FAAD Experience
by rennie moffat · in iTorque 2D · 12/19/2010 (6:38 pm) · 23 replies
I am just wondering what anyone's experience with FAAD (Free App A Day) is. They contacted me recently and want me to invest $3500 to receive their promotions. On one side it seems fair considering their audience, 1.6 M but I am hesitant. $3000 is a lot of money for me right now. Does anyone have any experience with Free App A Day?
Thanks.
Thanks.
About the author
My thanks to Garage Games and the Garage Games Community combined with owned determination I got one game up, Temple Racer and I am looking to build more interesting, fun games for the mass market of the iOS app store.
#2
I know OpenFeint has a free app a day program, and I don't think it costs YOU a damn thing.
12/20/2010 (10:14 am)
I wouldn't pay to give away something!I know OpenFeint has a free app a day program, and I don't think it costs YOU a damn thing.
#3
@Ronny. It is only on a day that they ask you, if ever ( fans wish) that you are asked to make your app free for the day. The rest of the time your app is seen by more than what I can currently promote on my own.
12/20/2010 (11:15 am)
What would a large budget do that thier reach would not?@Ronny. It is only on a day that they ask you, if ever ( fans wish) that you are asked to make your app free for the day. The rest of the time your app is seen by more than what I can currently promote on my own.
#4
Most indie and single person games can't because the expected sales take up to 12 months to make in $3000 and more for the vast majority of applications and FAAD isn't that widely known that they make a difference (due to the sheer flood, even TouchArcade has lost its driving power).
OF might be more reasonable, alternatively get in touch with a publisher as their cross application advertisement between their apps is granted to reach people unlike external platforms
12/20/2010 (12:19 pm)
I think what he meant is: can you afford to pay this much for PRMost indie and single person games can't because the expected sales take up to 12 months to make in $3000 and more for the vast majority of applications and FAAD isn't that widely known that they make a difference (due to the sheer flood, even TouchArcade has lost its driving power).
OF might be more reasonable, alternatively get in touch with a publisher as their cross application advertisement between their apps is granted to reach people unlike external platforms
#5
12/20/2010 (12:30 pm)
So what exactly does a publisher do? Do you know examples of any? I know I can just search Google but it is always good to hear a friends word. This is new to me so want to get the best foothold.
#6
Last Saturday we did a promotion with FreeAppCalendar (only $200 versus the thousands of dollars), and it was NOT worth it. If we were to do a free promotion again, it would be with FreeAppADay.
12/20/2010 (12:43 pm)
Thoughts on FAADLast Saturday we did a promotion with FreeAppCalendar (only $200 versus the thousands of dollars), and it was NOT worth it. If we were to do a free promotion again, it would be with FreeAppADay.
#7
Mold your game if they think it needs guidance? And they only take on projects they think will sell?
Hmm. Will be looking more into.
Thanks
12/20/2010 (12:43 pm)
So I have just looked at some, Chillingo, Clickgamer, Pop Cap. So these houses simply promote your game for a percentage of sales? They helpMold your game if they think it needs guidance? And they only take on projects they think will sell?
Hmm. Will be looking more into.
Thanks
#8
12/20/2010 (2:10 pm)
Wow, great article Justin. Thanks. So, is it safe to say you have recouped your investment? And how has War Evolved been doing since? Would you invest monthly or do you think a one time push gave you enough legs to last?
#9
I'm I right to assume that you don't use Social Marketing and Crossmarketing Patterns?
I ask because I'm pretty confidant that if GameCenter, OF or Plus+ was used, the outcome of it could have been quite a bit different due to the "what your friends play" and "challenge your friend" functionality, used by the then pretty large free user base which can attract quite a few new users to "try it"
12/20/2010 (2:54 pm)
Nice article JustinI'm I right to assume that you don't use Social Marketing and Crossmarketing Patterns?
I ask because I'm pretty confidant that if GameCenter, OF or Plus+ was used, the outcome of it could have been quite a bit different due to the "what your friends play" and "challenge your friend" functionality, used by the then pretty large free user base which can attract quite a few new users to "try it"
#10
Rennie, the best thing you can do before you spend your dollars is to go to AppAnnie, look at the last 20 or so FAAD apps in November and then compare before and after to see if they "benefited" from the campaign - just check out the rankings over the time period.
Me, I did the OpenFeint FAAD campaign and it was free - you pay them a revenue share of 50% for all sales for the three weeks after. Over the couple of days we ran it was great - lots of new users, tons more negative reviews and feedback. We had 90,000 free downloads. In the end it made no difference.
You can google freeappoftheday and also read about other people's experiences - many developers gained nothing from it.
However, I still don't have answers as to how we can make decent money from iPhone games - I'm still working on it :)
12/20/2010 (7:00 pm)
I'll chuck in my 10pence worth ;-) First of, I think Justin did exceptionally well and has a game that would do well regardless of FAAD. Remember, his app was already doing well on a sales basis.Rennie, the best thing you can do before you spend your dollars is to go to AppAnnie, look at the last 20 or so FAAD apps in November and then compare before and after to see if they "benefited" from the campaign - just check out the rankings over the time period.
Me, I did the OpenFeint FAAD campaign and it was free - you pay them a revenue share of 50% for all sales for the three weeks after. Over the couple of days we ran it was great - lots of new users, tons more negative reviews and feedback. We had 90,000 free downloads. In the end it made no difference.
You can google freeappoftheday and also read about other people's experiences - many developers gained nothing from it.
However, I still don't have answers as to how we can make decent money from iPhone games - I'm still working on it :)
#11
@Rennie,
Yes, it was a good investment for us. Back then FAAD wasn't nearly as much as it is now though. Since then, War Evolved is averaging about $600 a week. That is up from the $500ish it was averaging before FAAD. FAAD is definitely not a monthly promotion, more like every six months to a year in my opinion. Since the campaign that we did with FreeAppCalendar was a total failure, we may do FAAD again in the future (especially because if you are a repeat app they give you a discount). Maybe sometime after the iPad version is out.
@Marc,
You're right, at the time we only had Facebook integrated and that was as social as we got. I've since integrated Game Center so it will be interesting to see what would happen if we did FAAD again.
12/20/2010 (10:46 pm)
Scott is absolutely correct. Do your research first. As I briefly mentioned in that article, I found that if your app is ranked in the 70-150 range, chances are your app will benefit from FAAD. If an app is above 150, the developer would most likely be wasting their money with FAAD.@Rennie,
Yes, it was a good investment for us. Back then FAAD wasn't nearly as much as it is now though. Since then, War Evolved is averaging about $600 a week. That is up from the $500ish it was averaging before FAAD. FAAD is definitely not a monthly promotion, more like every six months to a year in my opinion. Since the campaign that we did with FreeAppCalendar was a total failure, we may do FAAD again in the future (especially because if you are a repeat app they give you a discount). Maybe sometime after the iPad version is out.
@Marc,
You're right, at the time we only had Facebook integrated and that was as social as we got. I've since integrated Game Center so it will be interesting to see what would happen if we did FAAD again.
#12
12/20/2010 (11:32 pm)
Justin, $600 per week is stellar :) Good luck with your iPad campaign, I'm sure it's going to be equally successful!
#13
So how long have you been pulling in $600 or so a week? Do you foresee that lasting? if so, for how long?
Also, I was contacted by a publisher, however I am unclear on exactly what they do? Is it simply the name, and website, where they can plug your app? How exactly does a publisher help the developer?
12/21/2010 (1:16 am)
Thanks Justin, So how long have you been pulling in $600 or so a week? Do you foresee that lasting? if so, for how long?
Also, I was contacted by a publisher, however I am unclear on exactly what they do? Is it simply the name, and website, where they can plug your app? How exactly does a publisher help the developer?
#14
@Rennie,
We've been doing $500+ a week for over a year now. This next update will be our 14th update. I never, ever expected it to do this well. I don't have any idea on how long it'll last, some reviews have asked for an iPad version so I'm hoping that will extend the shelf-life even more. Whatever happens, I'm just enjoying the ride and will keep updating it as long as people keep playing it. I can't quit my day job yet though :)
12/21/2010 (1:49 am)
Thanks Scott, that's what we're hoping for :)@Rennie,
We've been doing $500+ a week for over a year now. This next update will be our 14th update. I never, ever expected it to do this well. I don't have any idea on how long it'll last, some reviews have asked for an iPad version so I'm hoping that will extend the shelf-life even more. Whatever happens, I'm just enjoying the ride and will keep updating it as long as people keep playing it. I can't quit my day job yet though :)
#15
But if you had two or three up doing that well, you might be able to.
Hmm. So did you originally sign on with a publisher? If you can, take me through the time line of your promotions. I just want to get a better understanding of what you did to get where you are, beyond the quality of your game.
12/21/2010 (1:56 am)
Sounds great. But if you had two or three up doing that well, you might be able to.
Hmm. So did you originally sign on with a publisher? If you can, take me through the time line of your promotions. I just want to get a better understanding of what you did to get where you are, beyond the quality of your game.
#16
I think the real reason that it is doing well is because of the search terms. If you search for "War" on the app store, War Evolved is the first to pop up. Also, if you search for the game that we based it off of, "Age of War", War Evolved is the second search result.
12/21/2010 (2:40 am)
I've never dealt with a publisher so I'm not the right person to ask. The only promotion that I've done has been FAAD and FreeAppCalendar, and I would do FAAD again but not FreeAppCalendar. I also spent $100-200 on Facebook/Google ads, but those didn't generate a single sale.I think the real reason that it is doing well is because of the search terms. If you search for "War" on the app store, War Evolved is the first to pop up. Also, if you search for the game that we based it off of, "Age of War", War Evolved is the second search result.
#17
12/21/2010 (2:43 am)
Hmmm. Interesting. How long did it take you to reach 500 a week in sales?
#18
12/21/2010 (3:30 am)
It was relatively early, I remember it being $50 a day and then Christmas hit and it hasn't let go. 
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