CaddieOpen in CaddieDownload for Mac

Apple Feature Timeline (and The Exact Email Pitch That Led to an Apple Feature)

Shared by Caddie Library · Updated
App Masters10:18Open on YouTube
Chapters show their main points

The bottom line

Pitch Apple three weeks before launch, with your app already approved, a fixed date and real metrics, to give yourself the best shot at a feature. Treat it as a lottery ticket, not a strategy, because it is hard to win.

Key takeaways

  • Apple features are scarce, and games and updates have the hardest time. 1:18
    • Apple mostly features new games, so a game update needs to be very significant.
    • Non-games have an easier path, but only three of them show up in the top row each day.
  • A soft launch and an approved app make the pitch credible. 2:14
    • Big studios soft launch with a small budget to tune retention, monetization, icons and screenshots, then use those metrics in the pitch.
    • One app pitched after approval was featured in China and earned about $30,000.
  • Send the pitch three weeks before launch to the generic Apple promotion address. 3:05
    • Apple asks for two weeks, but three leaves room for the next steps.
    • Include the app ID, video, screenshots, credentials, soft launch metrics, past features and a launch date that will not change.
  • Track the email and follow up if Apple stays silent. 6:00
    • Tools like Banana Tag or Sidekick show whether Apple opened it. If not, resend with a new subject line.
    • If Apple opened it but did not reply, ask for the roadmap form, which shows you know the process.
  • A feature is a lottery ticket, so never build your downloads on it alone. 7:56
    • A feature after launch is rare. It happened when an app hit number two in paid apps and when a game went viral at about three weeks old.
    • If you get press, a viral moment or a Product Hunt feature, follow up with Apple after launch.

I would not completely rely on an apple feature for the life of my app.

Steve Young, App Masters

Chapter summaries

0:00 What the timeline covers

The feature timeline is stable, though what Apple does with it can shift.

  • The timeline should hold as long as Apple keeps its process. 1:08
    • It comes from the process used to help nine clients get featured.
    • Details may change within months of recording.
    • The question he gets asked most is whether an update can be featured.
    • Productivity and other non-game apps are the easier case.

2:11 Soft launch and an approved app

Acting like a big studio, with data and an approved build, makes the pitch read as settled.

  • Big studios run a large soft launch before going worldwide. 2:11
    • They put budget into buying users for it.
    • Indies rarely do this.
    • A worldwide launch includes the US, so every variable is tuned beforehand.
    • Even a small soft launch gives a non-game useful data.
  • An approved app lets the pitch say the date is fixed. 3:25
    • Big players are probably already talking to Apple at this stage.
    • The pitch can state that the app is approved and the date will not change.
    • Mention any marketing budget too, as the bigger studios do.
    • Apple wants a pitch two weeks out. Three weeks gives room for the next step.

4:13 Where and what to send

A generic address and a personal credential beat chasing individual store managers.

  • Pitch the generic promotion address instead of a category manager. 4:13
    • Managers are now swamped with pitches, so he has moved away from targeting them.
    • The pitch should open with credentials or social proof.
    • His own pitch said he had interviewed over 400 app developers.
    • The same email also said he studied along the way and was now ready to release his own app.

5:09 Social proof, launch date and follow-up

A pitch earns trust with credentials and a fixed date, and then it needs tracking and a nudge.

  • Credentials and a firm launch date make the pitch believable. 5:10
    • Having worked at Apple, Netflix or Facebook helps a little.
    • Approval lets you promise the date will not change.
    • Once approved, nothing stops the launch on that day.
    • Big companies gear every channel and budget to launch day, so act like one of the bigger guys.
  • Apple answers when it likes the app. 6:14
    • The reply thanks you and asks you to fill out the roadmap.
    • Start following up at two weeks out, or a bit earlier for more time.
    • A reply with the roadmap request is the sign of interest.
    • Follow up on the original email, not a new thread.

7:05 After launch and the limits of a feature

A feature after launch needs real momentum, and even a win is a bonus, not a plan.

  • Launch wins are worth sending to Apple. 7:05
    • Games find it much harder to get featured after launch.
    • Send Apple every major accomplishment from the launch.
    • The number-two paid app was an early client, and Young will not take full credit.
    • Three weeks old is kind of old in app terms, yet that game was still featured.
  • A feature brings free downloads but cannot carry an app. 7:56
    • It brings a ton of free downloads and bragging rights.
    • Pitching costs nothing, but it is like buying a lottery ticket.
    • Some launch a game, pull it if it is not featured, and look for a publisher.
    • Without Apple relationships, relying on a feature is especially risky.

In the growth library

Steve P. Young, Host and founder of App Masters, an app marketing agency. A timeline for pitching Apple for a feature: get the app approved first, pitch three weeks before launch, and track and follow up on the email. Steve says the process helped 9 clients get featured and led to a featuring in China for one of his own apps worth $30,000.

More from App Masters · The whole library, and ask it anything

Transcript269 lines
0:00

coming up want to see the exact process that we use to help nine of our clients get featured by Apple well today we're going to share the exact timeline that you need to follow to hopefully land an Apple feature stay tuned what is a bap nation it is DP young cool and the other side of the pillow I don't know I know I'm doing that what is up thank you guys so much for watching this video if you haven't subscribed to the YouTube channel on a hit thousand before the end of summer so subscribe to the YouTube channel please do that so that I can press my wife and say work I've a thousand followers on YouTube check it out baby you got some hot stuff as a husband alright today I want to talk about the process that we follow when we're trying to help clients get featured by Apple and all that changes so know that we're recording this things may change by the time you're watching this in a few months this is the exact timeline that I

1:10

think will stay for a long time Long's apple doesn't change anything this is the timeline that you need to follow alright so first and foremost the question that I get asked a lot is if they are going to app update can I get featured for from Apple if it's a game I would say generally harder to get a feature for an app update or a game update so that unless it's very significant it's going to be hard if you're not a game then it becomes a little bit easier because what I've seen is for games Apple generally likes to feature new games and then for apps that are non games anything really the productivity and all that it's a little bit easier now the downside is there's less apps there's less non games being featured in the top row if you look at the the App Store so it's already harder as it is there's only three that show up every day and then there's obviously a lot more games that are being featured

2:08

by Apple ok the other thing that you want to do is if you are doing a soft launch definitely do that as I'm talking to bigger bigger game studios I'm asking them a lot of different questions on what they do that's different from Indies and so one of the big things is soft launch they do a massive soft launch they have they have a little bit of budget so they spend some money inquiring users for their soft launch to really get the retention right the monetization right the a/b testing of the icons and screenshots so that when they're ready to launch worldwide which includes the US then they have all those variable to figure it out so I would recommend that you do that if you do have a game or even an on game just to do a soft salt just to do a small soft launch to get some data in there because you're going to do that use all your soft launch metrics in your Apple pitch okay so here's what I like to do here's a

3:05

timeline then set the done three weeks before generally Apple wants to receive a pitch two weeks before you launch but I like to do three because it gives me the flexibility to weave and figure out like what the next process is going to be giving me ample time now what I like to do ideally what you want to do is have your app approved okay because think about the big guys right they're getting featured all the time they're doing the soft launch they're now they say ok this is our real version that we're going to go out with they're already probably talking to Apple the guy everything's settled right so act like you're a bigger player have your app approve that's what I did for one of my apps that we published last year that were featuring in China and you know we got thirty thousand dollars out of this and it was because I pitched them after it was approved so in my pitch I could then say hey Apple we're approved

4:03

already this dates not going to change and if you've got a marketing budget the bigger guys have big marketing budget that they're going to throw let them know about that too so definitely pitch them three weeks before I know we shared this in the past about finding the right app store manager for your category I'm shying away from doing that a lot more recently because they're getting inundated with pitches so I would just say pitch apps or promotion at Apple Calm apps or promotion at Apple calm that's the generic email address it does work without decline get featured in March using that email address so it does work so just make sure that you pitch them three weeks before here's what you want to include in your pitch definitely your app ID video helps and screenshots you want to provide definitely do that and then hey let me pull up my notes just to make sure I've got covered highlight any credentials so

4:57

whether it's social proof on your part like for me when I pitch Apple I said hey I've interviewed over 400 app developers and I was studying along the way and now I'm finally ready to release my app blah blah blah so it shows a little bit of social proof and if you're an X Apple engineer or X Netflix X Facebook whatever that is that tends to help a little bit too and obviously use any of your soft launch metrics that you've been able to tame or you've been if you've been featured in the past maybe through a publisher you can mention that as well and the last thing that's very critical actually almost forgot is the launch date right because that's why I like getting approved before I pitch Apple because then I can say this launch date is not changing because I'm improved there's nothing stopping me from watching on this particular date and all the marketing channels and the budgets that we have

5:47

like if you think about the big guys right there all gearing up for this launch date they all plan different campaigns for this launch day so act like one of the bigger guys and three weeks before two weeks before actually before I move to two weeks before you want to track your emails to and I use banana tag banana tag calm or sidekick is another one by HubSpot but you want to track your emails just to see if Apple opens whatever subject line you decide to choose right you want to see that because if they like your app they're going to follow up and say hey Steve or hey you thanks for the app now can you fill out this roadmap to tell us a little bit more about your app so track it because if you do track it two weeks before your app is about to launch and you could probably do this a little bit before two weeks if you want to give yourself more time but you can follow up with Apple either with a new subject line if they

6:39

didn't open the first email that's why it's important that you track it they didn't open what if they open the first email use a different subject line or if they did open it they didn't respond then you can say hey Apple follow up with your original email and say hey Apple I'm just following up I'm ready for the roadmap because you need if you think it's you know worth seeing more I'm ready for the roadmap to fill it out kind of shows Apple that you understand the process so you ask for that roadmap okay lastly I would say again if you're a game it's a lot harder to get featured post-launch but we did help one of our clients get featured this is way early in the days now I won't even take full credit for this button up getting featured post-launch because we hit number two under paid apps and so if you have a really big launch just things take off and goes viral I have seen another game

7:27

get featured as sort of it's been existence it was like 2 weeks old or 3 weeks old which in app terms is kind of old but that was featured by Apple because the game went viral so if you do get viral or get featured on product on or have some social proof with some press then I'll follow up post launch with Apple with any of that get major accomplishments from your launch alright so follow up with them because you never know right again the last thing I want to end with this this is not a viable strategy meaning this is not a long-term strategy we like I get clients who say look I want the Apple feature that's it like that's not you're like buying a lottery ticket ok like that's not a strategy where I would depend my life up on it it does help because it's sort of a no-brainer that if you do get featured by Apple it's a lot of downloads and the cash aids kind of cool to say I've been featured by

8:18

Apple you're going to get a town a ton of downloads for free so it does certainly help and doesn't hurt to pitch them for your launch but it's very hard and I would not completely rely on an apple feature for the life of my app right I know certain people will launch a game who doesn't get featured take it down maybe find it through a publisher and things like that people do this all the time but just be careful that you're just not relying on this one strategy that is very difficult especially if you have no relationships as the lifeblood of your downloads alright so if you guys want to learn more and see the exact pitch that I use for my app this is my app and the template that we like to use when we're pitching Apple well use the link below if you're watching this on youtube you know follow the links below and go download this template give me this away for free this is the email that I sent to Apple that got featured

9:17

this is one of my games and then you can also get a template that I like to use when I'm putting a pitch together so you can see how I like to craft subject lines what's included in the email and then like little lines of social proof that I like to use so all that is available to you for absolutely free in exchange for an email address in exchange for me to say hi to you once in a while if you want to download that so use the links below if you listen to them on the podcast go to the blog post click on that link and get there so it is actually let's just do this apps I might add this crap forget it at masters co / Apple email at masters co / Apple email you'll get the top free content upgrade there alright see you guys on the next video don't forget to hit subscribe looks like a little cool my life I stumbled upon them don't forget to hit subscribe so that I can look cool for my wife see ya