I released an iOS app. I have no idea how to market it.
Hi everyone!
1 week ago I released an iOS app for storing credit cards. I know, there are many like that one out there, but I wanted to make sure that I was using an app with no tracking and with no cloud sync.
I have got a few downloads already and I have done 0 marketing up until now, only shared with some friends. Now I am stuck and I have no idea how to market it.
Maybe you guys could give me a few tips, really basic things to do?
Congrats Bruno! And congrats on being top #121 in the financial section, impressive.
Fellow iOS dev here. Some ideas: this week I launched on ProductHunt (got 100+ users), posted on a subreddit relevant to my app (70 users), and launched a paid-to-free campaign that got picked up by AppAdvice.com, which led to 22K free downloads (AppAdvice have some criteria for eligibility, read them first), over a hundred new app ratings (great for ASO), and then $200+ in proceeds.
Edit: and do not underestimate the power of ASO. Choose your keywords wisely (use SenseTower for an idea of the volume, remove all spaces, do not repeat terms you already have in title or subtitle, do not include plurals), the first 2-3 lines of your description must be super concise and convincing (only ones user see without tapping "Read more"), add a video preview, etc.
Check my Twitter for more ideas, I document all my results.
Thanks for the feedback Kevin!
Congrats on the launch Bruno! 🎉🎈
Check out this checklist—Scroll down to the 'Post-Launch' section, I think it'll give you a lot of great ideas 👍
Fellow IOS Dev, gained 1000+ downloads from social media at the start within 2 mths, not sure if can work for you, but ask your friends to share your app for you on facebook and as an instagram story at different dates with your own pre-prepared copy. Feels awkward but you realize those family and friends you can rely on. It's also free publicity and generates some buzz within some kind of tight network and most importantly these people can get back to you with immediate and critical feedback.
Congrats on the launch!
Your app seems to tackle the pain point of not remembering the card number when making purchase, maybe you can write more about it on the website?
I think it might be hard to convince people to key in their credit card information into a stranger app, maybe you could add in a description like "Your credit card info is protected by Touch ID encryption, we can't read your info even if we wanted to" to assure people?
That is a great feedback axel!
I definitely have to clarify that on the website and on the app description on the App Store.
Hi Bruno,
Congrats on launching!
Are you (planning on) monetising your app?
Depending on your answer to that question there are a few different marketing channels you could try.
Hi Luis,
thank you for the feedback. Actually, it is a paid app. As people are working towards subscription based apps (which is probably going to be the model I will follow in my next product), I am not sure how and in which channels I should target.
This sounds like the kind of product where education and partnerships will be key.
Are there other products/services which suffer due to people not having their credit card details with them in a secure fashion? I bet there are. Reach out to them and do some cross promotion.
Think about niches of people for whom this is a useful product. Target those niches on forums/Facebook groups etc online.
Give people the option to 'refer a friend' in return for a free month
Try some video ads on social/youtube. Be authentic, personal, and address the problem you're solving.
Good luck!
Hey bruno,
Congrats on the launch of your app! I like the design.
I know this might sound way too "corporate" of a concern at this point... but you considered the PCI compliance implications of an app like this?
I work in the payments industry, and this is a pretty big deal when storing any sort of card info, even if it's offline. For example, Visa could charge fees in the thousands of dollars per month for non-compliance. Maintaining compliance is a huge headache, even for big companies. I'm no PCI expert, so I'm not quite sure if/how these rules would apply in your case. However, I think it would be good to keep it in mind.
Best of luck with the launch and marketing!
Hi Paul! Thanks a lot for the heads-up. I didn't even think about it. I have been working with several payment platforms in my past jobs (Stripe, Adyen) and I always rely on them to be PCI compliant. I guess I am touching a field I don't have much clue about. I will definitely check if and how I should implement those rules.
I keep linking to my app https://selfcontrol.apki.io/ when writing technical blogposts on https://pawelurbanek.com/ .
Content marketing is a great way to gain and redirect traffic.
Just curious, is the information visible in the screenshots real? I tried purchasing a few items on Amazon and couldn't. ;)
haha good try @hajibava 😁
My 2 cents. I would not mention credit card at all, just a completely safe vault to save any kind of information that required confidentiality, no cloud sync, etc. Credit card is ONE use case, that should me mention, along with other use cases (like password cards, discount vouchers, etc...). For me, the focus on credit card is a huge red flag.
Thanks for the feedback @gpires
I want to keep it super simple and with a single focus. Maybe you are right, I should not focus on credit cards, but in cards in general. I don't want it to be a LastPass kind of app.
I've collaborated with a developer on a few iOS apps - I'm the designer.
Our first joint effort was Hexiled (http://hexiledgame.com/). We got local press, but sales were modest - local and print press doesn't really translate to much. The funnel from read to download is too long. Shame because I think it's a great game. Focus on online traffic.
Our second partnership was Streaks (https://streaks.app/). We got featured a fair bit by Apple, won an Apple Design Award and the app has done well. I think from this I learned that one marketing option is just to make something Apple will want to feature - do something interesting or different that's new to your niche.
Our third partnership was originally for Apple TV when it first supported third-party apps - Streaks Workout (https://streaksworkout.com/). It's been featured and does well. I think being on Apple TV early probably helped. We ranked as one of the top five paid apps (in our location at least) for a long time. Is there an equivalent for your app on Apple Watch? If not, you could consider that.
Your app might be too simple to get featured, so you might want to get involved in finance/money forums, or especially places where people have multiple credit cards for frequent flyer points. (That is, if I'm understanding the purpose of the app correctly.)