Hi fellow developer! Last december I set my game Eve of Impact to free for a couple of days. I've since written an article about the results of this sale period and what methods I used to accomplish those results. Eve of Impact Doomsday Sales I hope it's useful for you, if you have any questions or are missing something in the article, let me know, I want the article to be as detailed as possible.
You're welcome! I only recently stumbled upon that service. Since the AppStore does not allow any kind of analytics information to be accessed it's nice a third party is trying to give us some insights.
Thanks for sharing. I found interesting the experience with Twitter integration, it's on my todo list since some time.
Good read. Thanks for posting it. It's definitely something we will look into doing at some point. I read in another recent forum post on here that 'stepping' the price down to free over a number of weeks is a good way to optimise this strategy.
Do you mean lowering the price in stages till it's free? About duration, I read you should at least keep your game free for a period of 4 to 5 days.
Yeah, see this post by @Tannorexic. What we'll probably do is lower the price in stages, holding in there for a week at a time until it becomes free - and leave it free for another week.
Hello, Great stuff! I am on the same boat with Space Command (also an asteroids/Missile Command) game. I was on the fence mostly because for potential increases of negative ratings...as you said, heck is free so what not give 1 star!!) But your great experiment seems to dispute this assumption (I love what you said about assumptions in that article!) Anyway I am very interested about your views on that last paragraph talking about ranking reset: "... I feared all chart positions were reset, ouch. After a week of looking at green up pointing arrows, seeing your app racing to the top, an empty page is not a pretty sight..." Were you able to recover? If yes, how long did it takes? In any event, that was a super experiment and I happy it actually worked out for you. That gives me the courage to try it! By the way your game is simply AMAZING! I love the special effects, the beautiful imagery. Simply stunning! Cheers. Mo (@LairdGames)
@rikschennink Thank you. I am making Space Command free for 4-5 days as you suggested. Without your article, I would not had the "courage" to do it! Will post the result of this great experiment here: Wish me luck! Mo ps: By the way Space Command was made with the Corona SDK (check it out!)
Nope did not recover But did not expect to, I've got better ranking than before, but it's all in the 150+ range, so I don't think it makes a difference (as in customers won't scroll that far). Thanks! I'm glad my article was of help to you!
No thank you! Your post was very informative. By the way so far the download for Space Command went from around 10 a day to 900 per day! not getting any cash but is nice to see that jump. I can also see that I went in ranks on many keywords which is great. I am sure this won't last but it was a very good experiment. Thanks again for giving me the urge to experiment! Mo LairdGames, ps: I hope some of you will check it out while it is free (few more days) If you like it please leave a review or a rate! THANKS! The link to the app is my signature.
Hello guys, I wanted to let you know a super news for Space Command. It got featured today on the App Store (ipad) in the "What's hot section! (Action & Adventure categories) @rikschennink, THANKS so much for giving me the courage to switch my app to free for a while! I am convince that what made this feature on the app store possible. I know it won't last but I have to admit it is a nice feeling to have right now Thanks guys. Mo @LairdGames.
Good to hear! Keep that positive vibe going I've recently checked searchman and can add that Eve of Impacts search ranking has stayed almost the same for the past six weeks. So this free period has had quit the impact. https://searchman.com/ios/app/US/465159205/en/Eve+of+Impact/