Today I’m researching pre-launch marketing for apps and putting together a list of press contacts. Apparently it’s a great idea to do a giant PR blast just prior to launch so that tech reporters aren’t blindsided by the viral success of your app. I don’t think my audience necessarily reads Mashable and TechCrunch but influencers definitely do. For an example of a recent app launch, I did some research on Peach and discovered that Teen Vogue signed up and tweeted their Peach account the very first day. Actually this is the 4th tweet on the Peach timeline:
I know that the creator of Peach also developed Vine so that obviously helped get attention right away. It’s still an interesting case study in terms of launch mechanics though, especially since he does know what he is doing and it’s possible to back track what happened just last month–news and social feeds are still fresh.
Beyond the standard tech PR outlets, there are also a ton of niche tech blogs and girl-focused publications that might be interested in the process behind launching an app and showing that it can be done with just an idea, some work and minimal upfront investment. So I am including these contacts on my list as well.
On this note, I read a few articles about how an initial press blast (or even an appearance on Shark Tank) at best results in a slight increase in downloads but will not sustain the success of the app. Ultimately, success will be decided by whether or not the actual target audience wants to use the app…and whether or not they keep using it beyond initial curiosity. It’s scary to think the entire success of the app could be determined in just a matter of weeks. It’s sink or swim and apparently once you sink there is no floating back up to the top of the App Store charts. I even read an article that talked about how a million initial downloads is nothing. I would definitely put that on my LinkedIn profile.
I do agree with the assessment that press is nice (especially for the ego and to feel like it might be working out) but really…people don’t keep using an app and telling their friends about just because they read an article.
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What will I do…
I will take a 2-pronged approach to pre-marketing.
1) I will start a social media pre-launch to get people interested in the beta. I’m really nervous no one will follow me back on Twitter. The good news is I can always pay for this if it starts to get embarrassing.
2) Once all the kinks are worked out and I’m going to launch it for real, I will set an official date, make an announcement…and see what happens with a relentless media blast of emails and tweets. I definitely think that having an exclusive aspect to the initial marketing might help- I am targeting teens and it’s not really a game you want to tell your parents about.
On a side note: is this the sort of thing that would be a good fit to promote at something like TechCrunch/Start Up Alley/Collision? Or totally the wrong idea here? I’ve seen other messaging apps showcased at these. Lemons would be…refreshing!
Oh, and since we’re on the topic: follow Lemons on Twitter @thelemonsapp.