Earlier this year, Paul Hudson asked me to answer a few questions about app marketing for a book he was writing called Everything But the Code.
The book is finished now, and it’s full of great advice from Paul and a long list of indie developers whose apps are some of MacStories’ favorites. Paul covers the entire process of making apps, from validating an idea to selling your app and beyond. The only thing he doesn’t cover, as the book’s title makes clear, is building apps, which is the subject of other books and courses he’s created.
Paul was kind enough to ask me to share some insights on marketing apps to the press. You’ll find my contributions in the Prelaunch and Publicity and Aftermath and Evolution chapters, and now that the book is final, I thought I’d share extended versions of my responses with readers. Although the focus is on apps, I expect there are a few lessons here for anyone pitching their creative work to the world. So, here you go.
Paul Hudson: What common mistakes do developers make when pitching their app to the press?
Me: Most developers do a great job thinking through what they’re pitching but don’t spend enough time thinking about who they’re pitching to. I’d love to be able to tell developers do these five things, and you’ll have a pitch you can send to anyone, but it doesn’t work that way. Developers need to think about things like who at a publication typically covers certain types of apps.
For example, if you know a publication has a musician on staff who has covered music apps before, that person should be at the top of your list if you’ve built a guitar tab app. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t contact anyone else at the publication. People get busy, so don’t limit yourself. However, focus your efforts on the people who are most likely to be receptive to your app.
It also pays to make things easy for the person you’re pitching to. Keep your pitch short and to the point, link to a press kit, beta, and other materials, and follow up closer to launch.
A few other pitch pointers:
- Don’t wait to send your pitches until the last minute. Personally, I prefer getting pitches at least a couple of weeks in advance of a launch, so I can make the time for testing and writing about them.
- Don’t send pitches during WWDC, on Apple event days, or major holidays. Your pitch is much more likely to get lost in the shuffle on those days.
- You don’t need to ask if it’s okay to send a TestFlight link. If the person you’re pitching to isn’t interested, they won’t use it.
- It’s okay to copy multiple people at a publication if you’re unsure who to contact.
- Try to understand where a writer likes to be contacted. Email is probably the safest bet, but social media DMs might be better for some people.
- It’s okay to send follow-up reminders about your app launch. I personally appreciate them.
- Don’t expect app feedback from most press contacts. I let developers know when I find the kind of bug I’d mention in a review, but unfortunately, I usually don’t have time for much more than that.
- Don’t take it personally if you don’t get a response to a pitch. Remember, the people you contact are getting a lot of pitches.
- Don’t close down your TestFlight beta immediately after you launch your app. If a publication can’t get a story out to coincide with your launch, closing down your beta immediately so it can no longer be downloaded makes it less likely they’ll cover it post-launch.
- Don’t forget to include the name of your app in your pitch – yes, that happens.
