Featuring means a demonstration of a product and its qualities in a beneficial place. Such a promotion is used for mobile apps as well. Now we’ll tell you more about it.

Featuring in the App Store and Google Play

Almost any user of a modern mobile device opens regularly the main page of a store and apart from TOPs sees there a peculiar shop-window of apps. Let’s examine it.
App Store shop-window contains a row of horizontal feeds where apps are advertised. It contains:

  • «banner carousel» — apps are presented as colorful pictures attracting attention.
  • «Best new apps» and «Best new games» — horizontal feeds of icons.
  • «Apps of the week» — banners.
  • «Best game updates» — apps that have released successful updates can get there.
  • «Editor’s choice» — best apps according to editors.

Google Play’s main page is very similar to it but contains fewer categories. There are new apps in the horizontal feed, then, after a big banner, follows “We recommend it” block.
You can see theme blocks advertising apps at the end of the page.
There are 2 more unusual types of featuring in Google store:

  • special mark “Best developer” which some apps get.
  • “From the developer” selection. It depends on which device a user has. So in these selections, smartphone and tablet developers offer their apps.

Alternative featuring

Besides the 2 major app stores, there are little ones as well. They also have features where apps are arranged on the main page. It’s easier to get there as there are fewer apps.
The same thing concerns the Windows Phone Store. If you promote an app on this platform, try to get to the promo-block. Your chances are definitely higher than in the App Store and Google Play.

Principles of choosing apps

Apps for the above-mentioned promo-blocks are selected by editors themselves. You can’t buy a place for your app there.

Criteria used for making up the selections:

  • use for the market — app promotion should be beneficial for the store.
  • maximum use of platform potential (in both hardware-based and program sense) — you’ll help the development of the market if you demonstrate unique possibilities.
  • something exclusive for a platform (the new app is released for one mobile OS only) — it’s also rewarded by the editors.
  • a unique or the best app from similar ones — a benefit for the market is obvious — suchlike apps attract an audience.
  • «season» app-editors often make up selections timed to some holidays.
  • positive feedback from the audience — apps with a high rating and numerous positive reviews have chances for featuring.

How to get to the «Editor’s choice»

You can’t buy featuring but you can make an app in such a way so that editors will pay attention to it. It should correspond to all the store demands and shouldn’t violate store rules.
If an app satisfies some of the demands from the list above but doesn’t get to a promo-block, try to contact the editors directly. Write to the store e-mail. There are many people writing them but editors assure that they examine all the letters.
Besides, you can always turn to editors personally, for example, at some conference. It may increase your chances.

Featuring effect

Results from featuring are totally unpredictable as they depend from many factors:

  • duration of featuring — the time varies depending on local market peculiarities.
  • app type — usually featuring for games is more effective than for other categories. Though, sometimes it maybe vice versa.
  • monetization model — featuring of paid apps gives a lower result than of f2p apps.

You shouldn’t hope for featuring only. Even if your app has got the promo-block, it’s not a cause for refusing from other promotion methods. Take it as a pleasant bonus and help in marketing campaign. But it won’t do wonders for weak and low-quality apps.

Featuring is an inseparable part of all the big markets. And editors select apps for the promo-blocks everywhere themselves. Only apps conforming to all the editors’ demands and beneficially differ from competitors can get there. It gives a wonderful effect on attracting audience but it can’t be the only method of promotion.

Read more about mobile app promotion