How to successfully launch your app

Posted On 15/5/2023

Pre Launch App Marketing is an area of expertise in itself. With more than 1000 apps launched each day both on the App Store and Google Play Store, the clutter and the noise is increasingly challenging to beat. Very often, even innovative apps with clear value add and tremendous utility gets ignored posing the need to market apps well.

This doesn’t end at the Product Development desk or with App Store Optimisation. App marketers will need to be incredibly creative with their marketing efforts. App marketers are competing against 2.5 million apps already on the stores, a million others in alternative app stores, 1000+ new apps being released each day and unfortunately inspiring clones waiting to be released the moment success comes calling.

It’s a BAD app world out there! But like any business, staying ahead means being creative and being able to see around the bend. Outshouting the peers means starting early – AND it’s never too early. Pre-launch app marketing strategies can start as early as 6 months before the planned launch. Keep the buzz going and peek around the launch.

Here are 5 fantastic ways to garner support and build buzz even before your app is launched.

Viral Launch Page + Social Integration

An absolutely creative & effective Landing page that is able to convey the gist of your idea should be the centre of your strategy. The page needs to do the following:

In the form of visuals & video arouse the interests of your audience. Reveal some, conceal more.
Easy Sign Up as the central Call-To-Action. Collect as many contacts as possible – they could be your first brand ambassadors!
Tight integration with your social channels should be integral to your page. Needless to say, have an actively engaging Facebook, Twitter & YouTube handles. Incentivise users to share your message in the form of say ‘Early Access’ or ‘Discounted Access’. If your value proposition is convincing – your audience will do the rest.

Pre-Release Platforms

Depending on your niche and segment, thankfully, there are plenty of pre-release platforms which you most definitely should take advantage of. Here are some things you should remember here:

Be Succinct, Simple & Straight-forward while describing what your product is. Focus on the benefit, make the audience ‘imagine’ using your app & don’t shy away from letting the hair down and being informal. ‘Imagine landing in Sao Paolo and knowing the best places to eat straight away’ Or ‘Imagine Now having to rely on your neighbours advise on insurance’ let’s your audience have an instant sense of what you have in the offing.
Keep the engagement ongoing even if the release is delayed. As entrepreneurs, we are most often dealing with the product, legal, marketing, sales & office guy – which shouldn’t stop the engagement on pre-release platforms. Answer questions, appreciate comments, follow back followers and take every opportunity to present the idea seriously.

Pre-Launch Press Release

The objective of a pre-launch press release is very different from an app launch press release. A Pre-Launch press release should focus more on the ‘Why’ part than on the ‘What’ part. The more you can add emotions, purpose and human touch to the ‘Why’ the better. Remember, your press release is still only an idea when you send it out to journalist, therefore it needs to stand out in terms of passion and obsession with solving a problem. Some pointers here:

Explain the problem with all available data and the underlying pain the problem it causes. Let’s say if you are talking about the pre-launch of a localised restaurant discovery app – you could focus on how many tourists don’t get to try authentic local food, instead get misled by ‘touristy’ options. Grab all data you can.
Next show why you are the right person to solve the problem. From your previous experience within the particular segment or outside it, how you have delivered success on various undertakings of yours.
Next show genuineness of your efforts. There are more ideas than human beings on Earth. Is this idea being really solved? Give dates, technology details, algorithm parameters, founding team, location – anything you can add to make it look like a real army behind countering the problem being talked about.

Influential Users

If you do have popular, influential, famous personalities within your circles – give them early access. Let them comment and help spread the word. Add their experiences to the Launch Page, Social Channels and Press Release. ‘Mr Famous describes AppXY as the most reliable travel app he has used’ will go a long way in building trust and credibility.

App Trailer + Preview version

There’s no better way to put the concept across than a creative video that gives a glimpse of the UI/UX, user emotions, the problem being solved, the brand personality, etc. If possible throw in a web or app preview version for your audience to get a real experience of what your app really is.