My experience with sales

GuaveMedia

Hey guys,

it's been 3 weeks now since my first app went out to the AppStore. At the moment I have 2000+ downloads,
but not much of them are paid. I was hoping that maybe 100 of them are paid but no.

Actually I have 30 downloaded paid games, is there a way to increase that? It is annoying to get around 300 free downloads
each day and to hope that just one person bought one^^

Thanks for helping ...Alex

tenrdrmer

The AppStore is a dreadfully difficult market to make money on. The only way to increase sales is gonna be getting more exposure. The only way to get more exposure is to have an app that is good enough it could likely sell it self with no exposure. See its kinda a double edged sword. I would suggest take the learning experience and move along to your next project and do even better. Many people take several years of making games before they make much of anything. I think I saw Darren (Utopian Games) post the other day that it took him 3 years of making games before he started to really make any money.

the app store is not a Get rich quick market like many new developers think. Its extremely competitive and your gonna have to step up your game if want to survive.

Braydon_SFX

Looks at Tenrdrmer's post *writes down in book* :-) Excellent post there, m8.

tenrdrmer

@Braydon_SFX If you publish that book with my Words of wisdom I call 10% of sales

GuaveMedia

Thank you tenrdrmer!

I am not the one who looks for a lot of money. It makes so much fun to do games, and get ideas for new
ones and try some things out...and having this awesome community is really all I need

I hope Braydon has success with your words of wisdom

Braydon_SFX

@tenrdrmer - Only 10%? I was thinking I might as well give you 30% since Apple does the same. But hey, if you only want 10, thats fine by me. :-)

LumpApps

Twittering and Facebooking a lot could help sales.
I always have an increase on sales after a 'Social Media Session'
Don't expect Angry Birds like sales though

Good luck

GuaveMedia

Thank you Ludwig, what I want is to make exactly 99$. Because then my money from the dev account is back in
All above that is amazing

I will try a Facebooking Session!

thx

Fogelberg

You just have to keep reminding people that your game exist. Marketing a game is as important as finishing it.

- Update often. Everytime you got a new update, it will show as a "new" game on App Store and itunes.
- Get reviewed on big sites/blogs. Send out press releases when you got something interesting to tell the blogs about. Something odd or interesting that they can write about.
- Build up a relationship with bloggers and journalists. Let them know that you exist.
- Use Twitter and Facebook to write about your game.
- Lowering the price for the weekend once in a while can help since there are a lot of sites that automatically shows price drops.
- Network with other developers.
- Don't give up.
- Learn from your mistakes.

/B

fadamion

I have had 14 apps for a year now and its pretty steady. 10,000 = 582 downloads varies each month 5.82% this is on my best app some get less than 1%. I see you are getting 5%, just get your numbers up i think your turn over rate is good. also give it time and more apps at first mine looked like you numbers but now i get 1000 free downloads a day and they keep going up so dose the money.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

The key to great sales is creating a brand. Just like coke or Pepsi. There are tons of soda pops out there but people go to trusted brands. Brands are created by first having a great product and then marketing the heck out of it. It's the old saying it takes money to make money. Gorilla marketing can be effective but it's kinda like playing roulette the odd are higher to hit it big. Building a brand can take years to accomplish, there are no overnight success most success that seem overnight are people who worked in obscurity for decades.

Clouds

. . . there are no overnight success most success that seem overnight are people who worked in obscurity for decades.

+1,000

jnica23

I think to have good sales you need to have a great game and some clever marketing. And you have to make games that people want to play. Look at the top 25 most popular games and try to come up with an idea for a similar game, but make it your own. It's like trying to copy something but adding your own originality to it. Look at a game like Line Runner. It's so simple but there's that element of originality and simplicity that is so appealing. The guy that created it only started making apps last year. He as 9 apps so far on the iPhone and 5 on the iPad. The appstore isnt a get rich scheme but if you have a great idea and make a great game you can make it. IMO i think the greatest games and the ones that do best in the appstore are the ones that are simple and addictive. I think that if your game has those 2 things the sales will take care of themselves.