Ask HN: My free iPhone app gets 1k downloads per day. What should I do next?

[krib]

I have a free iPhone app (let's call it App 1) that has been getting 1k downloads per day for the last 7 days. These are organic downloads, that is to say that people just find the app by themselves, I do not pay for clicks from ads.

This is pure luck, and I'd like to use this chance before it vanishes to start an "app network" (or whatever you call it), that is to say a ring of 10-15 apps that support one another with in-app marketing (I have read this and found it very inspiring: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2710240)

So I need advice as to what to do next. My main idea is to create two very simple 2d puzzle games (App 2 and App 3) within the next 10-15 days, make them free, and put a link to them in an alert box when the user opens App 1. Then, in App 2, I will link to App 3, and in App 3 I will link to App 2. If I get enough downloads for App 2 and App 3, that can start a chain reaction and I can make more apps, App 4 to App N (with N <= 15), which would be apps of higher quality. At the same time, I would run one press release per week for 4 to 6 weeks, and pay for clicks with AdMod or iAd to attract more people and try to get more downloads (I was thinking of $50 per week).

So here are my question:

1. Are 1k daily downloads worldwide (with more than half in the Russian store) enough to get traction to launch other apps, or would I be wasting my time trying?

2. If 1k is enough, does the plan I exposed above make sense or should I do something else instead?

[timmm]

First off this isn't luck and it's going to be harmful to view it as such. You made something people want so be proud.

BUT, as of now it seems your working and possibly letting people use your servers with no compensation. If your getting 1k downloads/day then slapping a $.99 price tag is going to make you much more than $50/week. I cannot emphasize enough don't use an ad based revenue model. Charging a price and dropping ads will more than double the income you would potentially get from using ads to generate income.

The alternative is use this app as marketing and start charging for other apps down the line. Free app generates exposure for paid app.

From one dev. to another think bigger, you can be making good money if you just start charging a price. People will pay!

[ScottWhigham]

Good advice. I will add that, from the perspective of an app buyer, I almost will never pay for an app that has no freebie version. 99 cents isn't a lot of money but it's my money and I don't buy things unless I truly want it. This even goes for recommendations from friends - if the app doesn't have a trial/free version, I'm almost never buying it just to see if I like it. I haven't found screenshots alone do it for me.

Make a free + paid version!

[ja27]

My vote is to go with a free version only, but have in-app purchases. You'll keep it easy to download and try and if they like the first 10 puzzles, they're more likely to pay the 99 cents or whatever for the next 30 puzzles.

[caw]

Another strategy you could try is to figure out why people like your App 1 (game?). You'd have to build in some sort of stat collection. Then you can try to replicate that in your later apps.

For example, if you look at games published by Donut games they all have the same basic structure. A bunch of puzzle levels on a 3 star rating system, and you have points assigned to you as you finish the level in the optimal fashion. The game itself is different every time but most of the time you're picking up a point object as you traverse the level, or you're traversing something in the shortest path. Whatever it is about these games, my girlfriend has downloaded almost all of them. You could try to go for the same effect.

[michaeldwp]

Well, I'm not in the iPhone app store, but I've done mobile development before...

My advice would be to not rush to release a new app every 10-15 days, just because you have 1000 downloads a day. Instead, focus on making your next app good enough to be worthy of receiving 1,500 downloads a day, and then 2,000, etc.

Increase your install base over time with good apps.

Yeah, you can release a bunch of fast puzzle games to promote apps 4+, OR, you can just try and make better apps/games from the start.

I dunno, that's what I'm thinking. I this helps some how.

[krib]

My point about releasing a new app asap is that I am afraid the downloads for my current app will not last long, and I wanted to act fast based upon that. I'll wait a few more days to see if the downloads are holding. And you're right, pushing low quality apps will certainly not help.

Thanks for your time and for the advice :)

[michaeldwp]

No problem. :)

I see what you're saying; but for your first few titles, I'd probably recommend just focusing on creating something that people will want to download and use/play later in the first place.

Also remember that once it's downloaded, they'll hopefully use/play it multiple times. So, maybe you should just update this app in 10-15 days, to get more installs, and then release a higher quality app in a month or so, instead of in two weeks.

I don't think it's about how many people are downloading your app today, it's more about how many people will use your other app(s) during the day/week of your new release.

Just be sure to be focusing on the right thing.

That's my opinion anyway. :)

[mike-cardwell]

Isn't this sort of cross promotion of apps something that Lodsys was targetting? I haven't heared anything about Lodsys in a while so I could be out of date...