App developers now have a new way to promote their app releases, updates, and other new features on Apple's App Store. First announced at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference in June, Apple this week introduced a “Featuring Nominations” option to App Store Connect. App Store Connect is a service that developers use to submit apps, games, and updates to the App Store. Now, instead of waiting for Apple to recognize their work, developers can nominate their apps to be featured.
This allows developers to notify Apple about three different types of updates: new content, app enhancements, or new app releases.
Ahead of this change, the App Store editorial team creates stories about apps and their developers, organizing apps into collections that are highlighted across many sections and pages in the App Store. However, there was no formal process to request consideration for these hot positions, which could result in a significant amount of traffic to the app when consumers browse the App Store.
This new process could be an important step for developers to continue marketing and promoting their apps, games, and other updates.
To use the “Featuring Nominations” option, developers can access the nominations dashboard in App Store Connect and enter nominations one by one. For large publishers, the ability to upload a spreadsheet to recommend apps and games in bulk is useful. Apple suggests using easy-to-remember names for nominations that will help App Store editors understand what the app's new content and features are focused on.
In addition to the name of the update, developers must include a text description that describes relevant details about the update and the expected release date. In another field, “Useful details,” developers can tell their story, how they created their app, or maybe accessibility improvements or new developer tools.
Developers receive a notification from App Store Connect when the App Store editorial team selects their app to be featured. Tapping this notification will take you to a page where you can access the new Promote Your App marketing asset. This makes it easy to take advantage of hot positions by sharing the news on social media and across the media. Other marketing challenges.
Apple says it will also provide marketing materials at other key moments in an app's lifecycle, such as when an app first launches or when a new version is released. Apple's marketing assets include provided links that direct consumers to download apps and games from the App Store.
This feature not only makes it easier for App Store editors who are already involved in curating app releases and updates to ensure that the App Store always has fresh products, but also It also benefits developers and consumers looking to discover content. , updates, new releases. Additionally, featured updates can help draw consumers back to apps they may have forgotten about. This is something Google Play recently addressed with its Collections feature, designed to bring users back to the app to complete purchases, stream media, place orders, access social media, and more. . more.