How to Submit to Get Featured on the App Store and Google Play
Getting featured means getting into special thematic selections that are compiled by the app store editors. It’s a great opportunity to attract new users and increase traffic. In this material, we’ll tell you how to submit for featuring on the App Store and Google Play.
General tips
- Update your app on a regular basis.
- Make sure that your app is stable and users don’t complain of crashes. The request takes 4 to 6 weeks to be considered, so you need to hold out until the end with no errors and crashes, no matter what.
- The app rating must be higher than 4.5. Whenever problems arise, direct users to the support team to minimize low ratings and negative reviews.
- Enhance your graphic ASO. The submission moderator should like your icon and screenshots, which should be compatible with supported devices.
- The app stores give preference to apps that monetize via the subscriptions. This is less true of mobile games, especially on the App Store, where there is a single Arcade subscription.
- Fill out the form to submit in English. Fill out the form correctly and in an engaging way. Remember that your texts will be read by real people, not search engine algorithms.
See our post for more tips on how to prepare for featuring.
How to Submit to Get Featured on the App Store
A submission form is here.
We will only cover the boxes in which a free-form reply is allowed. Remember that your answers must be up to 1,000 characters.
Tell us about your development team
It’s appropriate to tell here that your team has an expert who has an in-depth understanding of the subject. For example, if you’re developing a pet training app, you should mention that you have an experienced pet psychologist on the team.
Inclusion & Diversity
The more you talk about your team and product, the higher your chances of getting featured.
Your company should be open-minded and not prejudiced. You can mention that your company has female developers in management positions or members of ethnic minorities. Such a personnel policy will show you as a progressive company that does not think inside the box.
Describe your app
It’s not a proper time to write a novel. Briefly describe the benefits and key features of your app. Answer yourself the question, ‘Why should users install it?’ You can’t copy the description of your app — create a unique text. For example, a description for a mobile game might look like this:
‘A captivating journey through an open fantasy world with a non-linear plot and spectacular battles. Although we released our game three months ago, we’ve already got a player base of millions, so it’s always pretty hot in PvP.
- A thousand unique characters with the ability to upgrade;
- Groundbreaking graphics;
- The open world;
- Optimized for iOS 15.2.‘
Share about your business model, and that you support Apple technologies (Family sharing, Apple Wallet etc.).
In this box, you can indicate what metrics you have on Day 1 or Day 7 to show steady audience interest.
Marketing Plans
List the channels in which you plan to or have already placed ads. Your list may look like this:
- Apple Search Ads campaigns;
- Advertising in other apps;
- Placement of links on the company’s website and on thematic web-resources.
If you have more than one app, you can mention them.
In this box you can also specify a significant increase, for example, +40% of installs in the current month.
Your Story
Now it’s time for a ‘novel’. Tell about your company’s values: the experience, the usefulness for users, the idea behind the app. A good thing would also be to talk about the team’s experience. Often members of a large project join together as a small team to create their own product based on their experience — this will tell editors a lot about your competence.
Write in this box why you are worthy of getting featured and why your app deserves the desired place.
Show that you listen to the users’ feedback and make the product together with them so that it is useful for everyone.
The response from the editors will be sent to the email address you provided in the submission. All that’s left to do is wait for new users and get the party ready!
Browse Visibility Index evaluates rankings in your category, lists of similar apps, and editorial selections. Monitor your growth in Browse/Explore channels with Checkaso.
How to Submit for Featuring on Google Play Store
Indie Corner Featuring Request
The standard Google Play submission form for featuring has mostly fields related to contact information. We will cover only those fields that need to be clarified.
Is this a new launch, major update or minor update?
If you are not planning any major update at the moment, but would like to apply for featuring, select ‘minor update’. Meanwhile, it is a sign to the editors that the version is stable and that users will get a positive experience installing your app.
Update Details
In this field, talk about the mission of your app. For example, your goal might be to teach users financial literacy when dealing with securities or to provide first aid.
Specify that your app has good Android vitals and that all other metrics match the benchmarks of your segment. In Google Play, it is better to bring the data on day 1 and day 2 or some other metrics above the market. This will help editors estimate the benefit that the app store will also get from users’ attention to your app.
At the end of the field, you can talk about the reason you submit for featuring. For example:
‘We see featuring as a great way to introduce our product to a wider audience and share our experience with your support‘.
We also attached a link to the Indie Corner Featuring Request form at the beginning of this section. This is a special opportunity for innovative games created by small development teams. The main distinctive feature is the new unique mechanics. It allows you to submit an existing game for featuring as well as a game that will be released in the next month.
Summary
Featuring is a minute of fame and one of the most powerful promotional tools. When filling out a submission form, you need to correctly assess your willingness and be aware of the risks if the app gets more attention from users, but not love. The consequences, especially in Google Play, can be extremely unpleasant, and the app store will literally lose interest in your app.
Keep an eye on your Churn rate to fill the gap in the defense in advance and understand why users are uninstalling the app. Read more about Churn rate in our post.
Analyze the optimization level of your app with Checkaso tools. Learn more about their features by signing up for a demo.
