Hey guys!
I wanted to know what is the best way to do a pre-launch of a mobile app? Anyone done one before?
Also what tools do you recommend that I try to use that will help with this?
First, take care of the ground work and prepare well.
Set up your website.
Use wix, instafunnels or similar for simple landing page.
Build one on ghost or wordpress for extra features like social sharing, blogging etc.
Set up social profiles.
Facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat and connect them with IFTT.
Create app video. Hire someone from fiverr to record one and do voice over. Provide script.
Design banners and ads using canva.
Create good looking screenshots using launchkit, shotbot or placeit.
Work on your description, really work it out. Write how your app will make people's lives better. Don't write what features are, we dont care. People want to know how you'll improve their lives, not what you've done.
Set up a press release on your site. Google for how to make one specifically for app and provide full package on your site.
Now that you got basics ready start posting on social profiles. With IFTT you link accounts together so when you post on one the rest will pull content from one "main" account and repost it to others. This saves you a lot of time.
Next, start choosing influencers.
Look for blogs, app review sites, youtube / instagram / snapchat influencers with similar interests as your app who might be interested to review your app and share it with their community.
Make a list of a few. Look how they present their content then pitch them in a way that they pitch their community. Be respectful and charming. Pitch from position of mutual respect. You're equal.
Go down the list and work out influencers one by one, eventually some will respond.
Thank them and inform your community. Post on social media and send a blast to your newsletters if you made one.
Scale up influencers, keep chasing for reviews and try to get featured on big sites. Those bring most traffic.
If within budget, invest in some ads like buying featured placement from large sites that wont feature you. Buysellads have a lot of option on that.
Facebook, instagram, snapchat, twitter ads.
If still within budget, buy incentivised installs from waypedia or similar. Mobyaffiliates have huge list of companies you can work with but get ROI nailed down before you invest or you might be throwing money out of the window.
Hit quora, reddit, linkedin and facebook groups for more exposure. Great source of traffic but be careful how you present your app. Dont spam, keep it relevant and share some content. People love valuable content.
Still within budget? Invest in more incentivised installs or scale up facebook/twitter/instagram ads.
All the time, track what works best, what keywords bring in traffic, what your competition is doing and keep improving ASO. Aso is big.
Keep chasing influencers, try to get featured. Leverage them so when you get featured on one use that as social proof to get featured on more.
Listen to your audience, ask for reviews, improve features and grow.
Ask for specifics.
Just so: Im building a course on launching an app. It's made for people like you.
Its still rough and unpolished but if you want a sneek peak and learn more hit me up on pm and I'll let you in.
You'll love the value Im giving and I could use a different perspective to see where I must improve.
Good luck!
Keep at it. Don't give up. It might take a bit of time at the beginning but your app (if good) will pick up and get traction eventually. Keep at it!
Edit: I apologise for poor styling. Rushed this post and couldn't invest more time.