a good game. Not many can argue that it's not and even if you don't like it, users clearly do. A game like that could be developed pretty quickly using GameSalad. I'm recommending you guys develop small games that are intended to be free. Use these as a means of testing new gaming mechanics and gauging how the audience reacts.
Over the last several years, working as a mobile developer I've seen repeatedly the assumption that apps need to be big with tons of features. I've noticed this trend specifically with game developers. If the app store has taught anything it's that simple and fun apps and games perform very well. Most of the apps that hold position are not incredibly complex.
Another option is to team up with devs who's work you like and who you trust and cross promote each others games.
@dhondon
I'm not saying the free apps have to be crappy. I'm telling you that even if the free apps are crappy this technique works.
The problem most good devs have is not building good products it's getting them seen. I'm trying to provide some insight on how to do that.
Whereas people like Adam Saltsman of Semi-Secret, or the guy that did Tiny Wings, are examples, in my opinion, of 'The light side'
Some can certainly choose to be inspired by your insights, but no offence, I'm more inclined to see the aforementioned people as the kind I aspire to be like.
Oh, and welcome to the forums!
QS
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
By ensuring they're of a good quality I can build on the success of each one, and will get more coverage for my games etc.
This is the light side. The dark side is 'quicker, easier, more seductive' - but personally I'm not a big fan of it!
And yes, cross promoting can be useful (which is why the 'pro' version of GameSalad has the URL link feature) but taking your own example, Half Brick, they have seven games available. As opposed to your 182.
I think your Zombie project shows some promise though, and I'm 2000x more interested in that one idea, than the 182 apps you have as part of your portfolio.
All the best,
QS
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
I agree. I certainly would not use the applications I did with Escape Plan B as an example to follow if you're shooting to build a quality library of apps. You are correct. And I also agree that Lost Zombies is far more compelling then anything Escape Plan B has done.
With that said, the objective of Escape Plan B was to learn as much as possible about iPhone development and the iTunes app store. When we launched that project, I couldn't write a single line of code. Within 12 months I was able to build an app and I understood thoroughly how to best market an application for the app store. The project is encouraging because it proves a path to revenue exists and that an individual can make a living doing this. If nothing else consider that fact that all those mediocre apps produce results. That is a clear indicator to me that you can make developing games your fulltime job. Escape Plan B allowed me to work for my self fulltime on my zombie project.
My goal here was to simply share my learnings in the hope that you might be able to gleen some useful info. How and if you choose to use the info is up to you.
i definitely appreciate your experience and success. i also understand what some other people are saying about quality vs. quantity. although, i don't think that this needs to turn into an argument about that topic. i think your marketing principles can be applied to all types of games of all quality. so, i'm glad you shared! i'm sure it will help a lot of us here.
Heres some more tips that can be useful regarding game promotion:
(skip to 4:05)
I think you're right on target, especially for someone like me. I have no aspirations t o be an artist that changes the gaming industry. I want to make some extra income, and this seems like a great way to do it.
And I agree, the free apps you put out don't have to cheap and crappy.
But maybe just small and simple. Glossy graphics, have it look professional, but maybe just a quick 'endless game' thing.
Heard a relevant anecdote recently - a pottery teacher divides the class into 2 groups. One half are told to make the best pot they possibly can. The other half are told to make as many as they can and don't worry about the quality. And at the end of the day the best pots come from the speedy half of the class.
Of course no one said the speedy potters tried to sell their first few attempts at pots which probably looked like crap
What is the basis for your comment below? The first app I created using Gamesalad was featured by Apple and made it to #61 in Games. I'm not sure if that qualifies the app as "crap" by your definition. ( You can view the download stats here: http://gamesalad.com/forums/topic.php?id=22012&page=2 )
I choose to build many apps for two reason:
1. I found it to be the best way to learn to code. At the time I began there was no Gamesalad, I had to teach myself.
2. I wanted to understand the app store; how an average app performed, what sorts of products people liked, how different categories performed, etc.
My intention with this post was to provide some practical insight on promoting your applications. If you disagree with these techniques, don't use them.
@HoneyTribeStudios
I read that same study on ceramics in the book "The Artist's Way." I agree, it takes a lot of crappy pots before you get to the good ones. IMO having access to an open market to showcase your "crap" is one of the best ways to learn:) It's humbling and motivating to see your apps getting downloaded and reviewed, even when the reviews are negative.
i am seeing so many people create terrible games in this forum. haha only one is good. Spooky Hoofs i gotta admit that.
I think your heart (mind?) is in the right place. but another advantage big companies have is money for advertisements. In my opinion Doodle jump is boring and it's a "papi jump" clone. Tiny wings is WAY overrated. Even said so by a lot of the reviewers on the apptore. But they do look and play nice. Not to mention mostly any bird based game will get alot of attention.
I think if one should release alot of apps (games), they should be of quality. This can come naturally if you have a passion for creating apps and games though. so its not about quality VS quantity, i think its more about quality AND quantity....in your quantity....of qualities...
another thing is that we need to put ourselves in the buyer's shoes. I've sen and heard many dev's say "well my game is only $0.99, why should i go all out? if thats the case i'll charge $1.99" but unfortunately buyers expect ALOT for $1. ALOT.
Cross promotion can be done with GameSalad pro. Polishing is KEY too.i've played some AMAZING games, but looked and sounded ugly as hell. took away the joy. I'm not saying make a game look like crysis 2, but ATLEAST pretty
GameSalad has come a long way. pause, gamecenter, splash screens, and more down the road.and TECHNICALLY it CAN do 3d with crysis like visuals. That's of course by using animated 3d renderings (frame by frame). Like Killer Instinct did. I think there was a developer who made a game with GameSalad using clay animation. so in a sense, ALOT is possible with gamesalad, its just a matter of learning the tricks