Many mobile app users (including myself in the past) think that there is only one real way to show support for a developer and that is by paying for, or buying their product. Whilst I don’t want to ever discourage anyone from passing me some cash, there are other ways in which to show appreciation and it is actually worth more than people think.
Let me just quickly explain – the only way to remain competitive on the app store, is to have a free app which either has ads in or some other form of in-app purchase. As I do not currently have in-app purchases, I only earn a (small) income from showing ads. It’s a simple game of numbers – the more people I have to show ads to, the more money I can make. So rather than money, I try to focus on getting more people to download and use my app. From my side, I do this by making the best app I possibly can that will cause people to come back. Here is how you get support me:
- Leave a rating and update it from time to time, even if it is the same. This is just a case of giving me a number of stars and you are done. It helps in two ways: firstly, I get a feel for how people are feeling about the app – this is really important to me as a point of feedback; secondly, it helps with ranking in the app store – a well-rated app will feature higher in the rankings and in an app market saturated with app about London Buses, this is really helpful to drive downloads.
- Leave a review and update it from time to time, even if it is the same. And not just any review – tell me what you like or how I can improve. I read all of it – I get notifications when reviews are written, so I get a view of what people want from an app. And if there is something you want, don’t be shy to ask.
- Fork out the money. This really is at the bottom of the list for me – points 1 and 2 are significantly more valuable to me than the money from app sales. They have a longer-lasting effect and if really constructive, can bring in more income than 3 alone. Of course, I don’t want to sound like I hate people buying my app, because I don’t – I just don’t want people to feel like the only option to support me is to part with their money.
Thank you for all the support so far!