How (not) to sell your iOS app
stoicjesterstudios.com
How (not) to sell your iOS app
1–10 of 100 posts
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#2tl;dr There is plenty of advice out there on how to publicize your iPhone app, and all of it is worthless.
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#3Just played it. Fun game. Here's what it's missing...
First time I loaded it the menu seemed sluggish. When I pressed buttons, the button gave no feedback and I wasn't sure if the click had registered. I understand there's loading time involved, but some feedback would be nice.
During game play when I "Shoot" there is nothing that displays a shooting event. Balls just explode if my cross-hares are on it. That seems odd. Again, a feedback issue.
Also the menu buttons seem smaller than needed and there are too many options. If you could make it simpler that might be better.
Overall the game play is smooth and the gyro controls are cool. I think this would make a really engaging first person shooter. Maybe shooting something other than balls for points would be more fun.
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#4Just played it. Fun game. Here's what it's missing... First time I loaded it the menu seemed sluggish. When I pressed buttons, the button gave no feedback and I wasn't sure if the click had registered. I understand there's loading time involved, but some feedback would be nice. During game play when I "Shoot" there is nothing that displays a shooting event. Balls just explode if my cross-hares are on it. That seems o…
Cool, thanks for the feedback.
The menu buttons do have an invert effect when you tap them, but it might be too subtle. There's also audio feedback when you tap a button, but that doesn't help if you have your sound off.
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#5tl;dr There is plenty of advice out there on how to publicize your iPhone app, and all of it is worthless.
So, is there counter-advice?
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#6The biggest change I've ever seen is when I changed one name from "* Lite" to "Free *". Went from about 100 to 1,000.
Regardless, I stopped promoting my best selling apps and they sell exactly as many copies.
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#7Wow that was a very interesting article. Thank you so much for the advice. I am working on an app of my own now and my marketing plan was essentially the same as what you did. I would have never guessed it would be so hard to get people to look at an app.
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#8Here's what DID work for you -- summing up all those failures into a well written, entertaining and light-hearted article that is genuinely helpful to anyone else in the iOS game.
Oh yea, and the front page of HN this time around.
It sounded like you got your hands wet in a lot of different things. That doesn't necessarily mean you are going to retire on this game, but think how many people are aware of you now and when you do Bullet Factory X (where you skeet-shoot puppies and elderly people) you'll have that much more information on how to promote the game or where to spend your time. It also sounds like you had a successful working relationship with your sister (as an artist) which is half the battle for any game title. So that's a big win right there for your next game too.
I'm not that surprised as the lack of feedback from bloggers though. I think I get 10 emails a day following the format:
OMG, Super Games Factory, LLC has just released the
most amazing game on the planet: Dish Washer!
Wash dishes in amazing stick-figure 3D! Contact us for
a free evaluation code!
Bullet Factory is a fun/simple concept, but it seems better as an ad-supported title (it's too simple) than a 99 cents title when you compare it along side other 99 cent titles I've seen in the app store. The bar is getting higher and higher and unless I see something amazing in screenshots or a trailer, it's not even worth the purchase barrier to entry for me to try it. Unrealized value (purchasing a game for 99 cents only to realize I hate the gameplay mechanics) is so frustrating to me, I'd rather just not buy something I'm on the fence about.
I would take the low-sales-since-december-even-though-you-are-marketing as an indicator that it isn't a high-demand game. Release a free ad-supported version of it "Bullet Factory FREE" and move on to your next title. Keep track of the download differences to learn a bit more about what worked, what didn't and where the bar is.
That's not to say your next game or the game after that won't hit -- keep pushing, you'll have a success and it will catch you by surprise.
They always do.
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#9I know how you feel. I invested a lot of time in a game that just isn't selling. Nor is the free version. I mean what is wrong with free games? :)
I think sometimes we just fail to see that our games are really crap. I totally fell in love with the idea of a real-time multiplayer quiz for the iPhone. But nobody else did.
[EDIT]I am not saying your game is no good. I haven't really played it. More of a general comment on how we may not fairly judge our own work[/EDIT]
Re: How (not) to sell your iOS app
#10tl;dr There is plenty of advice out there on how to publicize your iPhone app, and all of it is worthless.
Actually, I don't think this kind of standard iPhone app promotion advice is worthless at all. But like any business problem, not every technique works for every situation.
I wish I had some better advice to suggest, but in my experience, games are a particularly hard category to market and I've never been able to figure out what works well there.