How to 3X Your App Store Ratings

Coming up, I want to share a simple way that you can 3X your app store ratings. Stay tuned. What is up nation? It is Steve Young, founder of appmasters.com. In this video, I'm going to show you all the techniques to increase your app store reviews, the amount, and also the average rating. So, how do you go from 4.2 2 to 4.5 to eventually 4.8. And it's going to cover whether you're a new app, an established app, or just somewhere in the middle. I'm going to cover the best practices for all of that. So, let's get started. All right.

For those who are new to the channel, just want to kind of introduce ourselves. We've served over 3,000 apps and counting. It's probably at 4,000 at this point. Worked with some amazing amazing companies that you can see here. This is an old slide, but honestly, we've worked with some of the biggest and the most recognized app companies, whether they are MMPs or top apps as well, and you're watching this. So, I've been doing this for a very long time, interviewed a lot of amazing people, and just want to kind of highlight all of that. All right, let's get into why you're really here. And here's how we've 5x App Store ratings, the number of App Store ratings. And along the way, we were able to increase the average rating from a 4.3 to a 4.5. All right, here it is. It's very, very simple. So, here's the wrong way to do it. I used to ask for a rating right on first open, like immediately the it was the first thing

you saw right here. Okay, this is not the app, but wanted to show you an example. And I was wrong. All right, here's what happened. We got a few onestar ratings for people that said, "Hey, it asked to rate right away. I haven't even used the app." Granted, it was the very first thing they saw, so probably the wrong way of doing it. And we also got some more negative ratings, nag to rate on every screen. So, we used to really nag people, especially on that first time user experience. Don't do it like that. Okay, so here's how you really do it. Here's the right way. Add the review prompt after your payw wall.

Not just that, after someone activates a trial activation. Okay, so here's what it is. So, here's the onboarding. Here's the payw wall. Once somebody activates a trial, you ask for the rating. They've already sort of told you they're interested in using your app. Yes, they haven't technically paid you yet, but there is a signal there. And here's what happened to one of our clients that did exactly this. So, here is the app. You can see it had over 3,000 ratings with an average 4.3, four years old in the utilities category. Okay, so here's the chart. We were just sort of randomly asking for it on like the third open, okay, for this app. And so, we're getting some reviews here and there, under 100 every month. when we asked for it right after the trial activation here in January of 2023. This is an old case study by the way. We were able to dramatically increase the number of ratings and the average rating. So

here's the breakdown real quick. In November we were getting about 50ish app store ratings with a 4.3. So it's technically 4.265. In December we got about 70 ratings and again 4.3. Now, in January, at the end of December, we decided to ask for the rating right after trial activation. Here's what happened in January. We got close to 400 ratings with an average of 4.5. So, not only did we 5x the number of ratings we got, but we improved the average rating from a 4.3 to a 4.5.

And if here's the the way I said 3x because it was an increase in ratings over downloads. So, I wanted to give you some comparison on that. Maybe we just got more downloads, right? And that's why you got more ratings. No, not the case. So, here in November, we're averaging about 1%, which is normal, by the way. 1% 1%. And then when we asked for it after the trial activation, we're able to jump to 4.5%. So, essentially a 3.3x improvement when you compare ratings over downloads. Now, if you got a brand new app, here's what I would suggest you do, okay? I would do a lifetime plan for free and I would run it on app advice.

That's for free as well. You need at least five ratings for you to get on App Advice. App advice you can get featured for free. We also have our company that we bought in 2024, Indie App Santa. Essentially the same thing as Appvice, but we have more ASO plans and stuff like that that you can get bundle with your lifetime free promotion, but we've got another network. Okay. And it is a free. So, you know, you can do it a little bit more than you can on App Advice. You can only do it every 6 months on App Advice. And then there's another Reddit platform called iOS Apps, and that's another place you can sort of promote a lifetime free offer. Now, why lifetime free? Remember that 1%. 1% of all downloads will leave you a rating.

So, you need to get 10,000 downloads. How do you get to 10,000 downloads? Well, that's normally going to be with a lifetime free plan, giveaway, promo that's going to help you get ultimately to close to 10,000. We're able to do it. This is the screenshot right here. When I came up with this idea in June of 2023, we're able to do it. We did 10,000 downloads. We got 150 new ratings. So, it's a brand new app. You're like, boom, I'm trying to hit to 100 ratings.

Now, if you're going to do the lifetime free plan, I would do it right after they get that lifetime free plan, right? You go on App Advice, they see a lifetime free offer. Once they've redeemed that offer, you ask for a rating. It's a great way. Now, for those who have an AI app, you might be concerned. Hey, I can't give away a lifetime free offer. Don't worry. Only about 10 to 15% of the people who download your app. So, let's say you got 100,000 downloads, which we've done doing this campaign through Indie App Santa and through App Advice. We did 100,000 downloads. Only about 10% 10 to 15% will actually redeem that lifetime free offer. So, that's only about 10,000. And if you only get 10,000 downloads, that's only 1,000 people. So, it's not as big of a risk as you might think if you have an AI app or cost per usage. Right now the other way you can do this is just on the onboarding. All

right before the payw wall this is what Calai does. It has a few onboarding screens and roughly around close to my maybe about 75% of the way through that onboarding experience it's going to give ask for a rating like this. And this is what I want you to do exactly copy this UI UX. This is the best way to do it. It shows a five-star rating. It says, "Calai was made for people like you, thousand plus people, and it has actual ratings with images." That's the best way to ensure yourself that you'll probably get a five-star rating. Now, if you have an established app, here's how I want you to do it. You want to wait for that win moment where they feel good about your app. So if you got a game when they've when they finished that first level when you've got a habit tracker when they've tracked their first habit. So find that win moment that aha win moment and then ask for a rating.

Now one of our clients did that. I'm going to give you an example. This is not our client but I'm going to give you an example. So this is a routinerary app. During the onboarding after the payw wall it says hey add your first routine. And they have some templates. So I added my first routine. Right. I did. I went and did my first routine. After I was done with it, they're like, "Hey, you got a little seed." And I was like, "Great. I'm feeling good about myself. How was your routine?" That was pretty good, right? And then they asked me for the rating. And that's what my client did just that. Now, he did on Google Play and I'm going to show you what happened right here. Here is the screenshot. So, we roughly implemented this around this time frame right here in August. And you can see the number of five-star ratings, this green bolded line went up dramatically. And so you by waiting you start to lower the mon

number of red ratings. Now, not to say you won't get any because there's always going to be some. And this is especially important on Google Play where they hate that you just charge anything for the app, right? That you have a subscription plan. But it worked really, really well for them on Google Play. And so if you got a Google Play or iOS app, especially on Google Play, I would really wait until that win moment versus that trial activation or after payw wall. On iOS, I might be a little bit more aggressive.

On Google Play, I'm going to wait a little bit here. Okay. The next option you have, and if especially if you're an established app or you're somewhere in the middle, is that second open. And I'll tell you why. Second open. So there's a stat by adjust that says 26% globally around 26% of users return on the first day after installation. Technically that is the day after you open the app. Right? So we've seen this stat for years now that only about 25 to 26% of people who open your app the very first time will come back the second time. So, what I've always said for a long time before I thought of these other ways was, "Hey, just ask for it on the second open because technically when they open your app for the second time, they're telling you they kind of like you." So, here routinerary this just pretend this is on app open, right? I've done my first routine. I'm coming back the second day for my to try to do it

two days in a row. When I do that, just ask for it on the on that open. That generally works pretty well. That is it. Let me know what you found useful and if you start implementing it, why I feel like it's so important is with more app store ratings, you're able to really drive down your cost per acquisition and also help your ASO. So, there's added benefit than just vanity cuz a lot of times it is just vanity. Oh, I've got 4.7. How do I get more? Look, I always try to get to 100 first and then ultimately try to get thousand so forth.

Will it have a major impact on ASO? Not really. But it'll definitely have an impact in my opinion on your paid campaigns. So, I feel like it's a very important thing to strategically ask for the rating at the optimal moment. All right. If you like this video, well, I will tell you something. We've got a great community called Appounders Community. We're going to rebrand it, but is formerly Appmasters Academy where we share a lot of these courses and these strategies within the course, but you get the community and then you get the collaboration with me as well. So, we meet two Fridays a month at one at 7:00 a.m., one at 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and where we try to hang out and really share the tips and strategies that are working for us today. And if you're interested in working with us, well, that's easy. Go check out atmasters.com.

Till next time, I see you on the next video.