By Sam Dalsimer How NOT To Do iPhone App PR
This story is a bit old by internet standards, but it’s important and helpful for app developers out there who want to DIY their PR.
TriplePoint can help you design and execute a PR strategy, sure, but we would be doing a disservice if we did not also highlight instances where a PR strategy went terribly awry.
Perhaps this should be common sense, but when contacting media to promote your app/game/product/service, don’t offer money in exchange for coverage.
The Portable Gamer details a shocking exchange with an Australian app developer who was willing to pay $300 for an app review. When the site appropriately declined, the developer upped the offer to $500.
The conversation proceeded to an exchange of threats and insults launched by the developer, with the site politely asking to end communication. The result was not exposure for the developer or their app but rather the Portable Gamer bringing the matter to the public’s attention. By doing so, they discovered that the same developer had made similar attempts with other editorial sites.
There are developers offering money for reviews, and there are review sites asking for money. We hope these parties find each other and make lots of money buying and selling paid reviews, but this will never be a part of a legitimate PR strategy and will never lead to a successful campaign that earns consumer trust and wins the hearts and minds of the real journalists whose opinions matter.
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Ray Wenderlich
