Interested in some not-so-obvious tips to get featured on the App Store? Following the App Store’s guidelines and optimizing your product page are a must in improving search result standings; however, there are some unique techniques to boost visibility and drive organic uplift.
Let’s look at how you can get your app the attention and promotion it deserves, from securing pre-order features to finessing your public relations tactics.
Leverage a Pre-Order Feature
Offering your app for pre-order is a great way to get featured by the App Store. It only applies to new, never been published apps. So, it should definitely be in your pre-launch mobile app marketing plan.
Here’s how to do it.
First, submit your app and metadata for approval in App Store Connect, a web-based tool for submitting and managing apps. Once approved by Apple, you can set your launch day up to 90 days into the future, then set your pre-order date to be the same as your launch.
When your app is available for pre-order, the store publishes a limited version of your product page.
So, don’t forget to optimize your page properly. Then you can go to AppStore.com/Promote, craft an exciting pitch about why your app is unique, and send it to Apple. Your app is more likely to be promoted if Apple sees that it’s available for pre-order.
Support Apple
While you’re looking for Apple to promote your app, remember this relationship is a two-way street. Apple is also working to push their products, so arrange your app’s goals to coincide with Apple’s objectives and product release schedule.
They announce software and hardware updates at their annual Worldwide Developers Conference. This year, Apple advocated to remain a leader in Augmented Reality (AR) and multi-user AR experiences.
In this case, you could focus your marketing strategy on an app that already utilizes AR. In addition, make your app available to other products like the Apple Watch, but only if it makes sense for the user experience. Following Apple’s release schedule and promoting their products will help you get featured on the App Store.
Include PR Hits in Your Feature Pitch
Beyond Apple and the App Store lies an extremely useful set of skills and techniques to keep in your tool belt—public relations. Being a PR maven isn’t necessary to get notable tech publications to notice your app.
Before you put your PR skills to work, make sure you optimize and update your app’s product page. Additionally, you should create a website and social media pages for your app and prepare a press kit. The press kit can contain your app icon, screenshots, and video previews.
Now, you can start reaching out to tech websites, publications, journalists, influencers, or any relevant and credible industry source. Pitch your app with a unique aspect of your app and a fresh angle to differentiate from the competition. If this turns into media coverage, include those articles while pitching to Apple to boost your credibility further and snag that feature.
Competition Is High, Think Creatively to Get Featured on the App Store
Having a high-quality app simply isn’t enough these days in the crowded App Store. Developers and advertisers need to think creatively to ensure their app stands out. App Store Optimization and Search Ads are key to increasing your rank in search results but execute these simultaneously with these hacks. The results can boost your app’s visibility and credibility, driving your organic uplift.
If you would like additional tips for increasing your app’s visibility, get in touch with our team of mobile experts today.
Anna is a writer for the HighSpeedOptions team focusing on streaming. She started her career as a content writer in 2017, working one year in the fintech industry before joining the mobile ad tech space with HighSpeedOptions’ parent company, AdAction.