Download This! Tips for Successfully Promoting Your Android App

So you’ve made a killer app, now how do you get people to download it? You could always resort to begging or bribery, but luckily Google has provided a few ways to make this task a little easier (and cheaper!). Join us as we talk about some proven and successful ways to promote your app, including a few that aren’t just limited to Android. Whether you’re an indie dev or your company needs help getting the word about its latest product, you’ll come away with some helpful tips.

Transcript

1. Download This!
   Tips for Successfully Promoting Your Android App
   Phil Shadlyn
   @physphil
   

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3. Promotion is Hard/Annoying
   ● More installs + higher ratings = even more installs
   ● Can be hard to make your app stand out
   ● Lots of tools and tips to make it easier
   

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4. App Indexing
   ● Add your app to Google’s
   search index
   ● Apps can displayed directly
   in Google search results
   

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6. App Indexing
   ● Your app can be grouped with
   others in search results
   

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7. App Indexing - How?
   ● Link website with app in Google Search Console
   ● Handle incoming links in manifest
   ● Possible to submit app-only content
   ● Google does index apps on their own, too
   

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8. App Indexing - More Info
   ● Firebase App Indexing
   ● App Indexing Codelab
   

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9. App Promo Codes
   ● Give users a paid app or in-app purchase for free
   ● Drive initial installs
   ● User enters code in ‘Redeem’ during Play Store purchase
   ● Manage promotions in Developer Console
   ○ Can create 500 promo codes per app per quarter
   

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11. Developer Page
    ● Promote your apps and your brand
    ● Landing page for your Android apps
    ● Manage in Developer Console
    

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12. Developer Page Example(s)
    

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14. Firebase App Invites
    ● Promote your app through word of mouth
    ● Allows users to send personalized invites to friends
    ● Generate with AppInviteInvitation Intent
    ● Receive with AppInviteApi.getInvitation() method
    

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16. Other Tips
    ● Secrets to App Success on Google Play
    ● Bring app to Chromebooks
    ● Android Instant Apps
    ● Translate app into other languages
    ● Nag to rate
    

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17. Submit to App Discovery Services
    ● Promote apps or provide paid apps for free for 24 hours
    ○ AppGratis
    ○ Free App of the Day
    

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18. Reddit
    ● Can either promote app, or ask for feedback
    ● Works nicely with Promotion Codes
    ● Subreddits:
    ○ r/Android
    ○ r/AndroidApps
    ○ r/androiddev (only if open source app)
    

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19. Self Promotion
    ● Email friends and family
    ● Facebook/Twitter/G+ posts
    ● Android blog submissions
    ○ Android Police, Droidlife, Android Central, Android in Canada, etc...
    

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20. Questions?
    Phil Shadlyn
    @physphil
    

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