You‘re done with the various stages of development of your app and now are getting ready for deployment and a flashy launch. While you are overburdened with numerous issues that crop up in the testing and deployment phase, you must give due diligence to the pre-launch. From building dedicated websites for your application to search optimization to email campaigns, the pre-launch phase is all about presenting your fruits of labor to the right audience in the way it’s intended. Here are the 8 pre-launch commandments that you should staunchly follow. 1. Design a Dedicated Website Your user should be able to access and/or interact with a website if they need more information about your application. A dedicated website/ landing page provides information and an overview of what you offer. It also acts as a gateway to your App Store page. The page should be neatly designed and highlight the main features and the value that the app provides. You should also have a signup form on this website, cleverly placed, always visible but shouldn’t distract the user. This is crucial because all the social media efforts and other marketing campaigns will be directing the traffic to this website. Here’s a website checklist to ensure you don’t miss any imperative information: App logo and tagline A brief overview of the app Social Media buttons A Launch Notification Sign Up Details highlighting main features and USP of your app HQ screenshots and Videos of the App Reviews section highlighting reviews by media and influencers(Hidden until post-launch if not applicable) About us page along with contact us form. If you don’t have time to develop a dedicated website, then don’t. Hastily designing a website and getting it ready for launch in a time crunch can have a bad impact on your overall promotion. It is highly advised that you partner with a website design and development agency to build this. Talk to us here. Post-launch changes Here are some website changes you may have to make after the launch: Make Reviews section visible if it wasn’t earlier Links redirecting to all the app stores where the app is available Launch notification sign up changed to a newsletter subscription for important updates 2. Publicize through different channels Reach out to your industry-specific media outlets and influencers to get your app reviewed or feature a press release. Posts, releases, and reviews from authoritative figures can help generate an initial user base. Don’t forget to use the omnipresent social media channels to create some buzz around your app. 3. Create a Press Kit Your Press Kit will have detailed information about the app which is essential for proper press coverage. This will make the promotions easier for media, bloggers, and influencers. Just like a dedicated website here’s your Press Kit checklist of must-haves: App logo and icons App description App Screenshots and video Links to your website and social media Your contact information 4. Open your app to Beta Testing Most of the successful applications opt for beta testing when they introduce new features. While it is not mandatory, we would highly recommend it. In the Beta testing environment, the user cohort gets exclusive access to the app before it goes completely public. The user cohort is required to report bugs, inconsistencies in the UX, logic gaps, or any general feedback about the app. There are plenty of tools like TestFlight to host a beta test. You can choose the one that fits your needs and the scope of your app. There is one major advantage of opening your app to Beta Testing. The testing group reviews your app for the first time, and therefore, can point out issues that you may have missed in the first release. This can help you identify potential problem areas that you can address. 5. Email Campaign A well-written and beautifully designed email campaign can have a big impact on your launch. You can include early-bird discounts and bonuses in your emails which can, in turn, boost your downloads. Here are best practices for creating an impactful email campaign Personalize subject and greeting Create a value proposition Place a strong CTA in the launch email Showcase your app through high-quality images or video 6. App Store Optimization (ASO) The visibility of your app is crucial to its success and it can be ensured via App Store optimization. Optimization helps your app to be recommended to people who are not exactly searching for your app. To accomplish this, you’ll have to do your research about your competition and target market. This will help you identify the keywords people are searching for and which designs yield better results in terms of traffic. App Store Optimization includes: App name with keywords Descriptions that attract users Focus Keywords for rankings Eye-catching app icon Screenshots of the five most important, unique, or interesting features of your app, with accompanying descriptive text Video of the app in use to show UI and UX (optional but highly recommended) 7. Integrate Analytics We recommend that you integrate analytics in the pre-launch phase. Likely, this integration would not be an easy feat after the launch. 8. Choosing the Launch Date It might not seem that important at first but the difference between a well-timed launch and a badly-timed one is of day and night. You’d want to avoid times when big sharks like Apple, Google, and Facebook are making their announcements or launching their apps. Apart from that, you will also need to factor in the time for approval from the App Store. Your launch date and campaigns won’t make sense if it isn’t approved by the App Store. Lastly, we would like to close this informative piece with a stat that might help you with your launch date, a 2015 Sensor tower research concluded that weekends are the best time to launch an app. We know that in the pursuit of designing and developing the perfect app, the launch efforts might take a backseat, but with these prerequisites and some help from experts you can get the best possible jump-start for your app. Feel free to talk to us if you have any queries related design, development, and deployment of an app. About Galaxy We specialize in delivering end-to-end software design & development services and have hands-on experience with app UI/UX design in agile development environments. Our designers, engineers, and developers help improve security, reliability and features to make sure your business application and IT structure scale and remain secure.