RenegadeCitizen.com | Indie iPhone Game Developer

The Renegade Method

Rob McCrady — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:24:48 +0000

THE PAID-TO-FREE SWITCHEROO WHILE SUPPORTING PAST CUSTOMERS

This article was fist published in Make App Magazine in December, and they gave me permission to republish here.

A popular method on the developer forums that is supposed to increase traffic and revenue is to switch your app from paid to free. In this article I’ll talk about my own experience of using this technique. It’s no secret that freemium is all the rage right now on the App Store – free apps will get you more downloads than a paid one, usually by at least a factor of 10. Even if you could set a paid app at 1 cent, it’d still be a barrier to download the app. Traffic is the hardest thing for a developer to get, so this technique helps solve this problem, at least temporarily.

Whenever an app switches from paid to free it gets picked up by lots of websites and apps that scrape the App Store for price drops. The result is that it leads to lots of downloads and if your app is lucky enough it gets ranked and gets even more exposure. The whole idea behind this exercise is to grow your user base and raise awareness for your app. In the process you should optimize the monetization of your free app so that the whole exercise is ROI positive.

paid to free, however there are some services that help boost the downloads when switching your app to free by using their distribution network. The popular “Free App A Day” services include Free App A Day, Monster Free Apps, Free App Party and so on. I suggest testing out one of the smaller, free ones first. The more established sites can charge anywhere from $5,000 and up, whereas the newer sites that are trying to make a name for themselves are often willing to promote your app from around $200 and sometimes even for no cost at all. Once you are sure that your app can make money as a free app you can consider using the higher priced services. Switching your app from paid to free gets you a lot of traffic, but if you don’t monetize that traffic then the whole exercise is pretty much pointless.

ONE CITIZEN’S EXPERIENCE WITH THE PAID-TO-FREE SWITCHEROO

“The whole idea behind this exercise is to grow your user base and raise awareness for your app.”

“It is possible to get a spike of traffic simply by switching your app from paid to free, however there are some services that help boost… downloads”

Monetizing all that free traffic is a careful game you must play. You don’t want it to impede the success of the app by showing obtrusive ads, but at the same time you’re trying to create a business that can self-sustain itself so that you can build more apps. There are many ways to monetize a free app, but I’m only going to talk about what I use.

Probably the most common way to monetize apps is through in- app purchases. They say about 1% of users pay through in-app purchases, but that’s only if you have a strong call to action. I have a few in-app purchases (IAP) in my game Infinity Control, but the conversion rate is far lower than 1% and I believe the reason for the low conversion rate in my app is because the call to action (CTA) isn’t strong enough. I think I avoided using a strong CTA because of my dislike for apps that really push their in-app purchases at you. Now, however, I realize that you have to inform the user “hey, there’s more you can do if you buy this”. Once the user has been properly informed, you’re leaving it in their hands whether to purchase the IAP or not. In future apps I will keep testing in-app purchases until I can find a happy balance between good game play and monetization.

The other major way to monetize free apps is through ads. I’ve tested many ad networks. One network that worked well for me initially is Revmob. In the developer forums, everyone is talking about how they have the highest payouts. Their eCPM (effective cost per 1000 impressions) is probably the highest around and their CPI (cost per install) is very high too. Sometimes they would pay out up to $10 for an app install. Now what more could you want from an ad network? However, the downside of Revmob is that their fill rate is not 100% and when I tested it out it was in fact far lower than that, especially for users outside the US.

I’m never satisfied with the status quo, so I continued testing other ad networks. One that’s worked quite well for me is Chartboost. They have the second highest eCPM I’ve seen and a much higher fill rate. Even when an ad can’t be shown from their network, an ad of one of your apps is shown, so you are really maximizing your impressions. Between Revmob and Chartboost, I’m making more money from Chartboost just because of the higher fill rate. So that shows you test, test and test some more. What everyone is saying that works the best for them may not be the case for you.

Going free does have its down side too. You may get lots of traffic for a couple days but that traffic is only going to last for so long. Before you know it, that traffic is going to hit rock bottom and you’re going to be making even less money on in-app purchases and ads than if your app was paid. So of course you switch back to paid, however that totally kills your downloads. I’ve found that through optimizing the monetization of my free apps the revenue per install of the free version is around $0.15. I keep my app free as long as the amount of downloads is high enough to generate more revenue than I would earn if the app was paid.

“I’ve found that through optimizing the monetization of my free apps the revenue per install of the free version is around $0.15.”

There are a few drawbacks to us- ing this method. One, is that each time you switch to free you will get less of an effect than you did previously. For example, the first time I used this method I gener- ated 28,000 downloads in the first day. The second time I only got 500 downloads the first day. Second is an issue of user experience – you don’t want to start showing ads to users who paid for your app. Third, is an issue of value – why would someone pay for an app now, if they could have gotten it for free yesterday.

I’ve come up with a system to counter the second issue by tailoring the user experience in the app depending on what version was downloaded. I had my programmer (he’s an A player) create a system where I could turn on and off the in-app purchases remotely from my server. This allows me to jump between free and paid whenever I want, without upsetting my customers. It was very simple to set up and involves reading a text file on my server site which just says “On” or “Off”.

The other modification that I made is so that whenever someone downloads my app as a paid app they will get all the content unlocked, with no ads. On the other hand, whenever they download it on a free promotion, they get the in-app purchases and ads. The information is stored in the keychain so even if they delete the app and then restore it, the app still knows if it was downloaded as paid or free. Even when I set it to paid and I have both paid and free users out there, I still make ad revenue.

The third issue that I’m trying to solve is the question of value. The trick in my eyes is to try to make the free promotion for a strictly limited time so as to not devalue my app. I’m also working on a way to sort and identify users by whether they are running the paid version or free version in order to reward them with exclusive content, hopefully keeping them as long term customers.

So far I’ve used this system to generate over 50,000 downloads and jump between paid and free multiple times, importantly maintaining 4 stars ratings. I’ve gone to great lengths to market and monetize my app whilst trying to keep a good relationship with my customers. Hopefully one day that’ll pay off.

“…the first time I used this method I generated 28,000 downloads in the first day”

What I want you to take away from this is that you have to be just as creative in your marketing as you are in creating your apps. The exact tactics I use will change and may not even work six months from now. You should take away from this the thought process I had to come up with in order to generate these solutions. These exact tactics might not work for you but it’s a matter of testing out even crazy ideas, as wild as it may seem. As you can see, I don’t have everything figured out, but I’m getting there. After all it’s a tough market to stand out in if you’re doing the same thing as everyone else. Find your unique angle and go for it!

First look! – WordFlu coming soon

Rob McCrady — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:34:37 +0000

Finally, this is a first look at our next project. It’s a Turn Based Multiplayer Word Game Invite your friends for a game on GameCenter It’s Scrabble meets Tetris. Easy to Learn, but Hard to MasterEven if you don’t typically like word games you’ll like this game and word game fanatics will love this game.

Here’s the video

It has the same Word Dictionary as Letterpress, so you know the word list will be top notch. It’s the perfect game for the casual player looking for fun and and extensive replay value.

Signup NOW at http://www.wordflu.com to be notified of it’s release! and a chance to win a promocode!

iPhone Games Creation with Robert McCrady

Guest — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:24:23 +0000

iPhones made life much easier. From communication to entertainment, there’s no more you can ask for from such devices. Usage of iPhones continuously grows and most of the units sold are used generally for gaming. That is why many big time and indie game developers keep on developing games. Producing mobile games are not that hard, according to Robert McCrady, the founder of Renegade Citizen, a website dedicated to iPhone games development. In an interview with Tap for Tap founder Eric Dyck, McCrady talked about building a great game for less than $5000. He said one secret in coming up with great online games is curiosity. Infinity Control, one of his first creations, was actually produced through a small amount of capital. McCrady started by going into forums and contacting his friends who can help him outsource his project. From programming to art direction, all that McCrady did was ask for help from his friend in Germany and Ukraine. It took them only eight months to finish Infinity Control.

On the same interview, McCrady said he is working on a word game and assured fans that his will be better than Zynga’s. The social gaming giant recently released its own word game called “What’s The Phrase?” This game wasn’t received well by many critics. Should Zynga concentrate on its online gambling games because it is where the money is? On the latter part of 2012, Zynga announced a team up with Bwin, the company that produced Partypoker, partycasino.com, and Foxybingo, in its bid to attract more users. Zynga may have stepped on the right field as casino games like slots, roulettes, and blackjacks are very popular nowadays. Some people are too busy to go to casinos, prompting them to turn to online versions. Though there are many companies that compete in such field, online casino games also have wider market compared to other games. Many fall in love with slot machines, which Listverse ranked as top four among casino games, not just because of the easy money that they offer but also because of their cool themes. If Zynga will concentrate on fields such as this, it might get a better chance of expanding its fan base because casino games are patronized not just in Europe and North America but also in Asia and Africa. It should leave word games to guys like McCrady.

Infinity Control, a sci-fi line drawing game, has received good reviews from Apple enthusiasts. It is set in space and is played by controlling ship movements to prevent them from crashing to the ground. Infinity Control is a very exciting game that has simple beginnings. Review sites like Touch Arcade, IGN, and iPhonelife are probably on stand-by for the word game that McCrady and crew is working on with the way Zynga was reviewed. But through the curious and hardworking minds behind Renegade Citizen, expect nothing but quality games.

App Marketer Magazine

Rob McCrady — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 02:45:25 +0000

Hey Guys I wrote an article for App Marketer Magazine awhile ago and it just got published today.

It’s a pretty good article on ASO (App Store Optimization). I’ll give you a few tricks that you wont hear any where else and I talk about some of the mistakes I made with my First app.

If you want to check it out, you can Download the magazine at http://www.appmarketermagazine.com

Its in the January Issue on page 26

the article page looks pretty cool to

MakeApp Magazine

Rob McCrady — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:24:37 +0000

Hey Guys,

My article was just published in MakeAppMag in issue 3 page 36

Check it out, it’s very inspiring.

And I was given this code for my email Fan Club

but I decided to post it here too

use magspecial2012 to get a free 3 months, Tell me how you like it

Download MakeAppMag NOW: http://makeappmag.com/go

To activate your free 12 month subscription:

• Click on the yellow “subscribe” button
• Click “current subscribers”
• Enter the code magspecial2012 to activate the bonus subscription.
• That’s it!

and if you haven’t joined The RenegadeCitizen Fan Club, be-sure to join up to get more exclusive deals

TapforTap Interview

Rob McCrady — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:42:28 +0000

Here’s an interview I did with Eric Dyck the CEO of TapforTap The Free app marketing exchange service. (this is a service I will be using in my games and I think has a bright future). I don’t really like listening to my self talk, but we talk about some good marketing tips on app marketing and how I run my business. If you have any questions, I can expand or clarify what we were talking about in the comments.

Interview

QRArtist.net

Rob McCrady — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 17:19:59 +0000

For the past few months I’ve been asked to beta test qratist.net and now it’s about to launch public so here’s what I thought.

First of all QR codes are catching on fast and poping up everywhere. There are those square black and white images that you scan with your smartphone to find out more information by taking you to a website or giving you contact information or holding text or contact information.The strange shapes are basically a language. The black and white ones can be made for free online, so why would you want to use qrartist.net? A premium QR generator.

These are some of the codes I made with qrartist.net

to promote my website

to promote my iphone game iTunes link

for my DAD’s Brooks Mini Storage

As you can see their pretty unique, colorful and they stand out while still remaining scannable and identifiable as a QR code. You can easily ad your logo or company text. I created the one with my fist logo by removing the background in photoshop then importing to their site. But I noticed that as long as the background is white their site removes it for you.

Their interface is easy to use and they have some nice templates to get u started. I just wish you could modify past codes you have created. But I talked to them and they said its coming. And the link tracking is coming too, but I think even if the link tracking was on their site I wouldn’t use it, because it’s just easier to have all my link tracking on one site, but I’m sure other people would use it.

For App Developers QR codes can really help find your app on the persons phone Appstore. some people may think QR codes on the web are redundant because links do the same thing. But most app purchases are made on device, so the QR code bridges the gap between desktop and mobile device.

So qrartist.net makes some of the nicest looking QR codes around. Qrartist is open for the public now so if you want to create some of these cool looking codes, its free to sign up and if you like what u created it’s $2.99 to remove the watermarks. But if you use coupon code RgCzRo you get the first 100 premium codes for free

If you want me to Beta test your product or service or app, contact me and I’ll have a look. And if I like it I’ll help promote it.

My Beginning iOS Development Interview

Rob McCrady — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:31 +0000

This is my interview with the site Beginning iOS Development

its a pretty good interview I talk about what apps i like and marketing

http://www.beginningiosdev.com/interviews/how-to-develop-amazing-iphone-apps-when-you-have-a-disability

My Interview with AppVader

Rob McCrady — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:49:25 +0000

Here is the two part interview I did with AppVader

“Thankfully for gamers everywhere, he didn’t let this painful obstruction get in his way.”

Part 1

Part 2

Pearl Jam Concert

Rob McCrady — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:42:10 +0000

The Pearl Jam Concert was Unreal My buddy Jeff Goodheart got us backstage passes and i got to meet two of the five band members. Mike McCready and Jeff Ament. We went backstage before the show and Mike McCready talked to us for about 20min and while he was talking he had his guitar in his hands and was warming up. The man is a total god at guitar solos and here he was just picking away infront of us. Like I mean he wasn’t just some hack in the subway, his little warmup session could of been played infront of thousands of people, instead it was just me and Jeff there. Then he gave us an autographed poster signed by all five bandmates, with a personalized message from Mike. There were people backstage Mike didn’t even say hi to, yet he and his wife sat down and talked to us for quite awhile. His wife is smokin’ hot by the way. The whole night was unbelievable not to mention the concert too.

Backstage Baby!

View from the handicap section – the view was actually better than this picture suggests. I’m actually glad we weren’t on the floor because everyone was standing and I wouldn’t of seen a thing from a wheelchair. Just hearing the crowed chanting got my heart pumping, the place was packed.

Mike McCready (Lead Guitar) left, me in middle, Jeff Goodheart right

Me and Jeff Ament (Basist)

the signed setlist

I asked Mike what the opening song would be? He said “Release” and all the groupies in the room covered there ears and started yelling La la la, I thought it was funny.

the signed poster – I’m totally framing this baby

My favorite song that night was probably the opening with “Release”. The best monent was when Mike started running around on the ground in a circle like homer Simpson while playing guitar. The whole concert was awesome even without the backstage stuff. But that just made it sweeter.