How to Launch an iPhone / iPad App from @Guardly & @TweetAgora

Launching iPhone and iPad apps is something that a lot of people are doing these days.  I was super curious about the process so instead of going off and figuring it out myself (which would mean programming an app which is WAY above my skill set), I decided to ask the experts.

This post will be one of a few interviews on the subject.  I hope you enjoy them and find them helpful in the iPhone / iPad launch process as well as in the marketing process of your app.

Enjoy!

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This interview is with Bretton MacLean, the uber genius behind TweetAgora and Guardly.  Make sure to check them both out!  And no… he did not pay me to call him an uber genius

1. What is the name of the app you’ve launched / re-released and tell us a bit about it?

I’ve designed and been involved in launching 2 iPhone apps: TweetAgora and Guardly.

TweetAgora is a Twitter client that solves 3 problems: too much information, not enough information, and not enough time. It lets you filter tweets and hone in on whatever you need. You can learn more about it at http://TweetAgora.com.

Guardly is a personal safety service that lets you instantly alert & connect with friends, family, and authorities during an emergency. Guardly’s website can be found at http://Guardly.com.

2. How long, from start to finish, did the launch process take?

TweetAgora took about 8 months to build from start to finish; we started it as a part-time project, and working with Twitter’s API wasn’t always easy! Guardly took about 5 months, full-time. Mark Pavlidis was my development partner in both ventures, so Guardly benefited from the workflows we refined while building TweetAgora.

3. What was the biggest marketing challenge you faced in launching your app?

In the case of TweetAgora, the challenge has been getting noticed in the sea of other Twitter clients. Despite being the first (and best!) Twitter filtering app for the iPhone, there’s still a lot of competition.

The challenge with Guardly is getting people to understand how it works, and why it’s worth $99.99 a year to invest in their personal safety. Guardly is the app you don’t think about until you absolutely need it, but in the event of an emergency it could be a lifesaver.

4. Looking back, what were a few things that you would do differently in the marketing and release of your app?

In retrospect, I wish we’d been able to release TweetAgora a month earlier. Last year we went to San Francisco for the Twitter developer’s conference, and were fortunate enough to get a front-page interview on Mashable and the opportunity to present the app to everyone in attendance. Unfortunately, the app wasn’t out yet. We got a lot of great coverage, but it was ultimately wasted because all that traffic had nowhere to go.

Guardly was released just a month ago and has been doing quite well in terms of coverage and downloads. Where TweetAgora was just bootstrapped by two of us, Guardly is a venture-backed company that recently hired an experienced VP of Marketing. Marketing an app is a full-time job, not just something a designer and developer can easily do in their spare cycles.

5. What were a few things that you felt worked, in terms of the marketing for your app launch / re-release, just as you had planned?

Since TweetAgora is a Twitter app, and Twitter is basically one big word-of-mouth channel, we knew that a lot our exposure was going to come from there. People who use TweetAgora tend to really like it, and they’ve been great about recommending it to others.

We travelled to Palm Springs to launch Guardly at the DEMO conference, a highly respected event for announcing new tech products. We got lots of positive buzz and coverage, which was exactly why we chose to debut at DEMO!

6. Did you have reviewers for your app prior to it being launched? If so, how did you go about finding these reviewers?

We didn’t have any real pre-launch reviews for TweetAgora, because we didn’t want to potentially waste coverage by showing people an app they couldn’t buy yet. In hindsight that was probably a mistake; tech sites love getting exclusives on new apps, so we should have established a better pre-launch strategy.

As a result of our launch at DEMO, Guardly had lots of pre-launch reviews (all very positive).

7. Did you implement any traditional marketing (press kits, press releases, etc.) for your app launch or did you stay strictly online?

Our only ‘offline’ marketing for TweetAgora was handing out lots of stickers. Everything else was online – mostly through engagement on Twitter.

With Guardly we’ve used traditional press kits and press releases in addition to our online efforts.

8. What advice would you give to someone who is looking to market their upcoming iPhone app?

There are around 400,000 apps on the app store, so if you want to get noticed you really need to have a marketing plan. Reach out to as many related media outlets as possible, have a launch party, and try to come up with creative ways to get the word out. You should also think about how you can maintain momentum after the initial launch buzz has died down.

9. Where can people learn more about your app / studio / company?

The best way to learn more about TweetAgora and Guardly is to download them from the App Store! Both apps use a freemium model so you can try before you buy. Of course there’s also http://TweetAgora.com and http://Guardly.com.

10. (Just for fun) What is one iPhone app, aside from your own, that you are totally addicted to?

If I’m looking for a little mindless fun break, my most recent addiction is Tiny Wings!

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