Saturday, July 22, 2017

Mobile App Review Site – Does it Work?

While researching on mobile marketing strategy for dwindl (a personal entertainment recommendation mobile app - COMING SOON), I stumbled upon mobile app review sites. Mobile app review sites are similar to any other product review sites; in fact, the original idea came from video games review sites. There are hundreds of these sites; some are free earning revenue from ads, and others charge developers for reviews with prices ranging from $15 to $50. Majority of these sites are generalist reviewing any mobile apps they received while others cater to niche target segments. These sites not only provide mobile apps reviews but also news on the latest apps, previews, and features. Readers can discover which apps are worth downloading and which apps should be avoided.

So, how effective are these sites in promoting a new mobile app? There is no authoritative data to prove the correlation of app reviews site to app downloads. For example, an app, which was mentioned in UK national newspaper, only enjoyed less than 100 extra downloads, whereas an app (PicilT24) featured on Mashable gained significant exposure and moved into top 100 rankings in the App Store photo category. In fact, one may even argue that majority of users do not visit these sites to search for mobile apps to download. However, specialist app review sites could be effective in promoting new mobile apps to early adopters. For example, The IPhone Mom aims at parents covering primarily children apps, and iFanzine focuses on iPhone games.

Additionally, there are also businesses such as Appromoter and AppLaunch that assist developers in doing a microsite press release by submitting the mobile app to hundreds of app review sites and journalists. These businesses also provide premium services such as press release writing, video creation, and even confidential app evaluations from sourced reviewers.

All in all, app review sites for mobile apps’ promotion can be successful with a well-focused strategy. A review from a major tech network like TechCrunch and Mashable can provide huge exposure that significantly increase the number of app downloads. On the other hand, niche app review sites can be a good resource to target early adopters. Beyond reviews, a creator of mobile apps should focus on creating a good app that solves real users’ problem and providing a background story that people can relate to.

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