PixoMobile – Robert Mao
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About the Episode
How do you get the press to write about a hard to explain app? Well listen how today’s guest wrote about the app on his own blog and how that led to the app hitting #2 in the charts. Also, listen to the surprising answer he gives when I ask him about selling his previous company.
Robert Mao is the Co-Founder and CEO at PixoMobile.
Show Notes
How to Write About Your App to Lead it to the Top Charts
Robert and his team had created a levitation app with no competition in the market but after they completed the app, they only got a handful of downloads. They presumed this was because no one knew about the app and since they could not tap anyone to write about the app, they decided to write about Levitagram themselves. They aimed to write stories which were rich in visuals so they shot some great sample levitation photos, documented the whole step-by-step process of how they took them and posted those stories in different kind of communities such as targeted Facebook groups. Then what happened next exceeded their expectations as the app when up to #2 in the App Store!
Robert shares that this success may have been driven by the viral factor of the app as one influencer in Twitter might have shared the experience then their followers may have immediately picked up from there. Those which had used the app may have posted them in their social media accounts and those who liked them did the same thing, hence, amplifying the popularity of the app.What’s great about this was that, Levitagram still stayed in top of the US App Store charts for more than one year. A lot of apps may get to the charts easily but it is a feat to stay in there.
Selling His Company and Why It Is Not a High Point for Robert
Robert’s second startup company had a great product, users loved it and they had a big market but they had challenges sustaining the business as there were legalities involvedwherein their clients bumped into trouble using their solutions. Sinceexiting seemed to be a rational option,they ended up selling the company to a strategic partner and while most of us would consider that as a great success, he surprised me when he shared that it was not all that great. He shares that it was better selling them company than having failed completely but did not consider it as a high point in his career as he preferred to have done something which is really successful wherein users would crazily want your product.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to build a mobile app?
Do worry about the advice others give, focus on your own true passion, your own data and your own users. Experiment a lot and look for what the users need and what they really react to.
Show Mentions
Fav app: WeChat: (iTunes | Google Play)