Johannes is the co-founder of Good news to everyone: From today on, Droid-Blog.net will give away five copies of Jay Van Buitens book Genius Android Marketing: Get Rich by Outsmarting the Android Market.
What can I expect?
I asked Jay to introduce himself and his book, here’s what he wrote:
Background info:
“My name is Jay Van Buiten, I’m from the New York area and I started Android development about 2 years ago. My most successful app is “The File Converter”, which allows you to convert documents and media between different file types. After trying a variety of things in the past 2 years to figure out how to make money and get the word out about my apps, it was amazing how some small things can make a huge difference in your sales – that’s why I decided to write the book.”
Book preview / marketing principles:
“My 4 most important parts of Android Marketing:Your Title: Your title should very clearly convey exactly what your app does. Your title is most important part of generating potential customers from search keywords, so your title should be almost exactly what you expect most people to search for when they are having a problem that your app solves. Using a word you made up, or that is irrelevant will just hurt your revenue. A simple, relevant, easy to understand title goes a long way.
Your Icon: It should stand out. That’s it! Don’t worry about symbolism or whether it fits in with your app’s title – people aren’t analyzing each icon when they are browsing the market. You just need an icon that catches their attention. Personally, I just find a very colorful, good-looking icon online (that is licensed for free commercial use, of course), regardless of whether it has anything to do with my app. The goal of your icon is to get people to stop for a split second and read your app’s title when browsing the market.
Your Price: Don’t price it at $0.99! If your app is priced at $0.99, you won’t lose half your customers by charging $1.99. In just about every situation, you’ll make more money at $1.99 or $2.99 than $0.99. The only exception is if there is a very similar competitor’s app who is also charging $0.99. I’ve found for nearly all of my apps that $2.99 is the sweet spot.
Your blog outreach email: When emailing blogs for reviews (which you should do, a lot!), give them everything they need to make a great post – and be very clear that you are a developer looking to promote your app. Don’t try to be sneaky and act like a normal user who loves a certain app. Make sure to give the blogger your high-res icon, 4-5 screenshots, your YouTube demo video (which you should have!), and a 1-paragraph or bullet point list of features. Be polite and follow up with the write on Twitter to make sure he gets the message.”
I read through the book and think it is a good read that offers some valuable information. I agree on most things he says and to make the good even better: He covers also paid applications which I almost never do on this blog.
How can I participate?
Particpation is easy. Just do one ore more of the following steps:
- Follow Droid-Blog.net on Twitter and tweet “@droidbl0g #book #giveaway #contest”, followed by a link to this post and any other particularly nice things you want to say.
- Like Droid-Blog.net on Facebook, share and comment the post about the giveaway.
- Circle Droid-Blog.net on Google+ and +1/share/comment on our post about the giveaway
- Comment on this post.
The rules:
- There are four ways to enter and each entry method will have one winner, except the comments on this blog which will have two winners.
- You can enter using all methods but can only win once.
- Entries will be accepted until 11:59 pm UTC on January 17th, 2012.
- One winner will be randomly selected for each of the four entry methods (Twitter/Facebook/Google+), except direct comments on this po, at which two winners will be selected.
- The winners will be announced on January 18th, 2012 on this blog.
Good luck, I’m sure you will enjoy this book!
2012/01/10 at 19:45
Book description sounds very good! Maybe I’ll win a copy ;)
2012/01/10 at 21:31
Good luck!
2012/01/10 at 21:21
Genius marketing indeed :) In all seriousness, thanks for your blog. Its a great inspiration and has helped a lot in my own Android journey.
2012/01/10 at 21:31
Thank you Chris, I’m glad you can use the things I write.
2012/01/10 at 22:14
I’d love to win the book!
2012/01/11 at 01:34
great book. hope to win a copy !
2012/01/11 at 03:16
I’d love to get that book
2012/01/11 at 03:27
Been following your blog for a while. Great content especially the ASO and Income Report. This giveaway is international or limited to certain geographical areas?
2012/01/11 at 09:31
Hello Akira,
I’m glad you like my content. The giveaway is worldwide.
Best regards
Johannes
2012/01/11 at 08:17
I also want to thank Johannes for this great blog. It helps motivating me to keep on developing for Android as I can see that you can earn money with it! ;)
2012/01/11 at 09:30
Thank you, I’m glad you like it.
2012/01/11 at 11:22
Sounds like an awesome book.. I want a copy!!
2012/01/11 at 11:30
Sounds like a good book. I could use one :)
2012/01/11 at 12:00
I’d like to read this book.
2012/01/11 at 13:12
I found your blog a few weeks ago by looking for information how to make money with android apps. I’ve already made a few small apps for me and my friends and think this book may help me to take the next step :)
2012/01/11 at 13:23
At least some guys seem to make money with apps ;-)
2012/01/11 at 13:57
The icon tip is indeed a great one, I recently saw the huge difference it can make !
2012/01/11 at 14:07
Hi.
I’d like to read this book. Fell free to give me a copy ;)
2012/01/11 at 14:44
Thanks for all the great info on this blog and the open attitude. Seems like a very interesting book, but the wording in the title, “outsmarting”? I guess it is marketing but couldn’t just help/improve/learn or similar been used instead?
2012/01/11 at 14:49
Well, it’s a bit a lurid title indeed, also Get Rich is a big promise. Still, it’smarketing of course and also up to the author.
2012/01/11 at 18:55
I can’t wait to read the receive and read the book :D
2012/01/11 at 19:02
Sounds great, I’d love to take a look at the book.
2012/01/12 at 05:38
Great book, great apps, hope to win a copy.
2012/01/12 at 07:27
The book cover is already catch my attention :)
2012/01/12 at 08:34
That’s a nice giveaway. The book would be a welcome addition to your marketing postings.
On a completely unrelated note: Any further game development tutorials planned?
2012/01/12 at 20:00
Hello Wolfram,
yes, definitely. It will be in English though.
Best regards
Johannes
2012/01/12 at 09:53
I read the intro on Amazon. Seems pretty useful.
2012/01/12 at 11:05
Hey threre
You can exclude me from the contest. I bought the book and reading it on my iPad right now. :)
2012/01/12 at 11:56
Hi Karel,
done.
Best regards
Johannes
2012/01/14 at 10:27
Reading marketing books is a must to succeed. I need this book :)
2012/01/14 at 12:01
Book sounds very interesting, I’d like to win one :D
2012/01/16 at 01:19
Hey guys this might sound like a dumb question but its been bugging me for a while. Basically on the android market website say I click on an app, on the right hand side there is a section called ‘about this app’. Under this section is an install section. Just to be clear if a particular app has around 50,000 installs is that how many purchases the app has? And in a scenario where the app is selling for 0.65p and has 50,000 installs does that mean the developer gets 70% of the £32500?
2012/01/16 at 09:57
HI Kevin,
there are no dumb questions, just dumb answers ;)
You understood that just right.
Best regards
Johannes
2012/01/16 at 13:25
Thanks :D just had to make sure. Dame people are really making money, I want to get involved. Last question do developers get taxed on the money they make from the apps?
2012/01/16 at 14:15
That depends on the country, usually they do.
2012/01/16 at 18:52
Thanks for the reply’s :D Where could I find out more about tax for the UK?
2012/01/16 at 22:36
Book’s author is indeed a marketing genius as he got every possible blog to talk about it.
It’s a good book full of great advice. I think some chapters could have been expanded a bit more.
2012/01/17 at 13:56
Your blog has inspired me to start coding an android App it in a very alpha stage, keep up the good work :-)
2012/01/17 at 14:12
Awesome! Let me know when you are publishing your app!
2012/01/17 at 21:58
Book looks very promising, as a mobile developer I’d love to read all the advice that will be available.
2012/01/17 at 22:23
I don’t think you can do anything else but succeed by reading this blog AND the book. Hope to get a copy….
2012/01/18 at 07:28
I only read this article, not the entire book, but I already disagree with the things said about the price. I disagree because of my own experience and other books and articles I read. Now I am wondering whether or not he is proving his thesis with any numbers. Furthermore I am wondering whether or not he has outstanding knowledge and experience about other forms of marketing and other selling models. At least this is what I expect from a book named “genius android marketing”. But I am afraid he does not supply this information.
According to the sells and the success of “the file converter” and other apps I am sure that he is not able to teach others. I would recommend you to read other books and follow other developer blogs. People who are really getting “rich” and have tried a lot of things and have great experience and facts about different marketing and selling models. In the end what a starting developer needs are concrete numbers and facts he can compare. Not a developer overrating his own accomplishments, trying to teach new developers half-baked knowledge base on 50k sales.
The real title should be:
“genius marketing – trying to get rich on an immature book”
2012/01/18 at 07:35
http://www.amazon.com/Appillionaires-Secrets-Developers-Struck-Store/dp/1119978645
try this. it does not supply the hard facts, though. But it offers great information about real life business and the real game. A must have for any developer whether ios or android.
Sorry for my previous post, I am not hating. Just proove me wrong…
2012/01/18 at 10:54
Hello W,
thank you for the book tipp.
Having read the book I can say it provides the (basic) marketing know how one needs to promote the first Android app. It doesn’t dig deeper into markting techniques like guerilla marketing or else, but I think it provides a good foundation and answers many of the questions an Android marketing beginner might have. The content of the book is all based on the author’s experiences he made with his own apps and somewhat “proven” by a logical derivation. Although you may not agree on some things he writes (I also don’t), there might be some things that are new to you and some things to think about. Overall it’s relatively well written and an easy read.
Best regards
Johannes
2012/01/18 at 17:12
Hello Johannes,
you are probably right, any information is important to new developers. Therefore it is good if a developer decides to share his experience – because most people don’t care. So i respect the authors decision and your blog of course (like it very much).
However I concider a book called “Genius Android Marketing” missleading for a book summarizing a developer’s experiences only. I expect a collection of longtime players in the app business, which informs me and helps me getting started. Like discussing different marketing and purchase models and how the chosen model affects income. Furthermore a discussion about what model and what campaign fits what kind of app.
Honestly, isn’t “Get Rich by Outsmarting the Android Market” promising and missleading? I don’t know him but measured on the available information from the market and the statements given here, I doubt that the author is in the position to name his book like this. When reading this I assume the author got rich and outsmartet the market multiple times. Is that the case? Apperantly no.
In my opinion this is not right. He is claiming to own the expertise which allows him to consult other people and teach them techniques, which are considere to help them to achieve the promised success. But is this what you get? Can he be considered a trustful source for learning how to get rich by android apps? No. And this is a fraud!
I don’t doubt that this book is useful. Probably it is worth the buy for new developers. But according to the given title and the description people may put there belief into the given information and may think, that his techniques are tried and tested. If it would be called appropriatly, people would know that they are purchasing the experiences a developer made. And they would know that the author is not a millionaire. And they would know that they should look for other experiences they can compare.
Concidering the information given for the pricing topic, I can say that it is simply wrong. It sounds like allegations to me. He says: “If your app is priced at $0.99, you won’t lose half your customers by charging $1.99.”. Can he prove it? I wanted to buy the book, because I was amazed by this. I only read different experiences. Then I look up his sales. He doesn’t even own 3 successfull apps he could compare. Does he give numbers of other studios or developers in comparison? Can he compare similar apps of different purchase models? If not, what is the worth of this information? How can he put this as a fact? When it is an allegation, then inform your reader, don’t misslead them!
I just think people should know, that they can probably not rely on his informations [only]. That’s the only thing I find important to mention.
2012/01/18 at 21:56
Hello Wart,
I think I’m getting your point. Jay indeed has more apps than those published with the account he used for The File Converter. He indeed has some relatively successful other apps, including free apps, that have been featured on some of the bigger Android blogs and also compares different pricing and monetization models. Although I’m certain that he didn’t grow rich by his apps, he at least makes a living of them.
I hope this information was helpful to you, maybe you want to give it a try.
Best regards
Johannes
2012/01/20 at 08:24
>>My most successful app is “The File Converter”<<
2012/01/20 at 10:09
Indeed.
It’s been on the Market for a little more than five months, 10k sales, that’s about $6000/month, which is respectable but definitely not rich. Good point.