Want the insider secrets to driving more iPhone app sales? Get the new App Marketing Power Pack free when you sign up for our email newsletter.

We just added a new bonus guide so now you get two. They are filled with eye-opening tips to help you make more money with your iPhone apps.

To claim your copy, just put your first name and email address in the form to the right.

Don’t miss out on the insider secrets that can make your app a success. Get our FREE App Marketing Power Pack that shows you how to promote your app and boost your profits.

Sign up and you’ll get these guides:

• “5 Ways to Make Money with iPhone Apps” and
• “15 App Review Sites That Get You Noticed”

Plus, join today and get more money-making tips by email. Just enter your name and email address in the form to the right.

Want publicity for your iPhone or iPad app? Better yet, do you want free publicity? You cannot just sit back and wait for people to notice your app or for bloggers to write about it. To get maximum exposure for your application, you must get your name out there.

Press releases are a powerful way to spread the word about your app, especially if it is new. Sending a press release is an easy step you can do yourself – you do not need to hire a big public relations firm or advertising agency.

Best of all, there are free ways to distribute your press release once you are done with it to give it the best chance to be seen by the press, bloggers, and potential customers. I will give you some easy ways to turn your app press release into a reporter and blogger magnet and ideas for ways to distribute it (some of them free!).

Your Goal for Writing a Press Release

Writing a press release to announce your new or updated app can be a powerful way to get you noticed. Your goal in sending the press release is to let reporters, bloggers, and app reviewers know that you have done something exciting that their readers should know about. You then encourage them to contact you for more information, or they may link to your release online.

Sending one press release about your new app will probably not land you on the front page of a national newspaper. But it does get you additional exposure from people interested in technology and iPhone apps. The link you provide to your app website helps boost your rankings in Google, and can increase your sales when people find it online.

Plus, it gives you added credibility. Even a solo app developer can look like a professional software company by doing what the big guys do: issuing press releases whenever your new app or other important news.

How to Write a Press Release

When writing a press release about your app, you want to focus on what is most newsworthy. Instead of just listing off its features, grab the reader by telling them what makes it one of a kind.

What does your app do that no other can? How does it help people in an interesting way? What is surprising, or even controversial about your app?

Your app and your press release are fighting for attention with many competitors, so think carefully about how you will make your stand out from the crowd.

(Or, if you don’t want to do it yourself, we would be glad to write a press release for you.)

Get Your Press Release Out There

Once you write a press release, it is time to let the world know. Your announcement has a short shelf life, so send it to many places quickly rather than letting it drag out.

You can send it to app review sites that cover iPhone or iPad apps, but it usually best if you personalize the message rather than sending a mass mailing.

Use these websites to give your press release maximum exposure:

• PRMac (free or paid)
• Press Exposure (free)
• PRWeb (paid)
• PRLog (free)
• Free Press Release (free)
  
• Your website (free)

Writing a press release can give your app a boost in recognition and help increase sales when combined with other marketing. Use these tips to let everyone know about your new app.

Would you like getting publicity for your app? We can write and distribute a press release for you that helps get your app noticed.

We’re proud to share with you the affiliate links above because these are the resources and tools we use for our own business.

If you want to get exposure for your iPhone app, entering it in a competition can be a great way to go. Contests can get your app’s name out there to reach new customers. And winning is sure to get you more attention than you know what to do with.

Plus, if you win any competition or even come in the top 10, make sure to use that in your marketing. Show it off in your app’s description in the App Store, send around a press release, and feature it on your app’s website. Awards show your users that your app is worth buying.

To help you get started, here is a list of awards and competitions that accept iPhone apps:

Apple Design Awards: In Apple’s official competition for the best iPhone apps, your creation could be among the app elite. Check out past winners at the link above.

Best App Ever Awards: These awards aim to “recognize the best, not just the best-selling iPhone apps” – is yours one of them?

The Crunchies: Presented by the influential blog TechCrunch, The Crunchies invite people to nominate their favorite apps for voting.

Mobile Excellence Awards: This competition gives awards in many categories, such as Best Start-up, Best Mobile Innovator, and People’s Choice. Entries are judged on creativity, ease of use, success in the market, and other criteria.

Open Web Awards: Claim your spot as “best mobile app” in Mashable’s annual competition.

Sammy Awards: This competition focuses on social media: you can enter your app in their social branded app or content/entertainment app categories.

Which iPhone app competitions have you entered? Do you have any tips for making your entry stand out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Want the latest tips and ideas for marketing your iPhone app? Look no further. In these round-ups, we bring together fresh thinking on promoting your app from this blog and beyond.

To get these updates as they happen, just sign up for our Twitter feed. Join the hundreds of iPhone app developers to turn to Marketing Your App to help them sell more in the App Store.

In the meantime, check out these links:

A great info graphic on iPhone app usage and development

50 ways to promote your iPhone app

Over 5000 iPhone apps stricken from the App Store, new rules in place

Apple blocks location-based in-app advertising

New details released — iPhone app marketing secrets e-course

Developers gearing up for iPad

App Store now has 150,000 apps, but the most common type of app isn’t what you’d think

iPad app development explodes, says Flurry report

Want to be the first to know about new iPhone app articles and ideas that can help you increase your sales? Subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up to receive emails now.

We’re working on a step-by-step course that will teach you how to sell your iPhone app and make money.

HOWEVER, we need your help. Please take a minute to fill out this short survey. You’ll get 2 helpful mini-guides – stuffed with tips to help you sell your iPhone apps – as our “thank you” gift:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/28T3Y3N

Hurry! This survey closes January 19. Take the survey today and claim your two free gifts today.

Thank you!
The MarketingYourApp.com team

Having a website to advertise your iPhone app is an essential part of getting all the sales you deserve. It is now easier than ever to set up a low-cost website in very little time, but that does not mean you should overlook some of the basics that can help you succeed.

One of the first decisions you will need to make when creating a website to promote your app is what domain name to use. While it is easy to actually buy the domain (we will show you the service we use below), choosing the right URL can be more difficult. It is what everyone will be typing in to get to your new website and it is the first impression they will have, so we share some tips to help you select a winner.

Many people will just use the name of their app as their web address – which is often the best choice – but the decision is made more difficult if that URL is already taken.

Regardless of the domain name you choose to use for your app website, keep in mind these tips for a winning web address:

• The shorter, the better: While most of the very short domain names are in use, it still holds true that a shorter name will be easier for your visitors to remember and type. Less than 10 characters is ideal.
• Consider names beyond “.com”: While domain names ending in “.com” is still the gold standard, you might consider domain names that end in “.net”, “.biz”, “.us” or others to help you find a shorter name.
• Avoid confusing names: You will not only be writing down your new web address, but you will also be telling people it. So, make sure it is easy to pronounce and is not easily confused with similar-sounding words.
• You may want more than one: If you have a .com domain name, consider buying the .net version too. It will prevent a competitor from buying it and ensure that if someone mistypes your address, they’ll still reach your site.
• It is easier than you think: If you have bought clothes or airplane tickets online, you have the know-how to get a great domain name. A good domain name service will walk you through it step-by-step.

There are many companies that sell domain names online, and many of them do a good job of it. The main differences are price and support. The domain name registrar we use and would recommend to any app developer is GoDaddy (www.GoDaddy.com) because of its easy of use and competitive prices.

Keeping all your URLs in one place is a huge time-saver, so sticking with one service like GoDaddy can help make things simpler. We are proud to share our affiliate link because it is the service we use to manage our web addresses: www.GoDaddy.com

Regardless of where you register your domain name, the most important tip is to do it now. Good web addresses can be hard to find – especially the shorter ones many people are looking for – so if you find a URL you like, grab it before someone else does.

Many developers wonder, can I really make money by selling iPhone apps? Just look at the numbers: by 2013, Americans will buy $4.2 billion in mobile applications according to the Yankee Group. Make this year your time to start cashing in on this exploding opportunity – we’ll show you how.

Your opportunity to profit from iPhone apps is growing as more people buy an iPhone or iPod Touch, which can both run the apps you will make. Over 30 million iPhones have been purchased so far, meaning you have a large and growing audience of potential customers.

2010 looks to be another huge year for the iPhone as the leading smart phone continues to soar in popularity. This means that you will be able to make more money by selling your app to more people.

The first step to making money with iPhone apps, is to create your app. The most important part of the development process is to have an original idea for an app that will help people in their everyday lives. Ask yourself, what problem does my app solve? Making money really comes down to solving your customers’ problems, and the best developers know that they can only profit from an idea that truly helps make their customers’ lives easier (or at least a little more fun).

Next, get your app listed in the App Store. As 2010 starts, there are over 100,000 apps for sale in Apple’s superstore. How many apps there will be at the end of the year is anyone’s guess, but you want to make sure yours is one of them if you want to start cashing in.

Before you start making money with iPhone apps, though, spend some time thinking about your marketing plan. How will people find your app? Why would people want to buy it? What is the right price for my product? These are all critical questions to ask yourself before launching your app – and to keep asking yourself while you are selling it.

We would like to make it easier for you – sign up for our email newsletter and receive our new App Marketing Power Pack for free. It is stuffed with helpful tips to help you boost your profits. Plus, each newsletter will show you the simple shortcuts to increase your sales. Sign up today

Stay on top of the latest iPhone news to help with marketing your app. We round-up new articles from this blog and beyond with tips and advice for selling more apps and boosting your app profits.

Read your iPhone app user reviews online and by RSS using AppComments.

Apple redesigns App Store with more images and fewer words.

How the Mixology app increased downloads by 845% using text ads.

6 tips for mobile advertising in 2010.

Marketing idea: Submit your iPhone app for the Best App Ever Award by Dec. 31.

iPhone adoption faster than any new tech in history. Could there be a better place to sell your software?

Stop making this common app marketing mistake & start boosting your sales.

Avoiding iPhone app rejection from Apple – tips every developer must know.

Developer (and 1000+ apps) booted from App Store after trying to buy good reviews.

Learn helpful tips to marketing your iPhone app from a first-time app developer.

Always be the first to know about iPhone app news and ideas that can help you succeed. Subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up to receive emails now.