6 Big Questions Of New Mobile App Owners...And The Answers

Being a leading app marketing agency, we frequently get calls and emails from new app owners who have several questions about launching their app.

Sometimes they’re a large agency that is launching the first app version of their business, other times they’re an individual who has hired a developer to create their innovative app idea.

Regardless of their position, we noticed a common theme of all newbies to the app store. Here’s the top 6 biggest fears.

What if I only have an iTunes or Google Play app, not both?

Ideally it will be in your best interest to have both, but if you only have one, that is enough to get started. Both app stores have huge markets and audiences, and as long as your app is positioned correctly and has a good launch plan, you will see downloads and success after your launch. Also, let’s say you start with one app store version, launching a second version later down the road is always good material for a press release, social media buzz and ad campaign.

What if the app store rejects my app?

Don’t worry, it happens all the time. A lot of times there is a bug you missed, a rule you weren’t aware of, or other such thing, so iTunes or Google Play will reject your app. Consider it a blessing in disguise, the last thing you want to do is put an app in the store that doesn’t function correctly. That’s a surefire method to miss the mark on your launch, and miss the opportunity to capitalize on downloads and media buzz. If your app gets rejected, the app store will tell you why and what to fix. So you fix the problem and resubmit, it’s that simple.

What if I get so many downloads when I launch my app that it crashes?

We get this question a lot, but we seldom see it happen. Check with your developer ahead of time to see what kind of traffic your app can handle to make sure a surge of downloads doesn’t cause any problems. Also, your app crashing from too many downloads isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That’s like a brick-and-mortar store selling out of all their products the day they open. If demand is that high for your app, that’s a good sign that once you fix the crash there will be a large audience waiting.

What if I instantly get bad reviews of my app when I launch?

As long as your app functions properly, is designed well, has a clean look and smooth functionality, this shouldn’t happen. However, everyone knows that bad reviewers are typically more active than good ones, so you help prevent bad reviews from popping up by beta-testing your app with an outside audience to see what their reviews are. Do this before your launch, and fix any repetitive negative reviews of your app with the beta crowd.

My app requires more than just downloads to be successful, how do I make that happen?

Many apps out there today require second tier steps from the users, like registration, sharing, checking in, syncing or sharing to Facebook or other social media sites and more. There are many things you can do to ensure that your users do more than just download your app. Push notifications, retargeting ad campaigns, and social media campaigns are just a few tools you can use, but which tool you choose all depends on your app and your goals. Talk to your developer and do some research on what your options are.

What if I launch my app and I don’t get any downloads, reviews, or media attention?

Get a solid marketing and advertising plan together at least 30 days prior to launch to insure this doesn’t happen. Some of the basics that you’ll need to cover are a press release, a media contact list, ad designs and ad budget. You’ll need to work with your developer in advance to make sure that you have selected the right ad networks for your app, and have those SDKs installed. Also, consider hiring an app marketing agency to do all of this for you if you have the budget. Your success will be much better in the hands of an experienced team.

Carson Barker is the founder and CEO of mobile app marketing agency APPSPIRE.me. He and his team have been helping app owners and developers achieve success since 2011.