Do you have a great idea for an app and are wondering how to make it happen? Are you on the sidelines thinking indie developers can’t compete with big companies and deep pockets on the app store?

Are you of the opinion that 90% of the developers lose money on the app store and it’s not worth it? Have you already developed an app and looking for the perfect launch strategy? Are you worried about the crowded app store and how will your app stand out?

Are you wondering about what are the right metrics to focus on your app? Have you already made an app but are worried about not getting downloads?

The Appreneur Playbook by Charlyn Keating answers all these questions and even more. This book has golden nuggets of information which is useful for both an amateur as well as an experienced indie app entrepreneur.

Exclusive Bonus: Charlyn is back with The Appreneur Summit – Version 2.0 in December 2017. Tickets to The Appreneur Summit are free, and it’s online, so you can see if from wherever you are. Even better, you can see Trey Smith’s interview (who got 65 million downloads for his game apps) right now if you pick up an All-Access Pass while they’re still super-cheap ($97). You’ll also get a ton of extras, like:

– Access to every all-new video, the second they’re posted (get ahead of the pack)

– MP3 downloads of all videos to listen on-the-go

– Transcripts of all the videos

…and she’s throwing in full access to all 32 of the original Appreneur Summit interviews ($79), which you also get instantly!

The price will increase another $200 after the summit, so this is the best time to pick one up. If you can’t swing that now (I get it), just grab the free pass. You’ll have access to this video for a full 48 hours in December when The Appreneur Summit goes live to the general public.

But you have already read multiple books on the topic and wondering why should you spend money on the musings of some Charlyn? Perhaps the story of the how this book came into existence will help your decision-making.

Charlyn Keating (@charlynkeating) is a digital marketer turned indie app developer. She entered the app world in 2012 and within 2 years she had 7 titles on the app store, a mixture of apps and games.

After trying multiple monetization models and app types, she was making a couple of hundred dollars on the app store but real success eluded her. It was then that she decided to approach the experts in the field of app development and marketing and find the elusive secret sauce for success in the app store.

She interviewed 32 experts on ASO, launching an app, monetization, app video previews and app outreach culminating into The Appreneur Summit. What I really liked about the summit was the fact that Charlyn didn’t let the speakers gloss over the topics broadly.

She brought out practical, actionable and specific advice from the experts. This book captures the wisdom of 32 expert appreneurs in one place.

Following are the 10 important lessons which gave me 100 times more value than I paid for the Appreneur Playbook:

1) Indie App Developers Still Have Opportunity on the App Store

It’s true that 60% of the app developers are making less than $500 per month. This is often referred to as the App Poverty Line.

But it’s also true that there are 30,000 – 35,000 iOS app developers globally making more than $1000 a month from the app store says Martin Macmillan, CEO of Pollen VC.

Multiply that over a network of 5 or more apps and you can start to make a full-time living off app store income.

2) Choose a Very Specific App Niche

Be very specific in choosing your app niche. “In the red ocean you could lose big time to the sharks, but in the blue ocean there is an opportunity to prosper”, mentions Peggy Anne Salz, Founder Mobile Groove.

“You want to be where your target audience is too small for a very big startup to go after, but also not something your typical hobbyist would do.”, says Mark Wilcox, Vision Mobile.

How specific you ask? “A 35 to 55-year old mom that likes to shop at a high-end shop, who has a house fully paid for, a dog and her kids are teenagers”, answers Patrice Archer, CEO Appy Ventures.

This strategy lead to the success of PlantSnapp – where a user takes the photo of a plant and the app identifies it.

3) Your App Idea Should Solve a Burning Problem

Solve a problem or enhance a life. “Apps that earn a place on our mobile devices are useful, entertaining, remove friction, and become essential to our routines”, says Peggy Anne Salz.

A great example of this would be how Will Sacks solved his partner’s problem of conceiving a child. He came up with Kindara – an ovulation tracking app for women which has got 1.3 million downloads till now.

4) App Development – Always Start with the MVP

It’s not about your app idea but a fast execution that matters. “Coming up with a really good app idea is just 2% of your app journey.”, says Bobby Gill, Founder Blue Label Apps.

“Always start with the MVP, the minimum viable product. Start very lean.”, quotes Ted Nash, Founder TapDaq. Your development cycle shouldn’t be greater than 6 weeks.

Bobby Gill advises that it’s best to release your app with 1 or 2 main features and then learn from what users are telling you. You will always get new insights which you would never have focused upon.

5) Force Yourself to Outsource if You Want to Scale Your App Business

A mistake that many appreneurs do is trying to do everything yourself.

“Outsourcing is a way of thinking that will be essential if you are ever going to scale your business. Force yourself to outsource. It’s going to be a little bit painful, but it’s worth it.”, says Chris Chidgey, host of the App Business podcast.

6) Work Hard to Build 1000 True Fans for Your App

When you are launching your app, don’t focus on getting a million downloads.

“A good rule of thumb is to work hard to build 1000 true fans. If you can find that many people who love what you create, you can grow from there.” This golden advice was given by Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine and recommended by Tim Ferriss.

7) The Most Important App Metric to Focus On Is Retention

Retention is the most important app metric.

95% of the apps are deleted within few hours of initial download. Churning through a huge amount of users can’t be a sustainable strategy for an appreneur. Hence it’s all the more important to keep the users coming back for more or find out why they are not returning.

Steve Young, Founder App Masters, mentions that this was the only metric used by Crossy Road’s founder to make more than ten million dollars with their app.

8) If You Don’t Do Any App Marketing, You Will be Lost in the Crowd

1600 new apps are being introduced to the app store every single day. If you don’t do any app marketing, you will be lost in the crowd.

“Even if you hate marketing, if you learn just one or two tricks, you will be ahead of 90 percent of developers who do no marketing at all”, says Charlyn Keating.

And a great marketing tip from Ted Nash is to cross-promote apps. Paul Kemp, host of a podcast show The App Guy, narrated the story of how Andreas Kambanis used this strategy to market Fit Men Cook which became the #2 paid app on App Store.

9) Approach Apps as a Business and Don’t Give Up

“Once you approach apps as a business instead of a hobby, you will be poised to land squarely above the middle class of all developers.”, says Charlyn Keating.

“Don’t give up. Learn, test, strive to improve. You don’t fail unless you quit.”, mentions Seb Hareng of App Marketing Lab.

Angry Bird became an overnight success after 51 failures from Rovio.

10) Plan Your App Monetization Strategy in Advance

“There should be a strong monetization strategy even before you write your first line of code.”, remarks Chris Chidgey. It should dictate the rest of your priorities in app development.

A great lesson is the app Pixtant from Lee Rankinen. He got a quarter million downloads but with no monetization strategy in place, he ultimately lost money.

Conclusion

What if you are a skeptic and still haven’t made up your mind?

You can have a look at the speaker list on the Appreneur Summit landing page and read more about them.

If you are still not convinced, you can subscribe to their email list for free. It will give you access to watch 4 expert interviews for free.

If that changes your mind, you can order your copy using this link: The Appreneur Playbook: Game-Changing Mobile App Marketing Advice from the Pros.