how to sell your iPhone application to app stores

Apple has now 300,000 plus iPhone apps offered for sale at its App Store. The competition is fierce so so as to succeed you must aggressively promote your iPhone app in the event you want a fighting chance. What’s the most effective method to promote your app? You must employ numerous tactics to crack the success code. Just relying on word of mouth isn't sufficient - you'll need to obtain the attention of the news media. How? My remedy would be to seek publicity to help get the word of mouth going which will then lead to those highly sought immediately after downloads.

Apple has now 300,000 plus iPhone apps offered for sale at its App Store. The competition is fierce so in order to succeed you should aggressively promote your iPhone app in the event you want a fighting chance. What’s the very best way to promote your app? You have to employ numerous tactics to crack the success code. Simply relying on word of mouth just isn't enough - you'll need to obtain the attention of the news media. How? My answer would be to seek publicity to assist get the word of mouth going which will then lead to those extremely sought after downloads.

Here’s a list of 20 ideas I’ve compiled on ways to promote your iPhone App.

1. Is your name catchy like ‘20 Minute Meals’ or ‘Doodle Jump’ both winners of Apple’s Style Awards? If not, consider renaming your app so it may be discovered a lot more very easily in Google searches and inside the App Store.
2. Include and promote content inside your app that can not be discovered anywhere else.
3. Provide a cost-free download to newspaper columnists, technical and non-technical alike.
4. Send out a well-written press release to the media announcing your new app and its unique functions no one can do without.
5. Use cost-free online press release distribution. It is a great method to access trade pubs, blogs, and consumer magazines.
6. Get a launch sponsor and co-promote. Hook up having a company that could benefit from being associated with this app.
7. Develop a demonstration video and location it on your own YouTube channel.
8. Distribute the demo video on line using absolutely free services like TubeMogul.
9. Make a tune or license one to play together with your YouTube video
10. Supply a absolutely free trial for users with an upgrade path to the paid version.
11. Host an App Launch Party for friends, family members and prospects. Ensure the cake has your logo on it. Order custom imprinted balloons displaying your app’s icon.
12. Get pals and business associates who're well-versed on your app to make a buzz by posting on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.
13. Set up a Facebook Fan page to showcase your app. It is no cost and easy and your fan page is often discovered in search engines.
14. Develop wallpaper with rows of your app’s icon and use it on your profile pages in Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
15. Inside your app, develop Twitter and Facebook update features so users can quickly post comments on their social network about how excellent your app is.
16. Participate in Q&A forums on-line, such as WikiAnswers and Yahoo Answers.
17. Get listed in free of charge on the web directories such as DMOZ.
18. Location absolutely free classified ads on Craigslist.
19. Create your own blog and post an announcement about your new app or about a feature update to your app.
20. Get reviews of your app placed at such sites as AppStoreApps.com, the Apple iPhone Apps blog, AppSafari, 148apps.com, AppCraver, iPhone Application List, AppShopper and AppRater.
Following reviewing the above list ask yourself these questions:

- Is our iPhone app getting all the media coverage it deserves?
- Is our competition getting a lot more than their fair share of media coverage?
- Would media coverage get people to download my iPhone app?
- Do I have a PR strategy for continuous year round media coverage for our iPhone app?

If the answers to these questions are not satisfactory developers should take into consideration a publicist who’ll 'pitch' the media on their iPhone app. A publicist will produce a story idea involving the app that would interest the people who read, watch or listen to a particular media outlet that would cover the app.

In the event you have the internal staff and expertise to commit to your public relations effort then you should still take into consideration hiring an outside PR firm to just promote the iPhone app. The reason? There is much to do and it is a big world out there with plenty of media outlets to reach. The outside PR firm can focus on the iPhone app exclusively.

The busier you get, the easier it is to "set aside" consistent, important PR activities. Don't get caught in that trap! If you want your iPhone app to be a success then hire a publicist who can get the publicity you deserve!