Frankly, to make a good mobile application is not so simple. And you will not find a blueprint that will help in this. But an advertising campaign that will get lots of plants and even go to the top, it is realistic.

Has its own peculiarities promote Android and iOS applications. But in this post I want to touch on is the general steps.

So, where to start?

Promotion starts before the application is published. Before it is published, it is necessary to prepare the site, press release, press kit, videos, communities in social networks. Actually it is not always necessary to use all of the above. But be sure to provide some online presence (the information about the application, the ability to contact the developer, information for journalists).

A little closer look at each item.

Website. If you think your application is strong and will find its audience, you should not have any doubts about the creation of the site. Website is needed for user support and branding. Create it before the release of the application. What for? First, collect e-mail addresses of potential users. Second, to test the application on the target audience (you can conduct a poll on the site or to give access to the closed version of the application). Third, the web site will allow you to establish initial contacts with the press.

Having a website — it is one of the key moments of the promotion.

Press release. One might think that this old-school method of promotion. But in practice, it is not. It is important not to forget that we promote a mobile application, so the press release is written by its own rules.

In the release, do not forget to specify the unique features of the application, hard facts (numbers) and try to make the news is not more than one page. Information for release: the application name and the key characteristics, general information that will interest a journalist and he will continue reading, the entry, screenshots, description, price, link to the application, company information, contact information.

Press kit. It is needed to ensure that the information can be easily accessed by a journalist. You can create a separate page for the press on your website. Press kit contains the application icon in good quality, screenshots, news release, links to applications, website, social network links. This is good if you offer a bonus to press representatives (free installation of an application, tips within an application, etc.). There is a special (free) service that will help you to create a press kit for 30 minutes — http://dopresskit.com/.

Once you have prepared all the materials, you can begin your communication with the press and bloggers. These people are very busy, they get a lot of requests every day, so it’s important that they remember your request. And it is equally important that the information about your application is published free of charge. Therefore it is necessary to prepare a short letter with a personal appeal to the journalist (you need to google to find the name of the person to whom you are applying, or you can send a message through LinkedIn / Facebook). You send an e-mail, which provides key points of your application. It turns out to be a brief press release or a pitch. You should mention the following: name, what the application can do and what are its characteristics, price, link to the site (press kit), a link to the app, the screenshot, video (if available), description, contact information. You do need to send a press release at this stage. If necessary, the journalist will ask for it or will find it yourself in the press kit.

If you start talking to press reporters before the application launch, make sure to specify the release date of the letter in order the news comes out on the day of official launch.

If you are wondering what web resource to use to publish the news of your application here is a short list of them:

Android

— http://androidguys.com/

— http://androidandme.com/

— http://androinica.com/

— http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/

— http://www.googleandblog.com/

— http://www.helloandroid.com/

— http://imandroid.org/

— http://phandroid.com/

— http://www.planetandroid.com/

— http://www.talkandroid.com/

and iOS

– http://iphone.appstorm.net/

– http://www.macworld.com/appguide/

– http://beautifulpixels.com/

– http://smokingapples.com/

– http://appshopper.com/

After the release of the application it is necessarily to track all the references, gather user feedback, and of course react on the.