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Before releasing your mobile app, prototype, or minimal viable product to market, you must rely on a comprehensive mobile app release checklist. This helps you ensure that every step of your app development strategy has been carefully planned and executed, eliminating common app launch mistakes.
There is no nightmare fuel as potent as that of working so hard to release your digital venture only to trip up on little mistakes right as you reach the finish line. Bad performance, glitchy features, and even poor text choices can impact your downloads and rating.
Your users might not see the effort that went into the product design. Instead, they'll notice problems, impacting their overall impression of your app. Quality assurance in app development should thus be paramount.
This means that as a founder or startup team planning to launch a new app, there are a few more hoops you should jump through to ensure you are putting out a quality application that will lead to hundreds or thousands of downloads - not downvotes.
Quality assurance tops the mobile app release checklist. Even when you're confident about your product, there’s always room for improvement. The meticulous attention to the smallest details is what sets you apart from the competitors - a difference that users will instantly recognize.
Here at NineTwoThree, we’ve built 50 products and 14 startups with even more to come this year and beyond. Meaning, we know a little something about what it takes to put out a successful application or digital product.
And now, we’re letting you in on the secret.
Keep reading to see our mobile app development product launch checklist below and make use of it for your next digital venture!
In today's saturated app market, effective mobile app marketing tactics are indispensable. It's not just about developing the app; it's also about building traction for app launch.
In recent years, the number of mobile apps out there has skyrocketed, and this means that getting attention to yours is going to take a bit more effort than simply setting it to live. Two of the easiest ways to get started with building buzz are through social media and email marketing, for example.
Platforms like social media and email marketing for app launch are invaluable. These tools don't have to be complex. A straightforward landing page paired with engaging social media marketing for mobile apps can help you attract early adopters in app development.
Now you might be asking, why market something if it’s not quite ready for launch yet?
Engaging these early adopters can lead them to become mobile app beta testers, offering crucial feedback before the official launch. This early-stage marketing also paves the way for potential partnerships and collaborations, setting you up for success.
Having laid a foundation of early subscribers and followers, it will be easier to increase their numbers when your app is finally launched, versus having to start your marketing from scratch when it’s already costing you money to run. Then you have a better chance of affording any changes you need to make.
This is because early marketing can also serve another purpose. Good app marketing is directly correlated to more money flowing back into your business and helps bolster your future development approaches. It might come with an upfront cost but will lead to an influx of returns in the form of new users and app purchases.
And that’s not all. If you’re planning to target venture capital, for example, social media could be the way to connect with prominent venture capitalists and potential investors. Think of how many partnerships have been born out of a simple Twitter conversation.
Or you could find a partnering studio or expert consultant that can help you optimize your approach to the market or iterate on your current venture.
Before going live, make sure to prioritize testing mobile apps. This includes thorough user interface (UI) testing and speed optimization for apps. It's also vital to focus on App store optimization (ASO), as it significantly affects your app's visibility.
So at this point in the development process, it’s common for you and your team to be completely exhausted.
After all, you’ve been spending what feels like endless hours staring at the screen and trying to get this thing to market - the problem is this is also where issues typically arise and are most easily overlooked.
-Is the user interface working as it should?
-Have you optimized the speed of your app?
-Does your team have everything they need to test for issues?
-Have you paid attention to aspects like marketing and optimization for the app store?
If you think about it, app store optimization will be a key part of your marketing strategy. One of the main ways people will find your app will be through keywords in the app store search, so choosing things like the right title, keywords and images can go a long way towards better promoting your app.
You’ll need to bear in mind that the app store of your choice will have some limitations in place in terms of how many characters you can use, so if you are writing promotional copy it will need to be short and to the point. Try drafting a few iterations until you have a concise statement that still describes what your app is about.
Once you have tested, retested, and tested again, you will need to think about how you can offer support for any other issues that could come up post-launch. This leads to your next priority - setting up support for the users of your app.
Once the app is ready, think about its aftercare. Setting up an app support desk or providing in-app customer support is vital. Tools like HubSpot and Intercom for app support can streamline this process, ensuring that users have a direct line to report issues or suggest improvements.
If you’re launching a new digital venture, you’ll need to think about how to create a channel of communication between your team and your users. This not only helps them give general feedback but also helps your team to get ahead of the curve when it comes to reported issues and communicate ETA’s of fixes to them.
You should ideally have this form of communication implemented even before launch, preferably during the stage where you introduce beta testers. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to speak to you about any issues they have come across in your app - or even to submit feature suggestions that could improve its usability going forward.
For best practices, think about how you can make your help desk unobtrusive but still prominent enough to use quickly. You might even consider making it an in-app feature so that users can easily submit an issue as they spot one without having to leave their current screen.
We recommend the HubSpot Starter plan or Intercom as your first integration with your new shiny product to support your customers.
Visibility is essential for any app launch. Leveraging a PR strategy for app launch, paired with a comprehensive mobile app press kit, can maximize your app's exposure. This kit should include a detailed description, images, logos, and an engaging app promotional video. Such preparation ensures that you've done your app launch due diligence.
The value in this is that these individuals are usually professionally connected to media houses and online publications which could lead to a major spike in downloads or users if you get a feature. Compared to slogging it out on your own and trying to garner press without them, working with an experienced PR person is like speed running a game that everyone else has to play step by step.
One of the things you can do yourself, however, is creating a press kit dedicated to your mobile app.
Your press kit should ideally have a few things included that will make it easy for the media to write about your venture.
We suggest adding the following to your press kit:
With these steps done, you can finally move on to the big one: setting your launch date (don’t forget to communicate this to the media either!)
Another thing you’ll need to consider carefully is the chosen launch date for your app. It also begs an important question: when is the right time to launch an app?
The day, week, and month you choose can have a big impact on your venture’s initial response. Previous research conducted by app marketing agencies has found that the two most beneficial times to launch your application are December or February.
The timing of your app release can make or break its initial success. Research suggests optimal times are a mobile app launch in December or February. Delving deeper, finding the best days for app launch within these months, such as between Tuesdays and Thursdays, can maximize downloads. Conducting mobile app competitors research can provide further insights into optimal launch strategies.
Try to do a bit of due diligence within your niche before you launch your app. See what your competitors or companies in a similar line to you are doing, and see how they approached their launch date. If you compare four or five competitors and their launch dates, and you notice a common time or date, then you know when you should target for your own release.
Have an idea for an incredible mobile or web application but don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself? Reach out to us here at NineTwoThree. We partner with you to bring your vision to life - offering top technical know-how and expert teams with experience building digital ventures, we can turn your app into a successful launch from day one.
