Coming up you will discover seven of our favorite tools to use when trying to get our clients featured by Apple.
Get the email template we use to get clients featured by Apple:
https://appmasters.com/appleemail
Last week, we talked about the Apple Feature Timeline that has guided into getting ten of our clients featured by Apple.
Before we get started, I’d like to reiterate that the chances of getting an Apple can be quite slim, it is still considered one of the marketing strategies that help you yield thousands of downloads, press leverage and credibility for free.
So today we get into an aspect of the nitty-gritty details and list down our top 7 most helpful tools that could land you the coveted Apple feature.
1. Apple Developer Resources
There are two things that Apple cares about most and that’s Apple and their end-users. When you consider these two factors when building your app, it’ll help get Apple to notice you.
They put a lot of weight on the iOS compatibility and how well it integrates with their new latest updates. Check out Apple’s latest updates, features and products via their developer resources page here.
2. WWDC
This is Apple’s yearly developer conference, it may be expensive and time consuming, but we can definitely vouch that it’s well worth it. It not only help with staying informed with what Apple will be rolling out in terms of features, but it also give you a chance to really get out there and speak with App Store Managers face to face.
I personally was able to attend in 2016 and was able to sign up to every workshop with App Store Managers to get their feedback on the best ways to approach Apple for a feature. I even showed off some of our clients’ apps and got some really good feedback, which I took as an opportunity to incorporate the changes she suggested.
And in our pitch to Apple we highlighted that App Store Manager’s name and got that client (Balified) featured in the US, Canada and Australia just to name a few.
3. Bananatag
Bananatag is our favorite tool that offers tracking data for your email. It gives you information on whether your emails have been opened or clicked. This helps you decided what step to take next when following-up with Apple regarding your pitch.
A really good sign that you’re going to get featured is when you’re getting a lot of opens because if they like your app then they’ll pass your email around the different App Store Managers.
If you haven’t gotten any opens you can either send out another email using a different subject line or you can even go as far as contacting an App Store Manager directly.
4. LinkedIn
In conjunction to #3 and for those who want to get a bit more aggressive with your pitches LinkedIn is the tool for you. As one the biggest B2B networking sites it is the best site to get contact information of an App Store Manager you’d like to pitch your app to.
In the advent Apple trying to funnel all pitches to appstorepromotion@apple.com, we no longer use this method of cold emailing App Store Managers, but be aware that this option is out there for you to use.
If you do opt to go down this road, don’t just look for managers in the US. Look for managers who within your region.
This is beneficial in a lot of ways and one of them is that these App Store Managers are probably not as swamped with multiple emails a day compared to their US counterparts.
You can also check out a post we made detailing how we did the process in the past here.
5. Instagram
Instagram is probably the best social media platform wherein the audience can relate to the people they see on the app due its intimacy of having to take photos and showcase a part of their lives.
Getting to know your App Store Manager on an intimate basis can help you grab their attention and build rapport just like we did. I initially started following a manager on Instagram and browsed through his feed just to get a feel of what he’s like and came upon a photo of him and Tony Hawk.
And with that knowledge I pitched him with the subject line “You met Tony Hawk?!”
6. Persistence
[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/mobileappchat/433_color_switch.mp3″ image=”https://appmasters.com/wp-content/uploads/color-switch.jpg” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ]Keep at it and don’t get easily discouraged. It’s really difficult to get an Apple feature and there are multiple ways you can reinvent your methods to try and get that goal. It will only lead to better outputs and the more success you’re going to have.
Take David Reichelt’s success story for example and how he was working as a valet while developing the app Color Switch. We sat down with him last year and in a podcast he shares his the trials he had to conquer before his success today. Listen to the podcast here.
7. Publishers
When all else fails, look for a publisher that knows what they’re doing and really knows what it takes to get that feature and don’t forget to see what other growth strategies they have and reach to the game publisher. Here’s a list of mobile game publishers that we have on our website with contact information.