I recently interviewed the founders of Occipital, creators of the popular RedLaser app. There’s is an amazing story about how UX transformed a mediocre success into one of the most successful apps in app store history (it has been high on the top 100 for months!) Read or listen to the interview over at UXMagazine: How UX can drive sales in mobile apps and, please, post your thoughts in the UXMag comments.
RedLaser Interview
May 10th, 2010iAds: a cent per impression and $2 per tap
April 29th, 2010This could be really, really, really big. The Wall Street Journal has sources that claim that Apple is charging a premium for iAds where premium means charging one cent per impression and $2 per tap (for us developers that means .6 cents per impression and $1.20 per tap). On one hand, this kinda stinks for marketers who can’t pay (and will mean it will mostly be the big brands at the beginning) but on the other, this could be a boon for developers trying to make a consistent income from their iPhone and iPad apps.
I am really sorry I haven’t posted about Grades for a while—detailed launch analysis is coming, I promise. Over the summer I will be coming up with strategies to monetize Grades now that the initial launch spike has passed. iAds could play a huge role in this.
One interesting statistic is that Grades currently does about 2000 sessions per day (it’s opened 2000 times per day). That means a good percentage of the people who purchased the app are using it frequently. It also means that if I could find a way to triple or quadruple my user base, I could easily do 10k impressions per day. I could probably pull this off by doing a free+ version of the app.
With iAds, 10k impressions = $60 sure cash. Then, assuming there is a 1% tap-through rate (which I think is extremely conservative), that’s 100 users tapping the ad, that’s $120. So that’s $180/ day total. Okay, so thats not going to make me a millionaire but I think these are pretty conservative estimates and that is a good $64k a year. Not bad for a relatively passive income (and many times better than what I’m making now at $1 a pop). I also think that tap-through rates could be much, much higher than 1%. For one, these ads are displayed right inside your app so users won’t worry about losing their context; for two, I think people will actually want to check out these ads since they will be interactive, high quality, and downright fun! So assuming the tap-through rates were more like 5%, 10k sessions = over $600. That’s $216k a year.
To summarize, I think iAd is a win-win for users and developers. Users will be able to try out high quality apps for free and check out really cool ads. If they don’t want ads, they could opt out by paying a buck or two. For developers, we now have an amazing way to make consistent long term revenue without the need to be in the top 100.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Success!
March 30th, 2010
In short: Grades has been prominently featured by Apple in their “New and Noteworthy” section!
A lot of people have been asking me how Grades has been going. My answer so far has been “pretty good for an indy app.” I didn’t want to give any hard numbers until I have more data. I was also waiting for last night because my final card had not yet been played.
Now it has. Apple noticed.
I have been obsessing over ways to get Apple’s attention. A big launch is part of it. Networking with employees on Twitter is another part. But I think the most important technique I found was to build respect in the iPhone developer community (via this blog and Twitter). I think this respect trickled down to Apple.
Grades has been blasting up the charts. At the time of writing Grades is #6 in Education. We’ll see if this is enough to break the top 100. I think it’s possible.
There is still a lot to learn and the journey has just begun but at this point I would like to thank all my friends and fellow developers for all that you have done to help me get to this point. Yeah!
Grades hath launched!
March 22nd, 2010
If you’re new, Grades is the app I’ve been working on for a year now. It allows students to see the scores they need on their upcoming assignments, tests, and finals in order to hit the grade they want.
Chances are you’re not a student. If I were you, I would pick up a copy any way. I’ve done my best to practice what I preach so I hope you can draw some inspiration from the UI; I’m doing some things I haven’t seen done in other apps (the whole background scrolls like a drawer, for example).
Get it now for 99 cents (intro price, will discuss later): App Store Link.
And check out the new gradesapp.com.
Let the games begin!
Tomorrow
March 21st, 2010@thetweetblaster put it well: “My @gradesapp senses are tingling, tomorrow is the big day!”
Yesterday I announced on Twitter that Apple has approved Grades and I will be launching it on Monday. The support from you my fellow developers, and some of my great friends in the Mac press (especially MacStories) has been phenomenal! I’ve had so many questions answered, so many RTs, so much buzz built up on Twitter. So big thanks to everyone!
Though I know I worked hard to make Grades attractive, I am still amazed at the kind of excitement people are showing. Here are a few samples:
@NullFear: “I am DYING for @gradesapp to come out!”
@simple_reviews: “We cannot wait to review @gradesapp!”
@viticci: “You guys in college should look forward to @gradesapp. It’s awesome.”
A lot more like that can be found on Twitter and in the comments for the MacStories preview.
I guess that was what I was going for all along. Its just kind of surprising to see that kind of buzz in real life.
But yeah, tomorrow is the day I have been anticipating for an entire year. I’ve got a bunch of sites lined up for coverage. Here goes nothing!
Update: by the way, the reasoning behind launching on a Monday is as follows: Apple’s rank algorithm is based on a 4-day period. I want students to be in their classes, taking tests, etc. during that full four day period (monday through thursday) so that students are thinking about their grades and show their classmates. I set the release date to Tuesday so that tomorrow morning (Eastern Time) I can set the release date back to Monday and have the app released all at the same time. This way the app will hopefully be high on the “release date” page when most folks are awake.
A year later, Grades is in review
March 19th, 2010
Peek at the Grades 1.0 website
I started building Grades almost exactly one year ago. At that point I had no experience with Objective-C, no clue about designing iPhone apps, and certainly no insights into iPhone app marketing. Attending school and having a part-time job certainly didn’t help either. That being said, I am very excited to announce that Grades V1 is finished and awaiting approval by Apple.
Perfectionism VS Time
I’ve been caught between two strong forces this entire year: one, trying to make the app the best it can possibly be, and two, wanting to call it a day and actually start making money from it. I have to say that the app is *not* perfect yet—there are still improvements and refinements I wish I could have implemented before launch but I think its going to be okay, you have to stop somewhere.
I do know that the reaction from beta testers has dramatically changed since I launched the beta program a few months ago. It went from “hey, thats cool, it will help me” to “Wow. AWESOME!” That wow is what I’ve been after all this time, it’s what motivates sharing. I’ve recently learned that word of mouth can drive an app into the top charts without the help of the press or Apple—more on that later but its from a very reputable source. This makes “share-ability” key, which means your app has go the extra mile to be remarkable.
Release Date Madness
We all cringed when we heard about Furbo’s release-date nightmare. Until recently, Apple allowed developers to choose the release date of their app (assuming it is approved in time). Great. The problem was that the app store’s sort by “release date” function, key in catching the eyes of casual app store shoppers, actually sorted by *approval date*. So to Furbo’s horror, when their app hit the app store (on the release date they set and a few days after it was approved), their app started out pages deep into the “release-date” section of their category. There were ways around this problem but they all meant that we developers had no control of when our apps were actually released.
Thankfully, it looks like that problem has been fixed. David Barnard of App Cubby told me his latest app was approved on Friday and then sorted appropriately when it was released on Monday. This is good news for everybody. It means we can actually plan on a release date and be able to tell the press when they can expect the app to come out (so they can have their reviews ready in time).
Another quick note: I’ve gotten anecdotal evidence from Twitter that the app review team does indeed work on the weekends.
Enough for now. This next week is going to be exciting.
On Twitter
March 11th, 2010
So my last post talked about how I managed to build some buzz with a glowing preview on MacStories. Remember, that all started with Twitter and that is just one of the many stories that are beginning to unfold. I’ll cover those as they are realized but for now, here are some other things I’m doing with Twitter:
- Finally created a Twitter account for Grades: @gradesapp. This is for people who are interested in Grades and not necessarily interested in all the stuff I post with my @jerols account. I will be sending all @gradesapp followers a DM at launch, so it functions like a mailing list too.
- Created a Twitter list of bloggers that have a history of covering iPhone apps. I check this list multiple times a day to see if there are opportunities for me to genuinely engage with these folks (without spamming them).
- Created a Twitter list of Apple employees. The people who vote on what goes on “staff picks” and other featured sections in the app store are *gasp* real people. If you can get them excited about your app, chances are buzz will build inside Apple and your app may just get the vote. Don’t spam them—I haven’t mentioned Grades to any of them. Its all about genuine interactions. Eventually they’ll figure out that I’m working on a cool app called Grades. Another way to target Apple employees is by running targeted ads on Facebook.
- Right now I have been using my primary Twitter account to follow the people I want to engage with (not the @gradesapp account). I think the spam light goes off for influential people when they see something-app is following them. The people you care about will only follow you back if your tweets genuinely interest them, and updates on a single iPhone app usually won’t cut it. Get into their mind and look at your profile. What are your latest tweets about? Who are you talking to? If they see you engaging with somebody they respect, they are more likely to follow. Don’t get overly introspective but it helps to think consider these things a little bit when you’re about to engage someone on Twitter.
And this is just the beginning. Today I had lunch with the CLT Blog guys—The Carolina social media kings—and realized I am just beginning to touch the potential of social media. More on that later.
Marketing update
March 9th, 2010
Spring break is here and I’m working full-time to finish up Grades and get people talking about it.
Yesterday was awesome. Last night MacStories, no small Apple blog, ran a glowing preview of Grades, “a must have application for students.”
There’s a story behind that.
The story
About a week ago, when I posted my marketing plan, I started engaging some of the larger sites that cover iPhone apps. At this stage, “engage” equals follow on Twitter. I was planning to start reaching out to some of these influential writers, retweeting them, replying to them, etc. but before I could get started they started reaching out to me saying stuff like “hey, keep me posted about that Grades app, looks great.” Wow, that was unexpected. I bet a lot of it has to do with the easy-to-grasp idea behind Grades coupled with its visual appeal.
Back to the story. Viticci of MacStories gets me in touch with one of their main contributors, Cody Fink, who happens to be a college student living in my neck of the woods! Great. So we did lunch yesterday and we talked about all kinds of stuff—really had a blast. And yes, I gave him a preview of Grades. Its much easier to market something that actually is remarkable, worth talking about. I don’t want to sound presumptuous but I have been taking the time (a full year) to go the extra mile on this one, and at least Cody liked it. I’ll leave it at that—the market will ultimately determine if it really is remarkable.
So MacStories was obviously going to review the app, and I was going to provide a pre-release copy so that the review could coincide with the launch, but I think pre-launch buzz is also really important and this was an opportunity to build buzz with a wider audience. I talked to Cody about doing a preview. I was a bit cautious since I noticed that MacStories didn’t have too many iPhone app previews. His response surprised me. If the app is good, they love doing previews! The reason they don’t have too many is that developers rarely offer them. Shame on us. MacStories has a huge audience and we aren’t taking advantage of it to build that all-important buzz on launch day. These people want to help us! And we complain about not having enough money for marketing. Hogwash.
Anyhow, the post went up last night and the response has been great so far. Based on my suggestion, they’re trying something I haven’t seen before: a pre-release giveaway. It actually makes a lot of sense. Giveaways have the benefit of building buzz but post-launch giveaways also have a downside: people entering your giveaway are less likely to go out and buy the app. Pre-launch giveaways don’t have that problem. Just pure buzz.
So far so good. Your thoughts, feelings, and advice are all welcome. I’ll keep you posted the best I can.
Update: for those who missed it, I also recently put out a video sneak peek of the Grades opening screen (when you open the app for the first time). It gives you a good peek at the kind of details I’ve been obsessing over for the past year (embedded below):
The Plan
February 21st, 2010
So I’m nearing the home-stretch with the development of Grades, slowly but surely inching toward the finish line. I pushed my internal release date from late 2009 to January to early February and now, well, mid-March is the plan—soon after Spring Break ends for most major universities. Grades would have been a good app if I had released it a month ago but it wouldn’t have been too remarkable and there are still a few details I am working on to add that extra bit of awesomeness.
For the sake of mutual learning, I’ll be very transparent about my launch plan. Here goes:
Background
This is important. Taking the steps that follow would not be nearly as profitable were it not for my previous marketing activity, here’s a summary:
- Set up Tapity.com with a custom template and began posting observations and insights regarding iPhone development, design, and marketing.
- Built my Twitter brand by posting quality links and thoughts relating to iPhone apps.
- Used Twitter and Tapity.com to connect with thought leaders in the community.
I did other stuff too, like maintaining a Facebook page, designing a nice promo website with a mailing list, making a video for the App Star awards, gained a nice community of beta testers etc. etc. but I think the value of those efforts pale in comparison to the value I have gained from my social media efforts. Its not mainly the number of people who follow me or subscribe to my blog but the quality of people I’ve been able to talk to and connect with—people who I’ve always admired and who are influencers in the community. I feel gaining respect in the community may turn out to be the most profitable “marketing” I will ever do. Its hard, but I think its worth it.
So from there, lets take a look at my plan for the next few weeks:
1. Finish the previewable version
I’ve prioritized my development tasks so that I finish design/polish tasks first and the other less obvious tasks later (i.e. localization, obscure bug fixes, and feature requests that don’t have a huge impact on the bottom line). This will allow me to have a very polished pre-release copy to show influential friends, press, and review websites.
2. Blogging and guest blogging
With a full school/work schedule I haven’t had much time to blog recently. I do have some really interesting posts in the pipeline, some of which may garner some extra interest. For example, one of my upcoming posts contains some great insights from some correspondence I had with a developer you have probably heard of.
I have also been invited to guest blog for a website where my writing would be featured alongside articles by some of my favorite and most respected thinkers. If the first article goes over well it could really help build my personal brand, which always helps in getting press coverage and making connections. I also think I’ll learn a lot from the experience.
3. Press previews
Once the “preview-able” version is ready, I’ll connect with some of the fine folks who run prominent blogs and app review sites and invite them to take my app for a spin with the hope that they would either preview the app to generate pre-launch buzz or post a review of the app the day it launches (giving them at least a week to write the review before launching so that all the reviews can come out at once). I’ll prepare for this by coming up with a great video, description, and press package. I’ll also try to engage these individuals on Twitter as much as possible before sending them an email. Cold calling can be fruitful but warm doors are much better.
It is crucial, especially for the big sites, to find out the individuals who would be most likely to find your app interesting and pitch them specifically (hint: it probably won’t be the top dog). I’ll also offer some of the bigger blogs some promo codes in case they would like to hold contests.
List of sites I plan to pitch to (please, let me know if I’m missing any crucial ones):
- 148Apps
- The Unofficial Apple Weblog
- The Apple Blog
- Macworld
- iPhone Atlas
- AppVee
- Apptism
- Ars Technica
- Just Another iPhone Blog
- The Daily App Show
- App.itize.us
- Touch My Apps
- Gizmodo
- ReadWriteWeb
- TechCrunch (hey, one can dream can’t he?)
Update: some more (thanks Chris, Marco, and Fares!)
4. Local blitz
I’ve got some great connections with local press, which I hope to take full advantage of come launch time. I also plan to get buzz going at my campus. I started a few weeks ago with an email to all students in the Computer Science and SIS departments announcing the Grades beta (which was quite fruitful). I’m going to see if I can get another email out to the broader student population and I’m also going to post posters all over campus come launch day.
5. Launch
When the app gets approved, I’ll send an email to all the people who have written reviews letting them know its publish time. I’ll also push the news to Tapity.com, Twitter, and the mailing list (right now 65 people have asked to be notified but I hope to grow that significantly before launch). The key is to get as much buzz as possible in a 1-4 day window—enough buzz to put you on the charts or get noticed by Apple, starting the snowball effect.
And thats it. I had planned to do a extravagant contest/Facebook deal but I no longer have the time to follow up on that; gotta know my limits. I’ll be sure to post progress reports as I go—would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Video: How I am building metaphor and realism into Grades to engage and stand out
February 15th, 2010
Here is a quickie. I’ve been busy finishing up Grades and wanted to show off a few details I’ve been working on recently, related to metaphor and realism. If done right, metaphor and realism can enhance an app’s personality and level of engagement, making your app worth talking about (people tend to share engaging experiences).
Go ahead and watch the short video above.
I’ve chosen a “drawer” metaphor, so when the app opens, the drawer opens up with some audio feedback. When the user scrolls, the wood background also scrolls (rather than just the paper on top, as most apps do). This gives the illusion that you are moving the actual drawer up and down. Finally, if you scroll too far down, you expose the drawer knob and the floor underneath it, just as you would expect.
Let me know what you think.
Update: the video is set to public now (used to be private, sorry!)