You have developed a mobile app or game, received approval from Apple, and now the product is finally available for download. Even if you have absolute confidence in its commercial success, in the absence of bugs, and a clear understanding of its uniqueness and advantages, but the process is still ongoing.
You need to promote app on the App Store to get it installed by as many users as possible. In this article, the RadASO team gathered tips on how to promote Apple apps in 2024.
Even more insights from ASO & UA pros in ASO Busters on Discord!
Mobile app promotion in the App Store starts with App Store Optimization (ASO) – a set of actions focused on:
To begin with, determine what category the app belongs to, what its advantages are, its USP (unique selling proposition), and who your main competitors are.
The niche can be either highly competitive or include several players. This will determine the next steps, and it will allow you to identify the following aspects:
Due to competitor analysis, you can identify important aspects:
The main metadata fields that are indexed by the App Store algorithms are:
The app or game will rank in the search engine based on the search term that is included in the textual metadata.
Let's examine the basic requirements for metadata:
1. The App Title, or the app name, is located to the right of the icon and is shown in an enlarged, bold font. The maximum length of the title in the App Store is 30 characters, so it is important to pay enough attention when you compose it. The Title should be capacious, unique, readable, and relevant to the app.
Note. This field has the most influence in ranking, so it is important to place the highest-priority keywords in this field.
2. Subtitle is a subheading on the app page in the store. Just like the Title, it can contain only 30 characters. Its purpose is to give the user more information about the app and, in a nutshell, describe what the app is about.
Note. This field also has a big impact on search engine results, so it's important to put your keywords in context rather than just placing them in commas.
Note. App Store algorithms match words from different fields, so there is no need for one field to be the entire search term. For example, part of the search term may be in the title, while another part may be in the subheading or keyword field. So the algorithm will combine all possible variants.
3. The Keywords field is hidden from users and does not directly affect the conversion rate. However, it impacts the indexing of the application for certain search terms. The Keywords field includes 100 characters, where each key is separated from the other by a comma. Here you can place the keywords that you consider most relevant to your application.
Note. Do not use spaces when listing keys to save the number of available characters. For the App Store algorithm, separating words with a comma is sufficient.
The system indexes a few more fields from the application page, but their priority is much lower:
1. Developer's name.
2. Promoted in-app purchases – in-app purchases of virtual goods (content, subscriptions, premium access, digital goods). They can be found in search results, on the app page, and in the Today, Games, and Apps tabs. The name of the promotional purchase is indexed.
3. In-app events are activities that take place within an app at a certain time (in-game competitions, live streams, premieres, new features, etc.). If an app has an event running, you can see it in the search results, on the app page itself, in the Recommendations tab, and in Apple's editorial picks. The event name (30 characters) and a short description (50 characters) are indexed.
Note. Metadata fields such as app descriptions and user reviews do not affect indexing in the App Store, unlike Google Play.
Learn more about how to promote your mobile app on Google Play in the RadASO’s article “Google Play ASO: Ultimate Guide on App Store Optimization for Android in 2024”.
The conversion rate from display to install is influenced by the way the app page is designed. The most important factor is the First Impression Frame (the elements that the user sees on the screen at the first contact with the app) - according to Store Maven, 50% of installations come from it.
Let's explore the basic requirements for graphic content in the App Store.
A unique element that every app or game should have. Unlike Google Play, the App Store icon is the same for all locales and countries where the app is available.
The key factor for this element is to promote your iOS app, be simple, easy to remember, and match the theme of the app.
The key points to pay attention to when preparing it are:
Read more about the icon specifications here.
You can place up to 10 screenshots in the App Store, the first 2 of which are the most important. They are recommended to demonstrate the main functions of the application, which the user has to see. You need to consider the following:
Note. If there is no video on the application page, the first 3 screenshots are displayed in the search (vertical orientation). In the other case, the video is displayed first, followed by the first 2 screenshots.
Read more about the technical requirements for screenshots in the Apple's help.
There are literally just a few seconds to get the user engaged. Due to App Preview videos, you can increase conversion rates by showing the app's interface and USP in a dynamic and non-boring manner.
You can upload up to 3 videos (both in horizontal and portrait orientation) to the App Store. They will be placed in the first three slots on the app page, i.e. in place of the first three screenshots, and will be played automatically. In practice, one 15-30-second video is sufficient. You can choose a stop frame from the video as the cover image.
Note. According to Store Maven, the average video on iOS is only 4-6.5 seconds long, so you should put the most important information at the beginning.
Technical specifications for the App Preview Video.
An app's rating and review sections are a quality indicator for many users. They make it easy to assess the overall level of satisfaction with a product and, in the case of reviews, the specific context behind the rating.
In addition to the first impression, ratings and reviews also shape the general impression of the brand and indirectly influence the ranking of the app in search results.
Note. It is better if a person faces a pop-up after a successfully completed action, when he or she is more likely to be satisfied and prone to give a high rating. For example, when moving to a new level or placing an order in a store.
Note: The App Store allows you to use both standard rating windows and customized ones for your app.
The main goal of the A/B test is to increase conversion to installs. Apple's native Product Page Optimization tool allows you to compare which of the options is most attractive to users: the original application page or a page that contains a modified graphic element.
In the Apple App Store marketing, you can run tests with:
The testing objects can be different:
When creating a test in the App Store Connect console, you can add up to three variations to test (treatments) against a control variation (the current app page) and choose what percentage of traffic goes to each of them.
Unlike Google Play, you cannot run multiple A/B tests on the App Store at the same time. A test can last up to 90 days, or until you stop it. The recommended time to run a test is at least two weeks.
Tip 1: Apple allows you to extend the A/B test to all localizations that are available in the app. It is also possible to select only those that interest the app team.
Tip 2. To make the test result more accurate, conduct not A/B tests, but A/B/B tests, where A is the current variant, and B is the new variant and its take. A/B/B tests additionally verify the test results: ideally, variants B1 and B2 should demonstrate similar performance to confirm or disprove the hypothesis.
Read more about Product Page Optimization in the Apple Help.
Read more about A/B Testing in ASO. What Is It and How to Conduct It in Apple’s App Store or Google Play?
App Store Optimization promotion solves the following issues:
This is the adaptation of the application interface and content to the target markets where it will be promoted. Localization helps increase product visibility, installs, and revenue worldwide.
It differs from simple translation by customizing the content and elements within the app to match the cultural specifics and preferences of a particular country.
Methods of application localization:
This is the minimum required to enter a new market. It involves localization of only the key features and content of the application, as well as its page in the Store. MVL requires less time and resources.
It covers all elements within the app, and its page in the store. It may also include localization of the application website and advertising materials for a specific country.
With this platform from Apple, you can advertise your app directly in the App Store. Several formats are available in ASA:
According to Apple, more than 70% of users find an app through a search. The format involves your app advertising in the App Store on the Search tab even before the user enters a search term into the search field.
In this case, the user sees an ad above the search results for their search term. In order for the ad to be shown for relevant search terms, make a list of keywords.
The ad is shown to users who have scrolled to the end of an application page. It can be shown in all categories or only in selected categories.
The user sees an ad on the “Today” tab by scrolling down the tab a bit. To be able to run ads in this format, you need to prepare a custom product page. The user will get to it when clicking on the ad.
Getting featured in one of the selections made by Apple's editors in the Today, Games, or Apps tabs can significantly increase your app's visibility. Some selections are constantly updated, such as “Best Programs of the Week,” while others appear periodically.
Featuring can be presented in different ways – in a story format that focuses on a single application, or as a collection of games/applications combined by a common topic.
Note. For an application to be included in the featuring, the corresponding request must be reviewed by the Apple team.
These are actions of a user group for which they receive a reward. It is an effective method of how to promote Apple apps, but it should be used with caution. The App Store algorithms may consider a sudden jump in installations suspicious and lower the application visibility in the search results or even ban it.
The main purposes of using incent traffic:
Giant platforms such as Meta Ads, Google UAC, TikTok, and Snapchat offer various formats of targeted advertising – video, banner, stories, etc. With their help, you can reach potential users based on demographic, geographic, and behavioral parameters, and interests.
Another advantage of targeted advertising is the wide range of settings that can be applied to an ad or group of ads.
Mobile app promotion on social media works to increase brand awareness and interest in your product. By creating content for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X, you can reach a huge number of users around the world.
Interacting with users through interactive posts, challenges, and giveaways will help develop a loyal community around your product. Social media analytics tools will also provide insights into the behavior, interests, and demographics of your audience, which can help you improve your app marketing strategy.
This approach involves collaborating with bloggers, channels, and mass media that are relevant to your app, as well as participating in topical conferences.
A review of a new game by a popular streamer or a mention of the app in a podcast relevant to the target audience increases recognition and makes the product more attractive to users.
Note. Pay attention to forums. On Reddit, Quora, and other niche platforms, you can find users for whom the product is relevant and interact with them. In addition, many platforms provide opportunities for advertising, sponsorship, and reviews.
This is a method to promote your iOS app in which an app's ads are shown to users inside other apps. Formats can vary, from banners and interstitial advertising in the App Store to push notifications.
The advantages of such a promotion strategy:
This communication channel is worth using if you already have a user base: you can use it to contact them directly.
Segmenting your email list based on behavior or preferences will allow you to personalize communication with subscribers. This has a positive impact on their engagement.
In the newsletters, it is recommended to mention:
☐ Determine what user needs the application covers, and who its target audience is.
☐ Analyze the market. Analyze how competitive the niche to which your product belongs is, and who the main players are in it.
☐ Put together a semantic core.
☐ Prepare text metadata. If your application is available worldwide, localize metadata for target markets.
☐ Prepare an icon, screenshots, and, if possible, a video. As with textual metadata, adapt the graphics for the specific country.
☐ Conduct A/B tests with different graphics to see what resonates most with your audience.
☐ Monitor the app's rating, and respond to user feedback.
☐ Develop a promotion strategy – what methods and tools you will use, and what KPIs you want to achieve.
☐ Analyze the effectiveness of metadata releases, A/B tests, and advertising in the App Store. Take the results into account in subsequent iterations.
☐ Observe your competitors and trends in the category and mobile in general.
.png)
