Top 5 Secrets to Get Your App Reviewed

By having your app reviewed, you can further enhance off-page app store optimization, as well as improve your credibility and influence. Moreover, the more reviews you have, the more others are encouraged to download and, at the very least, test the app.

It’s a huge no-no for any app development company to coerce or bribe someone to make some positive feedback. In the same manner, it is not permissible to create fake testimonials just to increase your ranking and get featured. Besides, there are many different ways to get your app reviewed by REAL journalists, publishers, and expert app reviewers. Here are 5 of them:

1. Build a comprehensive press kit. Aside from the app pitch, you also need to come up with a press release. I’ve already outlined in the previous chapter the tips and tricks in creating one. The press release provides some new information about the app, and enables you to touch base with publications and bigger networks, including press release distribution centers. With the PRs now available in various venues, the chances of being picked up by news outlets and other reviewers are greatly improved. You can choose to bundle both the press release and the app pitch to make your own kit. When sending both the app pitch and the press release, it’s best to copy and paste the entire text to your e-mail. This is to ensure that your mail can truly get through the recipient’s inbox. Some may have very strict spam parameters for e-mails with attachments.

2. Know where and whom to send these materials. To save you the hassle, the high rate of rejection, and even negative feedback in the industry, identifies your prospects or recipients beforehand. If I were to market the Skaterboy, I’d send it to administrators of gaming websites, avid gaming reviewers, and tech sites and publications (although these will be my second priority considering the wide range of apps they review). The purpose here is to reach out to the right audience. Bear in mind that it doesn’t really matter if you have less than 50 people to send these kits to, as long as these are high-quality leads and give you the best rate of return. It is also important to let the recipient know if you wish to quote him in your app page and future PRs.

3. Make sure the app is worth the time. Don’t waste other people’s time by sending them a half-finished, inferior, not-yet-fully updated app. Otherwise, there is a 100% chance your app will not get reviewed. Even worse, you could find yourself in a bad light with an extremely bad review.

4. Better yet, make a really good app. What makes a great app can be very subjective. What I want from my app could be totally different from your own qualifications. A great-designed app, however, tends to possess the following:

• Ease of use or gameplay
• Clean and simple interface
• Quick and efficient performance
• Fewer clicks
• Beautiful graphics and animation
• Excellent use of mobile technologies like accelerators
• Engaging (e.g. easy sharing to social media or integration of leaderboards)
• Cross platforms (e.g. syncing of data found in desktop version).

5. Do it regularly. Make pitches and submission of press releases regular. Spend at least 3 to 5 hours a day crafting pitches, editing press releases, sending them, and keeping track of replies. If you don’t have that much time, then you can hire a contractor to help you with this. Consistency is the key in maintaining your competitive level, improving app store optimization, and increasing downloads and profits.