5 ms·

Free app developed in 3 hours hits #1 and makes $20000. What we learned so far.

56 points by abstractwater 16y ago

moolave 16y ago
Takeaways: just keep going no matter what. It may take a while to reach that goal, but someway somehow, you are going to make it.
- axod 16y ago
  Also another takeaway would be that advertising revenue can work pretty well.
  - credo 16y ago
    Their website seems to be down now, but I read the TechCrunch post yesterday http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/08/winning-the-app-store-lotto-what-a-week-at-no-1-in-the-app-store-looks-like/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/08/winning-the-app-store-lotto... On your comment about ad-revenues, you may also want to consider the fact the $20,000 comes from ads and in-app purchases. The TC post doesn't provide a breakup and the revenue split isn't clear
    - Tichy 16y ago
      Ah, it is iFart in a new disguise. Makes me wonder if I could get a variant of the Million Dollar Page to work again.
    - dpcan 16y ago
      Gah, no way. I downloaded this app. This is exactly the type of app kids play with and press the ads in constantly.
  - Timothee 16y ago
    I'm afraid that, for a significant number of developers, the takeaway will be: "see, the app quality doesn't matter, it's a matter of luck! So I'd better crank out a lot of apps to have a better chance to win big".
    - axod 16y ago
      Definitely. That's what I would do if I was doing apps. Crank out as many low quality novelty apps as you can. Make one a day for a year. That's giving people what they want. For many, the whole point of an app-store is to find fun novelty apps like light-sabers fun noise things, etc etc. It's just a way of personalizing your phone like ringtones used to be. Something 'cool'/'lame' you can show your friends.
    - robryan 16y ago
      Yeah, I'm sure there would be developers out there who put a month into a solid iphone app that wasn't just a gimmick and didn't see any results. Might be a different equation for paid apps but for free ones I think your money would be better spent developing small apps like this.
patio11 16y ago
This is not a sarcastic question: who pays for advertising in iPhone apps? (I've never held an iPhone long enough to see an ad, and I'm drawing blanks as to who would pay $2 CPMs for mobile traffic.)
- blantonl 16y ago
  It is a pretty diverse group. In 3 page refreshes on my mobile site, Google has delivered a online radio ad, a mobile virus scanning ad, and a Gastric ByPass Attorney Ad. And, the CPM rates are huge, and people actually do click these ads (based on my revenue numbers)
  - nl 16y ago
    Has anyone done any studies on the number of people who click on mobile ads by mistake? Based on my experience and observation of others it seems to occur fairly regularly. (Also, I know my 4yo clicks on in-game ads by mistake all the time on my iPod, and I know I'm not the only parent who has discovered the miracle of iPhone/iPod gaming for kids.)
    - dpcan 16y ago
      I wouldn't doubt that the majority of in-app ad clicks are kids. Sometimes I just let my 3-yr-old play with my phone, and he thinks the farting app is pretty funny, but he ALWAYS touches the ads.
  - jcdreads 16y ago
    Advertising is bought because it works. Advertising in nice places costs more. iOS users are a much, much more attractive demographic than the general public who see/click ads. A reasonably high-end display advertiser will pay a relatively high CPM to have their brand associated with an object like an iPhone with a high perceived value, even if no one ever clicks, and especially if theirs is the only ad on the screen at a time. With the insanely fine-grained targeting information that Apple has about you and your device ---such as your name, age, country and home billing zipcode, how much you use your iPhone, your purchase history with Apple, whatever other information you've ever given Apple like income and occupation, your current location (in principle), what apps you like, what music you like, etc.---they can probably pick the right ad for each user well enough get really, really good average click through rates. You'd be amazed at how well you can crank up the average click likelihood even with way coarser targeting information.
dmn001 16y ago
website does not load. anyone have a reliable mirro?
- eperfa 16y ago
  only the text-only version works, sorry http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.burstly.com/2010/06/08/free-app-hits-1-and-makes-20000-what-we-learned-so-far/&hl=en&strip=1 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...
Groxx 16y ago
The app mentioned: Air Horn by Sympaddico App page: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-horn-free/id348184873?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-horn-free/id348184873?mt=... (tries to open iTunes, sorry! don't know a link that doesn't do that) Content link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.burstly.com/2010/06/08/free-app-hits-1-and-makes-20000-what-we-learned-so-far/&hl=en&strip=1 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... (from eperfa, give them points! http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1418841 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1418841)
sliverstorm 16y ago
"Error establishing a database connection" That's certainly a lesson I haven't heard before! :) edit: I was just teasing

56 points by abstractwater 16y ago

Takeaways: just keep going no matter what. It may take a while to reach that goal, but someway somehow, you are going to make it.

axod 16y ago
Also another takeaway would be that advertising revenue can work pretty well.
- credo 16y ago
  Their website seems to be down now, but I read the TechCrunch post yesterday http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/08/winning-the-app-store-lotto-what-a-week-at-no-1-in-the-app-store-looks-like/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/08/winning-the-app-store-lotto... On your comment about ad-revenues, you may also want to consider the fact the $20,000 comes from ads and in-app purchases. The TC post doesn't provide a breakup and the revenue split isn't clear
  - Tichy 16y ago
    Ah, it is iFart in a new disguise. Makes me wonder if I could get a variant of the Million Dollar Page to work again.
  - dpcan 16y ago
    Gah, no way. I downloaded this app. This is exactly the type of app kids play with and press the ads in constantly.
- Timothee 16y ago
  I'm afraid that, for a significant number of developers, the takeaway will be: "see, the app quality doesn't matter, it's a matter of luck! So I'd better crank out a lot of apps to have a better chance to win big".
  - axod 16y ago
    Definitely. That's what I would do if I was doing apps. Crank out as many low quality novelty apps as you can. Make one a day for a year. That's giving people what they want. For many, the whole point of an app-store is to find fun novelty apps like light-sabers fun noise things, etc etc. It's just a way of personalizing your phone like ringtones used to be. Something 'cool'/'lame' you can show your friends.
  - robryan 16y ago
    Yeah, I'm sure there would be developers out there who put a month into a solid iphone app that wasn't just a gimmick and didn't see any results. Might be a different equation for paid apps but for free ones I think your money would be better spent developing small apps like this.

patio11 16y ago

This is not a sarcastic question: who pays for advertising in iPhone apps? (I've never held an iPhone long enough to see an ad, and I'm drawing blanks as to who would pay $2 CPMs for mobile traffic.)

blantonl 16y ago
It is a pretty diverse group. In 3 page refreshes on my mobile site, Google has delivered a online radio ad, a mobile virus scanning ad, and a Gastric ByPass Attorney Ad. And, the CPM rates are huge, and people actually do click these ads (based on my revenue numbers)
- nl 16y ago
  Has anyone done any studies on the number of people who click on mobile ads by mistake? Based on my experience and observation of others it seems to occur fairly regularly. (Also, I know my 4yo clicks on in-game ads by mistake all the time on my iPod, and I know I'm not the only parent who has discovered the miracle of iPhone/iPod gaming for kids.)
  - dpcan 16y ago
    I wouldn't doubt that the majority of in-app ad clicks are kids. Sometimes I just let my 3-yr-old play with my phone, and he thinks the farting app is pretty funny, but he ALWAYS touches the ads.
- jcdreads 16y ago
  Advertising is bought because it works. Advertising in nice places costs more. iOS users are a much, much more attractive demographic than the general public who see/click ads. A reasonably high-end display advertiser will pay a relatively high CPM to have their brand associated with an object like an iPhone with a high perceived value, even if no one ever clicks, and especially if theirs is the only ad on the screen at a time. With the insanely fine-grained targeting information that Apple has about you and your device ---such as your name, age, country and home billing zipcode, how much you use your iPhone, your purchase history with Apple, whatever other information you've ever given Apple like income and occupation, your current location (in principle), what apps you like, what music you like, etc.---they can probably pick the right ad for each user well enough get really, really good average click through rates. You'd be amazed at how well you can crank up the average click likelihood even with way coarser targeting information.

dmn001 16y ago

website does not load. anyone have a reliable mirro?

eperfa 16y ago
only the text-only version works, sorry http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.burstly.com/2010/06/08/free-app-hits-1-and-makes-20000-what-we-learned-so-far/&hl=en&strip=1 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...

Groxx 16y ago

The app mentioned: Air Horn by Sympaddico App page: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-horn-free/id348184873?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-horn-free/id348184873?mt=... (tries to open iTunes, sorry! don't know a link that doesn't do that) Content link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://blog.burstly.com/2010/06/08/free-app-hits-1-and-makes-20000-what-we-learned-so-far/&hl=en&strip=1 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://... (from eperfa, give them points! http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1418841 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1418841)

sliverstorm 16y ago

"Error establishing a database connection" That's certainly a lesson I haven't heard before! :) edit: I was just teasing