Every iPhone, iPad, or Android app launch should include a strategic press release campaign distributed to multiple press release services to get the word out about your awesome app! You have worked countless hours on your iPhone, iPad or Android app and you do not want all that work to have been done in vain. Press releases give you the opportunity to tell the world (selfishly) why your app “kicks ass” and why everyone in the world should buy it. That is a little over the top, but not really. This is truly your opportunity to wordsmith your way to the top of iTunes or the Android Market. Now it is not quite that easy and I don’t want to overstate the use of a press release, but don’t underestimate press releases. Take for example this scenario, you submit your press release, decently written and it gets picked up by Wired Magazine. This single pickup of your press release could shed some serious exposure i.e. traffic to your website, iTunes, or the Android Market and increase app sales. But how do you write a press release?
Press releases should not be considered rocket science. You can find free resources by Googling the words “Free Press Release Examples” and you will get several decent examples of how to write a press release, some even provide instruction and explanations as to what goes where. There are also numerous sites such as PR Web and PR Mac that provide low cost do it yourself press release solutions. Each site also has an up sale product where they will write your press release and it is not overly pricey. PR Web has a huge reach to some 250,000 websites and over 30,000 journalists and bloggers. PR Mac’s real value is that press releases distributed by this site go almost strictly to Apple type blog sites and journalists (sorry Android folks) maybe someone should start PR Android press release services (domain taken, but not valid).
A press release must be used for the launch of an app and would also be well used in a pre-launch campaign to build momentum. But beyond pre-launch and launch there are other great opportunities to use press releases such as: 1) App Price Drops 2) App Update 3) Media Pickup of your App 4) Company Milestone and any other news worthy event to get your app out there on the web and on the top of mind of relevant bloggers and journalists. Another understated use of press releases is for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. By this stage of the game you should have a website to market your app. You use the link from your website, your app, and any other link relevant to put into the press release. Be sure to have the press release on your website already and at a minimum you will effortlessly build back links to your website, sorry if this is advanced, but this will help you trust me.
Press releases should not be considered only the area of the full service PR firms, at least not anymore. Use the low cost services of the press release sites and get your message out about your app. Be creative, use your imagination, and craft a press release that gets picked up my a major news website and it may be the best $100 you spent. MV
About Mike Vallez
