My strategy for improving ratings of the LogYourRun iPhone application
I am an independent software developer and I run a website called LogYourRun.com. In April 2009 I decided to supplement the site with an iPhone app since the iPhone has GPS and the iPod touch has the capabilities of a pedometer. I have always believed that the best things in life are free so I put the app out for free. Since the app would increase the exposure of my LogYourRun brand I felt comfortable giving the app away for free.
However, as many other developers have experienced, giving apps out for free result in poor ratings from people that download the app but are not really interested in the functionality of the app. These people often delete the app shortly after installation at which point they are asked to rate the app and give the app a poor rating. In addition paid apps maintain their ranking in the App Store better than free apps.
Since the first edition of the app was released I had been working on an improved version which would use the map feature of OS 3.0 as well as a feature which would allow users to download training programs to the device for offline viewing. When I launched this version I decided that I was not going to give it away for free due to the ratings problem that plague free apps. On the other hand I did not want to deter people from downloading the app since the app drives traffic to my site and I wanted loyal users to have a chance to get the app for free.
So I put the app out for free along with the message that it was only going to be free for the first 2 weeks. This information was widely distributed to users of the website, posted on the website, and included in the description of the app. The fact that the app was no longer going to be free meant that users did not delete the app after downloading since they knew that if they deleted the app they would then have to pay if in the future they wanted the app. Also, this instills a feeling of “getting a good deal” which creates a positive attitude towards the application.
After two weeks of the app being free I increased the price to $1.99. Downloads immediately dropped – but has since increased again – and now I am actually making money on the downloads. I have since then also put out a free version with limited functionality which has helped drive traffic to my website as well as serving as a preview of the paid app.
