App promotion sites are one of the key elements to give mobile apps more visibility on the internet. In this article, I want to show you some basic facts about all the different app promotion sites available and how you, as app developers, can benefit from using them.
The concept of app promotion sites is quite simple: the site will show some facts about your app and the users of that site will see your app. As Blogspot shows, the more contact points you have to a potential buyer, i.e. a user for your app, the more likely it will become to get that user. You can leverage this through any kind of marketing activity you run, like the advertisement of your app, active social media posting or even app store optimization.
My advise for you would be to use as many channels to promote your app. So you should always find as many app promotion websites as possible to write about your app. The hard part will be that you need to create something special for every kind of app promotion site out there to get the best performance. Let’s take a look at the different kinds of app promotion sites and how you should approach them.
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Different Kinds of App Promotion Sites on the Internet
iOS and Android app promotion is a business model with many different touch points. The same is true for app promotion sites: You can find many different websites talking about mobile apps. Most of them will fall into one of these categories:
- App review websites
- Press release websites
- Websites and communities for your niche or startups in general
- Specialized websites in a niche, i.e. Blogs
- Websites with influencers
Mobile Apps are widely used today. They have become part of business strategies, communication methods, bring entertainment, and are a foundation of most internet communities. According to the data released by the eMarketer, the majority of Americans are consuming more digital media than any other source.
As you can see in the study, Americans spend five hours and more online, every day. More then half of the time, a mobile device is used to consume digital media. It also shows that the time spends on anything else besides mobile devices is declining, so 2019 will be a great year to promote your app with app promotion sites. But how can app promotion sites be a good part of your mobile marketing strategy?
App Promotion Sites As Part Of Your Mobile Marketing Strategy
The amount of apps that can be found in the major app stores is rising, this trend will continue for at least a few years. With this, it will become harder to get organic and free app installs for your mobile app from the play store alone. A good marketing strategy will be key for successful apps. The promotion of your app should never end, so getting more promotional real estate will be your key advantage over your competitors.
There are many ways for your mobile marketing strategy that you can use to:
- Advertising your App to generate more users
- Active social media posting to get more reach
- Receiving more installs for your app to increase your app store visibility
- and hundreds of other things you can try.
App promotion sites can help you with all of these things as they will help you get more visibility on all channels. The potential users will find your app and they can decide if your app is what they are looking for to get their needs fulfilled. They will find a short review which will, in turn, strengthen their trust and will eventually lead to a successful conversion.
App Promotion Sites Details
There are kinds of app promotion sites you will already have heard about and others, you may not know about. Let’s take a look at of them.
Mobile App Review Sites
Ratings and reviews are driving installs. This is shown in all app stores and also on the internet as a whole. You can make good use of this with app review sites, as a majority of these websites will take a good look at your app and will review them. If you get a good review, most of them will also show you app on the front page of the website so that you will get more exposure.
Most App Review Sites also work for all Operating Systems
Most app review sites will take a look at all available versions of your app. So you can get two or more reviews (iOS and Android) with just one post.
Another point besides your operating system should also be the category of your app. Most mobile users directly search for a specific category of apps to download, i.e. casual games. Your app will be listed alongside other competitor apps on the app review sites, so you should be able to stand out from the crowd with your review.
Mobile App Press Release Websites
A press release sounds kind of boring, am I right? It can still be a great opportunity for your mobile marketing to get some influential person to write about you.
With a press release, you can contact journalists, editors, but also bloggers and other influencers of app promotion sites and inform them about your app.
It is hard work to make them talk about your app since they receive press releases every day. If yours doesn’t stick out they will not wast any words on it.
Writing a press release is a balancing act: You want to give all the important information about your app but at the same time you need to keep it short and concise.
In the following, some basic information about this type of text is elucidated.
Text Length
The longer the text, the more likely it is that its recipient loses interest in reading it.
It already starts at the beginning of your text, with a great title and the first few sentences about your app. One page should be enough to cover all the relevant app information.
It is also necessary to talk about your company in a press release. Mentioning it at the end is enough because your app is the focus. If your company already developed well-known apps or has won an award, you should let your addressees know about it.
Structure
Press releases should have a readable structure so your readers won’t be overwhelmed at first glance. Make sure to use paragraphs as well as a font pleasing to the eye.
You can structure your press release according to certain aspects, e.g. description, main app functions, OS requirements, availability, etc. On Apptamin, you will find a graphic example of the structure of a press release.
Phrasing
This is the trickiest part of the text. On one hand, your press release needs to have an advertising touch because you want publicity on app promotion sites. You want to show why your addressees should announce your app to their audience.
On the other hand, journalists expect to read the news, meaning an objective article with a neutral style providing data, information, etc.
Combining both styles and finding the best words can be difficult, especially for newbies. Ad agencies that cooperate with app promotion sites will be glad to offer you help in this situation, creating a great press release for your app.
3. Websites and Communities for Startups
There are millions of websites on the internet for each and every topic. Did you create your very first app? Your company is not well-known yet? Then you can take advantage of app promotion sites that are only available for startup companies.
Let your company and/or your product get listed in these communities and publish information among like-minded people.
It’s a great chance to become visible and push past big brands or app developers that are already known among users, their apps staying in the top part of the charts. People who are interested in new products might find your app interesting – whether as potential users or as business partners/investors.
You might also communicate with or get help from other startup companies. Exchanging experiences and information is a great feature of such websites where people with the same vision can create a great community.
For example, Startup Grind is a platform where you can connect with startups from all around the world, and it cooperates with Google for Entrepreneurs.
In 4 years, the number of Tumblr blogs increased above tenfold © Statista
4. Blogs and Specialized Websites
Since the digital world has become number one among all media types, you will find that a lot of people have a website or a blog to post interesting things. Now, you might ask yourself “Why does a blog count as app promotion site?”
Blogs are one phenomenon arising from the digital era, having huge followership if people are interested in the content that is covered in the blog. If you can have your app mentioned in there, readers will probably be interested in it and will take a look at it, hence the awareness of your app will increase.
The same goes for websites dealing only with specific topics – in your case e.g. mobile apps, smartphones, and the like. These app promotion sites are not only created by private persons but also by companies or organizations publishing articles on a blog regularly.
The Apps World Blog deals with various aspects and news of its industry, while the same-titled Apps World is a global event about the app industry.
5. Websites to Contact Influencers
This special type of app promotion site came up in the last few years and is becoming more and more popular. Influencers are active on social media and have a pretty big followership.
This means they have a huge audience for promotion purposes. It’s an attractive way of app promotion you should consider.
Thousands of influencers are possible candidates for talking about apps or mobile in general. But how to pick the right one? Instead of rifling through the great world of social media, there are websites looking for the best influencers of your product. Buzzsumo.com is one of such app promotion sites, offering several search tools for content research and influencers.
Social media, in general, is a great way of spreading the news about your (new) app.
Consumers trust influencers more than the brand itself Source: https://contently.com/2015/07/13/infographic-why-influencer-marketing-works/
How to Approach App Promotion Sites
When searching for app promotion sites you will find a lot of websites offering this service as well as a great number of influencers, blogs, and other websites where you can place your app’s name.
Our tip: Don’t rush into app promotion without having drawn up a marketing plan beforehand, including the budget you can spend and types of app promotion you want to benefit from. Otherwise, you might get lost.
If you are unsure about how to promote your app in the right way, you can expect help from ad networks and agencies that offer this service. They are connected with app promotion sites and create personalized promotion campaigns to boost your app the best way.
For Free or Not For Free
Most of these websites are free of charge and don’t ask you to draw a single penny for the app promotion site.
Regarding app review sites and communities, all you have to do is register with data about your company and your app. This can be a great advantage, especially for those who are on a tight budget. For journalists, bloggers, and influencers, you need to contact and convince them of talking about your app.
However, it is still good to spend money on your app promotion, so you can effectively see better results, faster app optimization, and more app downloads. Some app promotion sites may require you to spend money but this implicates more visibility or a better ranking of your article.
Let’s take a look at the websites you can use to promote your app. I used different lists (AppSamurai, Sixteenventures, Timecamp, and Justin McGill) to compile the best overview for you.
Where Can I Advertise My Apps for Better Promotional Solution?