How to sell your killer iPhone app
A guide to breaking big in Apple's very crowded market.
Keeven Kuate Konga, Tempe
What steps do I take in order to make a big jump in the iPhone application industry? I have found an app designer. I know the basics, but is there any other information other than what's given on Apple's Web site?
By Kathleen Ryan O'Connor, CNNMoney.com contributor
Imagine being crowned the valedictorian of a class of 50,000. That's a bit of what's it's like to capture the #1 spot in Apple's iPhone app store — only a lot more lucrative. A hot iPhone app is the Holy Grail of mobile software development.
For all the dings Apple takes for its dealings with outside developers, the price of admission into its iPhone app program is pretty straightforward: $99 for basic access to the software development kit (SDK). Apple ditched its wildly unpopular nondisclosure requirement back in October.
Once your application is ready for launch, the approval process generally moves fast. According to Simon Pope, an Apple spokesman, 98% of iPhone apps submitted to the store are reviewed in seven days, and 96% are approved.
Then comes the hard part: Getting noticed by legions of passionate iPhone users. Competitive pressure has driven the cost of most of Apple's almost 50,000 iPhone apps to $1.99 or less, according to 148Apps.biz, an independent site about iPhone apps with a good "marketing 101" section. That means volume is king. For your app to make money, customers must find it, like it, and above all, download it.
"It takes making a great game, but that’s just one element of it," says Adam Sussman, vice president of worldwide publishing for EA Mobile, which created top app The Sims 3. The mobile version of the popular game zoomed to #1 within 18 hours of its release on June 2.
"And we did that at $9.99," Sussman says.
Jumping off a wildly popular and established brand helps enormously, but Sussman says marketing is a factor, no matter your size.
"The app store is so crowded," he says. "How do you drive discoverability? It’s not the case that you just do a game and that’s it." EA's strategy was to build excitement for The Sims 3 by releasing all its platform versions — PC, Mac, iPhone and more — on the same day across the world.
One way to get noticed on a shoestring budget is to try to have your app reviewed by some of the dozens of sites that have sprung up to chronicle All Things iPhone, like AppScout. The blog Online Marketing Rant has a handy list of relevant publications.
And while the unfortunate Baby Shaker app produced a lot of press, no expert thought silly or scandalous was the way to go. The best apps leverage unique iPhone features, like the device's accelerometer and touch screen. A rich and addictive user experience is the difference between being a one-hit wonder or creating something with staying power, Sussman says.
Also critical is knowing your audience, says Jonathan Sasse, senior vice president of marketing at Slacker Radio, a popular free online radio station that released its own iPhone app in January.
"We did our best to make sure the iPhone experience is close to the full Slacker experience, so you can go back and forth," he says. Slacker went for a rich-media feel, but developers need to be mindful to keep their mobile apps from growing too complicated.
Try not to get caught up in the frenzy to be #1, Sasse recommends. Concentrate on building a great experience.
Mark Bradshaw, director of development for Stratogon Entertainment Corp. in Plantation, Fla., knows what it's like to be in your shoes. Stratogon now concentrates heavily on the iPhone app market, and will have several apps ready to go live in the next month.
"We think it’s about making a great game that's really quick and fun," he says. "People are going to be sitting at the bus stop — it's something they get in and out of pretty quickly."
So how big a deal will it be if your apps break big?
“It’s a huge deal,” Bradshaw says, especially for those on tiny budgets.
A bestselling iPhone app can easily move 300,000 units in the first three months. At $1.99 per unit, that's almost $600,000. Apple takes a 30% cut, but when you're creating your product on a shoestring upfront investment, that's still a lot of upside. As Bradshaw puts it: grossing "half a million dollars isn't bad."
Give us your advice: Check out recent “Ask & Answer” questions.
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From Martin O'Malley, Pittsburgh, PA what about protection on your app? did you get copyright and trademark protection on the app? do you need to?
From Mike Wilbur, San Francisco, CA Great article. I would agree with the timeline comments; approval is closer to 14 days. You may be able to get a discount by finding a programmer who's looking to gain credibility. My App, PerDiemCalc, was created by a programmer with limited Objective C experience. Although we took a little longer to develop due to the learning curve, he was willing to work relatively cheaply as he learned the process.
From RickG, Gilbert, AZ My SlotsOFun game was reviewed and approved in exactly 1 week. No hassles, its up and getting downloads daily. Apple Rocks!
From Peter Good article. If you are a first time at this market make sure you select a solid development partner that has experience (preferably their app made it to the TOP10). If so they will design the app keeping hundred things in mind and help you reaching success on the AppStore. This is the opinion of the managing partner of successful iphone development company that does commercial work for customers.
From Josh, Miami FL Selling your app is one thing, but even before deciding to sell comes the task of creating a compelling app yourself or choosing from the many iphone developers for hire. There are a lot of apps that go un noticed in the App Store. It's somewhat ironic that the bad ones sometimes get the most visibility (e.g. the baby shaker reference or iFart etc)
From Al, Phoenix, AZ Simon, do your homework for goodness sake. It now takes no less than 14 days to get an app through the review process.
98% of ALL APPs ARE NOT approved within 7 days.
From Anon, London, UK What Simon Pope does not mention is that it is currently taking anywhere from 10 days to 45 days for even the smallest updates to be published in the AppStore, unless of course you are one of Apple's favorites…
His testing and approval figures may be accurate, but they are misleading.
All is not as rosy in the AppStore as some would have you believe.
From Ted Marshall, Bakersfield, CA This iPhone application company has a creative slogan that kind of plays off the negativity of the baby shaker application, and makes it fun.
"Don't SHAKE babies, MAKE babies!"
It's called Baby Maker, by LOLer Apps. Pretty fun little app, great slogan.
It's definitely tough in the iPhone market, but things like this do help a little.
From Bonnie, Boston, MA It's not $99… it's a *YEARLY* $99, continuing forever.
From charityfinder Check out http://www.charityfinder.me We create iphone apps for nonprofits.
From Matt Riker I will recommend using ePostMailer for all bulk email marketing needs. Its the best free email marketing software I have used so far.
From veggiedude, san francisco, ca I downloaded the Apple iPhone SDK kit. It was free. I did not pay anything. The $99 you are referring to is for when you have an application ready and want to upload it to the app store – at that time you have to become a bona fide iPhone developer and then you pay the registration fee which I believe is good for a year.
From Toy Lounge St. Paul MN The app library is one of the greatest things about the iPhone – no other mobile phone can compete. The Toy Lounge at http://thetoylounge.com creates custom iPhone apps for business or personal use.
Who did u use to develope it? I have an idea that I want to take a shot on!