How to get your App reviewed?

Mobile App development is a slightly costly process and it requires great skills, time, and efforts to achieve a real good and competitive mobile app. Developers work diligently to build quality apps , and marketers work harder and smarter every day to get the best visibility and large number of downloads for the app. Having a good app that actually solves your user’s problem or offers a great amount of utility is the first step towards success, though in this intense competitive App ecosystem it is not easy to stand out from crowd. Not every app is like Google Tez either that can get more than 0.4 million user within a day of launch. So, the question arises out of many possible activities which one do you chose to bring your app standing tall in front of maximum number of users in shortest amount of time? So based on various surveys we conducted online on App marketers/ App publishers/ App developers we figured out that App coverage on famous review sites and blogs has been termed as the second best marketing tactic after News Coverage. And now, we’ve to answer the question How to get your App reviewed on App review sites, so let’s start.

And before we come to discussing the precise tactics on how to get your app reviewed, I want you to consider that it is not only so called “pro-reviewer” websites on which you can get your app covered, but can also pitch your app to professional blogs (related or unrelated to mobile or tech), Social media influencers and news journalists for this purpose. You just have to identify the right people and right platforms to target, and start the process with a simple tool of compelling email. The process to get your app featured on review sites isn’t an easy one, and totally depends on website/blogger preferences, uniqueness of your app, and how you pitch that to the writer. The success rate is between 5 to 10 %, and that only shall be fulfilling to your goal if it is done right. Let’s discuss some simple tips on How to get your app reviewed. Bonus for you, check this if you want to access our app cost calculator, this calculator will exactly let you know how much does it cost to build an app.

1. Pro App Reviewing Websites:-

There are many app review sites on the internet that write exclusively about the apps they think are useful for their visitors. Now, it is understandable that they will write about the latest trending apps for free to stay ahead of the competition. So, in most cases, if your app isn’t unique, then you should pitch the app reviewing websites with an offering that may not necessarily be the money only, but can also be a barter. But first of all, it is important to identify a list of such websites and then send them personalized pitch to request the app coverage. Some of the most popular mobile app review sites are AndroidTapp and AppsZoom. And you can find more by simple google search.

It is advisable that you consider following factors before shortlisting an App review website:-

– Make sure that website has a good readership, and you can figure this out using Alexa traffic tool easily.
Check the demographics of the traffic they are receiving.

– See if readers are engaging by taking a look at blog comments, number of social shares, and other factors.

Now start contacting owners of these sites, with a compelling email pitch while taking care of these pointers:-

– Personalize your E-mail, it should sound as if ou’re familiar with their blog/ site already. Make sure the pitch tone is neither cold nor aggressive. Simply write why your app is worth covering on their website and how the app will provide value to their readers. It is advisable to share other places where you’ve got your app covered before.

– Include the App name, its core USP, logo and a short description along with links to the landing page of the app and app store, screenshots, and video demonstrations (not more than a minute), you can pack all these in a google drive and just share the link.

– After sending the pitch, do not annoy the webmaster by following up so frequently, just wait and move ahead.

2. Professional bloggers (Related to Mobile app, startups, tech news):-

Similar to how you pitch website owners, you should be contacting professional bloggers who write mostly around mobile apps and related topics (like new tech, startups, next gen technologies etc). Professional app reviewers have their own blogs and they do write sponsored or free app reviews. One major part of their blog’s revenue comes from the contextual advertisement, therefore you should emphasize on that “context” of your app which can bring them more traffic, they’d love it for sure.

3. Contact Cross-bloggers (Bloggers writing for other domains also):-

You can also send app review pitch emails to bloggers of other niches, and sometimes it works like wonders. Like, if you have an exercise app then it is quite obvious that you will contact fitness or lifestyle bloggers but you could also ping food or even sports bloggers or even lifestyle bloggers to write about your app and that can bring some solid and kind of “unique” audience to your app. The idea is, even a blogger of different domain, but with large number of readership and some kind of trustworthy reputation, is as good App reviewer for you as a pro app reviewer.

4. Reach out to social media influencers:-

You can also get your app covered on social media platforms by reaching out to social media influencers. Social media influencers have a large fan following and thus they can help promoting your app by introducing it to their regular audience. Usually, Social media celebs that get most loyal readership are journos, food and diet specialists, self healers, and fitness coaches etc. So figure out the ones that engage well with the same demographics that you want to target and then pitch them an offering to share your app and ask their followers to download your app. In most cases, they will take some money in lieu of writing about your app, but it can be worth a deal if they agree to write atleast 5-6 times over a month, so that you get the app promotion along with some brand-registry in the minds of target market.

5. Press coverage:-

Last but definitely not the least (in fact, the first and most important app promotion tactic), Press coverage works the best. Now, News reporters will cover your app voluntarily either if it serves a social cause or is innovative enough or is a unique one in any manner. But most apps aren’t as unique as Uber (when it was launched as first taxi aggregating platform) or Paytm therefore it is comparatively easier to associate your App with some social cause and get some traction and if you can’t associate your App with a social cause then try to get your marketing campaign aligned towards any such social aspect, the goal is to get the traction.

Let’s understand this with an example. Suppose you recently developed a ride-sharing app like Bla-Bla Car and you are sending an email pitch to journos to cover your app as just another ride sharing app. Do you think it would be enough for the journo to consider covering your app?  I guess, not. Why?, Because there are many other ride sharing apps already struggling in market. But, you can be a smart ass and pitch it as if it is an app that is targeted to reduce traffic jams, pollution, fuel consumption in your first target city, and you’re seeking cooperation from media houses to help spread the idea then there are chances of you being heard. You can do so by pitching with an effective video or animation highlighting that cause.

Also, even if your app doesn’t get a news coverage, you can still earn it by being innovative in your marketing campaign. Considering the same example of the ride sharing app, if you fail to get journos’ attention to your app with a simple pitch, you can think of creating a promotional campaign like giving free rides to people on your own car having your app’s logo, on weekends, take their quick interview and selfie, all in lieu of them publishing their experiences on their FB or twitter with a trendy hashtag and there would be strong chances of now media coming to you asking about the app, and whole campaign and then you can capitalize on the same. It’s ofcourse easier said than done, but its worth a try, isn’t it?

These are some tips and tricks that I learned during my research on this topic of How to get your app reviewed on app reviewing sites, I considered first hand experience of app publishers and marketers, my own experience with our recent apps (including Pregmo that got covered by Huffpost), and also leveraged some old time experience in marketing with BTL activities. I’d be glad if this article helps you even a bit, feel free to send your suggestions or more tricks on How to get your app reviewd to [email protected].



Sudeep Bhatnagar
Co-founder & Director of Business
Sudeep Bhatnagar

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