11 Top Tips On Having A Successful App Launch

So, you've got an app idea? It might be the next rival to TikTok, a game that will become a classic to every iPhone user for years or a home for all of your content in one place.

Whatever your app idea is, you won't get far if you don't launch your app right. An app is often defined by its launch. A poor launch can lead to a lackluster start to your big dreams, whereas a great launch can shoot you straight into the App Store hall of fame.

At SupaPass, we know what it takes for an app launch to be a success. Here are some of the top tips we've learned over our years of experience to ensure our clients have the best launch for their apps!

1. Build an audience before you launch

Launching a new app starts well before publishing it on the app store. There is a massive marketing strategy around the pre-launch of an app, and it all starts with your audience. Audience building should be your first step and the beginning of your marketing efforts before you even consider when your launch day will be. If you don't have a sizable or dedicated audience who are your superfans your launch will lack the support and hype needed to get it off the ground.

We recommend making sure you have all or some of the following:

• Social media accounts - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok can be used to grow your audience and advertise to your potential users about all of the exciting features, content, and benefits of using your app. Social networks allow for sharing, commenting, and reacting to your marketing materials, so that you can measure your appidea’s popularity.
• Mailing list - An issue we've seen time and time again with social media is that it is fleeting - social media platforms rise and fall with changes to their policies and public perception. Mailing lists let you have direct communication with your top fans and followers. A large mailing list allows you to send relevant information about your app launch and development, leading to a successful mobile app launch.
• Word of mouth - You can use your positive experiences and relationships with your clients to let them spread the word for you! Contact your clients, friends, family, and other influencers to get the word out about your app before you've even launched - let them know what to expect and they'll be counting the days before your official launch!

2. Know your audience

Having an audience isn't everything - knowing your target audience is vital for a successful launch. Be sure to know the following before you launch your app to make sure you get it right:

• Interests - what interests your audience? What inspires them? What would persuade them to click that download button, use the app and come back to your app again and again? These are essential questions to ask yourself before your app launch. Pick a random selection of your followers or mailing list and send them a survey to better understand what makes them click!
• Purchase intent - If you want to make money from your app, which most developers aim to do, then it is vital to understand how likely your audience is to spend money on your content and your mobile app. Ask your audience if they would be willing to support you, your ideas, and your content and see what the response is like - you'd be surprised at how willing your superfans are to support you and your creative endeavors!
• Competitors - What other apps does your audience currently use? Do your competitors have their own mobile apps, and can you use any of their ideas and features in your own app to capture your target audience better?

Knowing your audience is incredible market research that can ensure that before you've even launched your app you are filling it with the best features, and get feedback on how to alter your app launch strategy around your audience in an effective way.

3. Create marketing materials

Simply shouting about your upcoming launch to your fans isn't enough. We need something that grabs our followers' attention. This is where good marketing material comes into play.

Marketing materials can consist of a blog post to rave about your app and its new features, the benefits of using it, and how it compares to your competitors. A blog post is a good idea to rank highly using SEO tools to rank higher on search engines.

You may be talented in creating promotional material with graphic design tools such as Photoshop or Figma. If so, use this to your advantage! Create eye-catching graphics that highlight the sleek design of your app, show smiling people using your app and how happy it makes them, or show a problem that you are specifically solving through the use of your mobile app. Not your skill set? Consider hiring this out if you have the budget and desire!

4. Hype the launch

Once you have an audience and your marketing materials ready, it is time to start creating hype around your app!

Try making a waiting list for your app from your top fans, highest paying supporters, or influencers in your network to build the excitement around it. Perhaps even do a beta release to an exclusive portion of your community to gather feedback, get testimonials, and see how your users respond to your app before a hard or soft launch.

Start counting down the days, make it a mystery for your audience and followers to keep guessing what the app is and how it will help them. This form of viral marketing that has been used successfully before to hype up products and services from big-name brands.

Consider utilizing an early-bird discount to help boost your early sales and downloads for your app; that will give you a significant boost in users on day one!

5. Focus on user experience

During your mobile app development process, make sure the user experience is one of the highest priorities. We've spoken before about how important the user experience is when it comes to mobile app development. With apps we use every day having an incredibly high standard of user experience, it is crucial that this is at the forefront of your mind when developing an app.

App development can be expensive: costing you not only money but also your time. Mobile app developers often require more money than an entrepreneur's budget may allow, causing many apps to die in the early stages of development. App developers also often require ongoing costs for maintenance, updates, and keeping your app working across new system software updates to phones and the latest operating system updates.

Fortunately, with SupaPass we provide content creators the incredible technology and tools to create your own stunning mobile app : An app that rivals Netflix and Spotify and highlights your amazing content all in one place, allowing you to have videos, podcasts, music, audio, blogs, and other content on your own branded native app for iOS and Android devices! We remove the worries of app development and offer the highest quality user experience and interface as well as any need for you to be concerned about updates to your apps - we handle it all! Leaving you to focus on creating and curating your content.

6. Make sure you have enough content for your launch

Have you ever downloaded an app to find that you’ve consumed all the content within five minutes?It is challenging to gain downloads if there’s nothing (or very little) on your app .? Be sure that the amount of your available content is enough - or has enough value -to entice someone to download your app and keep it downloaded!

Your app should have enough content to provide a necessary reason for downloading and keeping your app on their phones. users' phones' home screens are often well-curated and only have a select few apps in pride-of-place. So be sure to make your app valuable enough to have users keep the app downloaded.

In addition, app stores will be reviewing your app before it can be published on their stores. You must meet the Apple App Store and Google Play Store guidelines for your app to pass review. Once the review has begun, the process may take up to a week or two to complete. So be prepared for this timeline and make sure you don't announce a release date for your app before your review has been successful! You’ll thank yourself for allowing enough time for the App Stores to provide feedback, as you may need to amend your app before you can publish it. Do we want to comment that we handle some of the submission process here?

7. Have a website for your app

To maximize the number of users finding your app, it is a great idea to have your own website alongside your app to help promote it. Websites are easier to discover through search engine optimization, and are easier to link to to your social media accounts.

Websites can be used to promote your app, your content, your business, or you as an individual. They can attract more people interested in what you have to say and allow you to target users through searches on Google. Use your website to promote good reviews of your app, which can become a vital part of your marketing plan.

With a call-to-action on your website of 'Download My App,' you entice more potential users to download it. Organic website visitors who like what they find on your website are more willing to download your app to continue enjoying your content or business.

SupaPass offers a free and paid website subscription. The best part is when you are ready to upgrade to an app, all of your content will be ready to go!

8. Optimize your App Store page

Setting up your App Store pages using the best keywords, stand-out branding and screenshots, and interesting videos sure to grab your potential users' attention is vital in making an app launch successful. Follow these tips to be sure that you are starting the right way:

• App Name - Your app name tells a lot about what you offer. Make sure you optimize your app name to show what type of content you do, what subject matter you deal with, or the problem you solve. For example, if you are making an app for fitness videos or workouts, include a word like 'Fitness' or 'Workout' in your app name to maximize the likelihood that your app will rank higher on the search results for that specific keyword.
• App Picture and Branding - What's an app without an icon? A good icon or logo helps build trust and validates your business as a legitimate company or brand. Take time to ensure your icon reflects your brand and public image appropriately - a bad icon can be as bad as no icon!
• Description - Make your description succinct. Tell your potential users exactly why they need your app, what features your app has, and why they should download yours over your competitors.
• Keywords - Knowing your keywords is extremely important for your app to be discovered organically on the App Stores. 65% of all app downloads are found organically through the use of keywords. Analyze what keywords relate to your content, and choose the best ones!
• Screenshots - Ideally you should aim for between 6 and 10 screenshots on your app store page. This will help make your app look more attractive to potential customers and users as well by showing off your best features (at SupaPass, we create and upload all of your app store screenshots for you - one less thing for you to do!).
• Preview Video - While videos aren't required on your App Store page, they can add a lot of value to your App Store page by highlighting your app’s best features and functionality.

9. Paid advertising on App Store

Once you've launched your app and optimized your App Store page, you can start leveraging the powerful marketing features on the Google and Apple App Stores, specifically the power of paid advertising..

If you can invest money into your app’s advertising budget then we recommend considering advertising in the App Stores. With 70% of App Store visitors using the search function to find their next app and a conversion rate of over 50% for search results ads, it's clear that if you understand your app keywords and market, you can use the Apple App Store advertising to great success.

Similarly, the Google Play Store has advertising potential that expands beyond just their App Store, allowing you to advertise on Google Search, YouTube, and the Google Play Store. It even lets you advertise your iOS app!

Make sure you use these tools to your advantage, as they can introduce a whole new audience to your mobile app and content.

10. Leverage influencers

Who is prominent in your niche? Who are the thought leaders and trend-setters who would make a big statement to your audience if they started using your app? These are the influencers to get into contact with inviting them to use your app and to potentially talk about it online with their followers.

Offer them things such as free access to your content, discount codes for their followers, or work to collaborate with them to help benefit them as well as you and your app. Leverage what you have created!

Fans of these influencers will want to be new users of your app, and this is one of the best ways to garner a larger number of users.

11. Link to your app everywhere!

As we've said above, a strong call-to-action that links to your app is paramount as it delivers plenty of opportunities to introduce your app to potential users. Here are some best practices on where to add the link to your app:

• On your landing page - make it the first and last thing visitors see when they come to your website.
• In your social media bios - 'Link in Bio' is a great way to end off social media posts and tempt your followers to check the links in your bio to download your app. People who love you on social media will more than likely love your app, too, and when they visit your profile, voila, there it will be!
• At the end of videos - If you create videos for YouTube, then be sure to include a link to download your app on the end screen!

Every opportunity you embrace to post the link to your app, the more likely you'll be discovered and someone will click on the download button - at that point, it is time for your content to shine!

BONUS - 12. Regular content updates and newsletters

A successful launch doesn’t end on launch day. To maintain users and downloads of your app, be sure to include a link or write about it in every email or newsletter that you send to your mailing list. Add it to your email signature, too! Consistently mentioning your app will surely drive traffic to your app slowly and steadily. Remember - it's a marathon, not a race!

Above all else, make sure your app provides value to the users that you already have. Keeping regular users of your app is hard to do with the growing competition every day in the app market, so be sure to update your content regularly and consistently on a schedule to have them keep coming back to enjoy what you are making.

As in life, most things are a bit more complicated than they appear on the outside - and launching an app is no exception. If you are a content creator considering an app, SupaPass will guide you along the way, take a couple of tasks off your plate and we’ll be your biggest cheerleader! Learn more now.