This document provides guidance on building an effective go-to-market strategy for a mobile app. It discusses defining the product through discovery, understanding the market opportunity and target users. It also covers establishing a business and monetization plan, such as choosing a revenue model that fits the app type. The document reviews developing a marketing and user acquisition strategy, and selecting a launch approach like a minimum viable product or soft launch. The overall goal is to avoid common reasons apps fail and set up for success in the competitive app market.

1. How To Build The Ultimate
Go-To-Market Strategy For Your App

2. SUCCESS IN THE APP MARKET
Whether you’re the founder of a startup or
part of a large enterprise, a great app idea will
only take you so far. The reality is that most
apps fail...

3. THE CHALLENGE
<1% of consumer mobile
apps will be considered a
financial success by their
developers through 2018
Source: Gartner

4. THE CHALLENGE
• 19% of mobile apps don’t generate
any revenue whatsoever
...
• More than half of mobile apps are
below the “app poverty line,”
generating less than $500/month
...
Source: VisionMobile

5. THE CHALLENGE
Even apps that aren’t
meant to be a main source
of revenue generation
often fall short of their
goals, particularly from a
user adoption standpoint

6. WHY DO SO MANY APPS FAIL?
Lack of product definition
& direction
Weak marketing & user
acquisition plans
Poor business &
monetization strategies
Improper product release
strategy

7. KEY TAKEAWAYS
How can you avoid the common pitfalls that cause
apps to fail and build a killer go-to-market-strategy?
Product definition: Define your product, users, market viability
Monetization & business strategy: What works for the type of
product your are release & aligns with your goals and
objectives?
Marketing & user acquisition: How will you generate interest &
drive downloads?
Launch strategy: What is the best fit for your product &
market?

8. Avoid common failures to launch and
best set yourself up for success in the
highly competitive app market.
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9. PRODUCT DISCOVERY & DEFINITION

10. PRODUCT DISCOVERY & DEFINITION
Product discovery doesn’t guarantee app
success, but it does set the basis for the
product to be impactful. It tackles essential
questions including the why, the what, the
how, and the when.

11. PRODUCT DISCOVERY & DEFINITION
Even apps that aren’t
meant to be a main source
of revenue generation
often fall short of their
goals, particularly from a
user adoption standpoint
Is there an opportunity in the market?
Are you addressing a pain point for a set of
potential users? If there is no need or
desire, there is no market opportunity.
Why are you building the product?
What is the purpose/goal of your app?
What problems are you trying to fix? What
is the value you are adding? What are your
short and long term goals?

12. PRODUCT DISCOVERY & DEFINITION
Even apps that aren’t
meant to be a main source
of revenue generation
often fall short of their
goals, particularly from a
user adoption standpoint
Who are you building the product for?
Products are built for users; therefore,
product direction should be driven by
understanding their needs and motivations.
Who are your competitors?
What have they done right? What are their
weaknesses? How will your solution add
value beyond what is available in the
market?

13. DEFINING A MONETIZATION &
BUSINESS PLAN

14. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
The approach to monetization/business
strategy varies on the type of app and whether
it is meant to be a main source of revenue
generation, or meant to support or facilitate
another service or product.

15. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
Advertising Based
Works best when:
● You don’t plan to monetize directly from users
● In-app purchases would interrupt user
experience or not fit organically within the
app
● The nature of your app results in frequent
visits, long sessions
● You collect demographic & behavioral data
IF the app is a main revenue
generation source
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...

16. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
Paid Download
Works best when:
● You have a strong marketing & PR presence
● The app offers added value over free, similar
options
● Value is commensurate with price
● You want to tie revenue directly to downloads
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
IF the app is a main revenue
generation source

17. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
In-App Purchases
Works best when:
● You have a retail, gaming, or services app
● Can profit despite app store fees
● In-app purchases add real value to users
● User experience is good enough to encourage
repeat use even without purchases
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
IF the app is a main revenue
generation source

18. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
Freemium
Works best when:
● You want mixed revenue from ads and users
● Premium features add notable value to users
● Free version is enticing enough to attract
users and encourage purchase of extra
features
● Large user base/long app sessions
IF the app is a main revenue
generation source
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...

19. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...
Subscription
Works best when:
● Your app is content driven (news, music,
video, etc.)
● The nature of the app encourages frequent,
repeat use
IF the app is a main revenue
generation source
If the product is a standalone revenue
generation source, you need a solid
app monetization strategy. The most
common models include...

20. DEFINING A BUSINESS &
MONETIZATION PLAN
IF the product is meant to support another product or facilitate a service
rather than generate revenue, your approach will be vastly different.
In this type of situation, you are going to focus on aligning your app with business
objectives rather than monetization of the app itself. Namely, how does the
application fit within your larger business plan or organizational objectives? The
purpose is not to directly generate revenue, but rather to support key revenue
generation activities.

21. MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION

22. MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION
Much like your monetization/business plan,
your user acquisition strategy is going to differ
based on the nature of your application, your
target market, and many other factors.

23. Early Outreach
Have a plan in place to engage your core group of
users, potential partners, and press early on
● Create a media list
● Create a segmented user list
● Work to develop early partnerships
MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION
Some of the areas you need to
consider when creating a
marketing and user acquisition
strategy include...

24. Teasers & Early Access
Offer teasers or early access to beta versions to
generate excitement and anticipation
● Reach out to people and potential users to
offer exclusive access to a closed beta list
● Create early sign up pages using tools like
Launchrock
MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION
Some of the areas you need to
consider when creating a
marketing and user acquisition
strategy include...

25. Press Kits & Collateral
Have press kits and other necessary collateral
prepared prior to the launch of your product
● Include screenshots, review guides,
promotional videos, press releases, etc.
● Have all assets available in a centralized place
to make discovery easier
MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION
Some of the areas you need to
consider when creating a
marketing and user acquisition
strategy include...

26. Some of the areas you need to
consider when creating a marketing
and user acquisition strategy
include...
Product Sites
Get your product listed on sites that curate new
products and startups to help you create hype and
attract new users.
● Product Hunt
● Beta List
● Hacker News - Y Combinator
● CrunchBase
● Launching Next, etc.
MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION
Some of the areas you need to
consider when creating a
marketing and user acquisition
strategy include...

27. App Store Optimization & Discovery
Despite many marketing tactics, most users still
discover apps by searching on the app store. App
Store Optimization helps your app rank higher in
search results via:
● Keyword research and optimization
● Title optimization
● Optimized app descriptions
● Icons and screenshots
● Categorization & more
MARKETING & USER ACQUISITION
Some of the areas you need to
consider when creating a
marketing and user acquisition
strategy include...

28. LAUNCH STRATEGY

29. LAUNCH STRATEGY
Once you have all the pieces in place, you will
need to focus on going to market in a way that
will best set up your product for success. This
means making decisions about launching with
a MVP or more mature product, and choosing
a hard or soft launch strategy.

30. MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT (MVP)
Launching a MVP with a core set of
features allows you to test and validate
key concepts early so you can improve
your product with each iteration, while
also reducing time to launch and
development costs.
LAUNCH STRATEGY
● Validated learning
● Early testing of key business
concepts
● Strengthen business cases
● Iterative process allows
product evolution
● Cost efficiency & faster
time-to-market

31. SOFT LAUNCH
A soft launch is when you release your
product to a restricted audience or
market prior to launching it fully. Soft
launches are often limited to a particular
area or a small segment of ideal users
and customers.
LAUNCH STRATEGY
● Identify bugs & feature
improvements early in a
smaller market
● User feedback gained to
apply to future iterations
● Marketing acceptance
● Better preparation for a hard
launch

32. HARD LAUNCH
A hard launch is when you release your
product fully to the market, with the
corresponding marketing push to match.
Hard launches are more expensive and
typically used by larger companies with
the necessary budgets or more mature
products.
LAUNCH STRATEGY
● Competitive advantage
(harder to replicate
ideas/keep up)
● More feature-rich, developed
product
● Hard marketing push for
more rapid user adoption

33. Avoid common failures to launch and
best set yourself up for success in the
highly competitive app market.
GET YOUR COPY >>