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On thing you may consider doing, if you aren't already, is using one of the many libraries available which ask users to rate your app. In the last release of one of my apps I implemented one of the libraries and I saw the amount of ratings soar. Especially the positive ratings.
Thanks! Good idea. Which library are you using?
Nice. Congrats on getting your live app in the store. It is a great way to get hobby projects out in the open. Plus I get nice sense of completion when the app goes live. Sometime soon I'll post a sales breakdown for my latest app. For me getting reviews written on sites like MacLife and AppAdvice made all the difference for sales.
> For me getting reviews written on sites like MacLife and AppAdvice made all the difference for sales. How so? The initial traffic from those sites? Other sites picking up the story? Ongoing SEO benefits?
Unfortunately I can't tell how many came from App Advice, only the total number of sales that day (600).
(a) This is great. I've been using Maps+, which is a really impressive little app, but it's complexity often makes it cumbersome. Yours is very barebones, but in playing around with it, that's an asset. (b) With (a) in mind, there really needs to be a way to plot to/from somewhere other than (what the iPhone thinks is) your current location. (c) It would be great to be able to see bike lanes, but I understand how muc…
a) Glad you like it. Simplicity was a goal. b) Yes, totally agreed & in the works. c) This will be in the next release. d) We actually have a ticket in with Apple to get this fixed. There's nothing we can do on our end. Terrible. Thanks for the honest feedback!
- Use appfigures.com and appannie.com to track your sales and rankings. They provide much nicer reports than those provided by Apple. Also, they'll tell you if reviews come in, and even translate them for you. I'm personally addicted to the hourly ranking updates from AppFigures.
- Never stop promoting. Do something (even if it's something small) every day to raise awareness. Getting on the front page of Hacker News is an excellent start! But don't stop there.
- Get a 'press kit' of screenshots and descriptions to send to popular app review sites and tech writers etc. Many will ignore you, but the hits are worth it. A great review in AppAdvice completely turned around my app's fortunes.
- Don't bother with AdWords - at least at the start. Generally the price per click and the conversion rates won't support the revenue you would get from an app sale. Some people spend big on AdWords to push their rankings, but that's not a reliable way to make money.
- Expriment with pricing. Price changes are quick and easy to make. Don't be afraid to raise your price. You might be pleasantly surprised by the result. And if it doesn't work out, you can lower it again. I found I got fewer cranky reviews when my price was higher. but YMMV.
- Continue writing honest reports about your app's progress. We see so many news items about huge successes and huge failures, it's a good corrective to see how a 'normal' app fares.
- Work on your next app. I just launched my second app in the store and while I'm still not making enough to live on, it's great to get twice as much money coming in.
- Have fun. Building something of your own and selling it is great. You might start resenting your day jobs, though.
That is very cool, thanks for sharing! Are you doing any marketing for it?
Our experience is that people rarely redeem the download codes, but will often reciprocate kindness. Our biggest sales came when we gave some promo codes to a bike courier company, and they tweeted about the app to their 3,000 followers.
Aside from that we comment on some of our favorite cycling blogs with our url. That's it. Suggestions?
Congratulations! I went through a similar process with my first app as well. A few things I'd recommend: - Use appfigures.com and appannie.com to track your sales and rankings. They provide much nicer reports than those provided by Apple. Also, they'll tell you if reviews come in, and even translate them for you. I'm personally addicted to the hourly ranking updates from AppFigures. - Never stop promoting. Do somethi…
Congratulations! I went through a similar process with my first app as well. A few things I'd recommend: - Use appfigures.com and appannie.com to track your sales and rankings. They provide much nicer reports than those provided by Apple. Also, they'll tell you if reviews come in, and even translate them for you. I'm personally addicted to the hourly ranking updates from AppFigures. - Never stop promoting. Do somethi…
Thanks! Great advice. Signing up for appfigures & appannie right now...
Hopefully word of mouth among your existing user base continues to pick-up along with your daily sales, but you are already off to a great start.