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7 Steps Successfully Outsource Launch Mobile Games eBook

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    APPRENEURS’

    COOKBOOK7 Steps to Succesfully

    Outsource Development

     & Launch Mobile Games

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    Editor’s Note 3

    Step #1: Outsource the Mobile Game Development:How to select a Right Team for Your Mobile Game! 5

    Step #2:

    Find the Cost of Making a Game App: 5 Easy Steps! 8

    Step #3:

    Monetize Your Mobile Gaming App:How to make Money from Free Apps! 12

    Step #4: 

    User Acquisition  13

    Step #5:

    App Store Optimization:

    How to Increase Your App Downloads 14Step #6:

    App Reviews:An Important Aspect of App Marketing Strategy! 16

    Step #7:

    Mobile App Analytics: Retention and Monetization

    Guidelines for Your Mobile Game! 23Why Click Labs? 27

    Get in Touch 28

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    Editor’s Note

    Being the Executive of a mobile game development company, I am frequently buzzedby lot of people with game ideas ranging from as simple as a copy of Flappy Birds tosomething as detailed as next Clash of Clans. But I always ask them one thing.

    An idea is just the beginning. Are you motivated to go all the way?

    Let me share something with you. Towards the fag end of 2013, one of our client MikeBloom got in touch with me with a fairly detailed idea of a card battle game. Beforethat, he was working with another mobile game development company for 18months. But, unfortunately, everything fell apart and he was left midway with an idea

    on which he had invested years. Since I knew that he was onto something big theminute I laid my eyes on the preparation Mike had already put in. Today, his dreamMario Italiano is about to go live soon.

    Another story worth sharing is that of our client Brian Davis. Encouraging words ofcreating rather than only consuming to his son Josaih Davis, a 15 year old High schoolfreshman, led him to design PaperChase, one of the best designed games that wehave developed so far. We also learnt a lot from Josaih’s insights to get every minutedetail right at every step.

    Hence, all you need is a lot of passion and patience to deal with everything that isthrown your way while you embark for this mobile game development journey.

    Another thing you need to ensure is that you have the budget to get the game devel-oped if you don’t have an inhouse team. It can be taken as a rule of thumb that youcannot develop the next big Candy Crush Saga in anything under $10,000. So you willbe forced to either dig in to your friends and family pool or present your pitch to Ven-ture Capitalists, if you are on a tight budget. I am happy to announce that we havealready expanded our successful Startup Subsidy Program for utility/consumer sideapps to games, and our first set of subsidized games are launching in June.

    It is crucial to note that mobile game development requires a varied set of specializedskills. If you are not ready to invest in these skills, your half-baked game will get lostin the hyper-competitive crowd of hundreds of new mobile games that are launchedin the App Stores everyday. Besides, when it comes to the learning-from-mistakespart, you can either make all the mistakes in the first mobile app (or game) and/or

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    leverage the experience of someone who has already made these mistakes.

    So if you find yourself constantly asking these questions..

    “Where does it all start? Do I have the budget? How will everything fall in place? Do Ihave the team to develop the game for me? If not, how am I going to select the team?How will I acquire users, monetize the app, get the artwork done, ensure that the gameis launched bug free? How will I collect feedback and reviews from my audience tofurther tune the game parameters?”

    ... then you are at the right place. Appreneurs’ Cookbook: S7 Steps to Succesfully Out-source Development & Launch Mobile Games will answer all these queries, and help youtackle some of the mistakes you have been facing in the past.

    Happy Reading!

    Parag Jain CMO, Click Labs 

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    Outsource the Mobile Game Development: How to select aRight Team for Your Mobile Game

    For the purpose of this e-book I am assuming that you don’t have an in-house team tobring your next big gaming idea to reality. In all probability, the toughest part for gettingstarted is going to be finding the right development team while staying within the relatedtime and budget constraints. This if not done well often means a difference between asteady source of revenue for years to come or complete disillusionment from themobile app world.

    With so many horror stories of outsourcing gone wrong bouncing back and forth itmakes prospective appreneurs circumspect. The one’s to lose in the pursuing environ-ment of distrust are the genuine development teams and the clients themselves. So,here is a non-exhaustive list of things to watch out for in a mobile development teamwhen looking to outsource mobile game development.

    Things To Look For In A Top Mobile Development Company

    A. ExperienceHiring experienced mobile app developers is a wiser decision for your project. A qualitydevelopment team writes a more efficient, more maintainable and bug free code whichpays in the long run. They are better at handling chaotic situations and add value to youridea by guiding you through the process.

    B. Work PortfolioWork portfolio gives you a better idea of a team’s skills and expertise. You can assesswhether it’s just another sales pitch or the app development team actually has some-thing concrete to show for by going through their work portfolio.

    C. Technical skillsA diversified technical skill set ensures the team would be virtually platform agnosticand will suggest you the right platform based on your idea requirement. Good technicalskills make the team efficient in developing iPhone and Android apps that can top heCVrespective store charts.

    Step #1:

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    D. Thinking/understanding skillsWorking on the same project for a good number of months needs you and your mobileapplication development team on the same wavelength. Analyze their thinking andunderstanding skills.

    E. FlexibleNo matter how well you spec your project, some things are going to change and youmust ensure that the team developing your app knows that and won’t engage in constantbickering over every small change. But on the other hand you should be open to a revisedquote if some major functionality is added at the later stage.

    F. CommunicationExcellent communication skills are required for both in-house and remote develop-ment teams. Weekly sprints, daily updates, group chats and bi-weekly discussions are

    some meeting schedules which must be adhered to depending on your availability andcomfort level.

    G. PragmaticA pragmatic estimate of the time it will take to complete the project ensures that the appdevelopment team won’t over-promise and under-deliver. This is one quality you shouldlook for in any mobile app development company.

    Are The App Developers Obsessive About Processes?

    A process oriented team is more likely to deliver on the initial promises ensuring goodquality work in set timelines. Ask in detail about the processes your outsourced mobileapp development team follows. Any oversight in this regard directly impacts the qualityof the product, the bandwidth you spend, the iterations required and the timeline.

    » ToolsWhile collaborating with a development team for a period ranging anywhere from a fewmonths to years, the choice of right tools by your team can save many hours. The toolsused should not have a huge learning curve but must be proficient in their niche areas.

    Your team should be using right tools for:

    •  Project management,

    •  Bug tracking,

    •  Codebase management,

    •  Transferring development builds, among others.

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    » Project ManagersWork with a team of game developers rather than individuals unless you already havea one at your end. A point-of-contact model with an intelligent person at the helm helpsyou transfer your vision to the team and makes communication much more effective.

    » Spec DocsIncluding every little detail of your project in spec docs might seem cumbersomeand totally unnecessary at the initial stages but helps you do feasibility analysis,discover competition, make life easier for the development team and save moneywhich goes into iterating constantly at a later stage.

    Are They Transparent?

    With many mobile app developers looking to make a quick buck, the genuine ones oftenhave to deal with mistrust from clients looking for prospective teams. But there is aneasy way out to differentiate between the two types of teams. Look for these signs,

    » Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)Ideally, your idea is your intellectual property (IP) and the sales reps of your pro-spective team should respect this and should be forthcoming when you ask for anNDA. All the discussions on your idea should follow after signing the NDA.

    » Cost Estimates

    The mobile game development team can estimate the total time and money it willtake to complete your project only after they have a good understanding of yourvision. If the team is able to give you a random number before you have shared youridea with them, it is a clear sign of a sales rep trying to make a quick sale. The onlyreliable number the team can give at the initial stage is their average hourly rates.

    » Payment TermsThe payment terms also depend on whether you are going for an hourly billing-basedmodel or a project-based model. For a project-based model, pre-decide the projectmilestones when you are expected to pay. Ideally, there should be at least 4 payment

    milestones and you shouldn’t be asked to fork out more than 25% of the total cost asupfront money. The final installment should go out only at project completion.

    » Cost Overrun RisksThere is a high possibility of cost overruns and all the cost overruns associated with thescope of work included in the MSA(Master Service Agreement) should be borne by the gamedeveloping company whereas those arising due to change in scope should be borne by you.

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    Step #2:

    » Post Go-Live SupportYou have a finished product which has undergone rigorous regression app testing andyou are ready to make it live. Some bugs will creep up in spite of all the due diligence. Soyour team must commit to correcting the bugs for some time after the game goes live.

    So, in a nutshell, select a team that believes in the stakeholder based approach, is par-ticular about processes, experienced in different genres and transparent to the core.Cost related to your game idea which is an important aspect of the whole process war-rants the whole section in itself. Let’s quickly jump onto the factors which go into decid-ing the cost of the game beforee we go into actual development related aspects.

    Find the Cost of Making a Game App: 5 Easy StepsIf it’s your first time trying to make an app and you’re not willing to sit for hours andweeks on end coding and designing everything yourself, the big question in the frontof your mind is, “How much does it even cost to build an app?!”

    We wish we could give you a simple, straight-forward answer, but there are simplytoo many factors to consider to give you an honest estimate of the cost to make anapp without knowing the details of the game.

    We do, however, have some guidelines to help you quantify and estimate the cost ofgame development depending on the features you need and the nature of the appyou want to build. This way, you can empower yourself to build an awesomeapp/game rather than get frustrated by ill informed talk that says, “Oh, well, youknow, it’s prohibitively expensive to make a mobile application these days.”Becausethat kind of talk is just not true.

    So, what exactly are these guidelines? Let’s get started:

    1. Conceptualization & Architecture DesignThe amount of time you need to hire a development team or a developer for thisstage depends on how much product development and conceptualizing you’vefinished up to this point.

    Ask yourself if you’re fully prepared with a clear vision of your app, or if some additional brainstorming from app development experts will help you out. For example,

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    even if you have an incredible, life-changing idea, a professional team can help youfigure out its viability and feasibility of initial success in the market.The work of conceptualization itself takes a maximum of 3 days per month depend-ing on your app’s complexity.

    2. DesignBecause app stores are over-stuffed with countless “me too! me too!” apps, even agood idea is likely to get ignored. This is where the genius of design comes into play.

    For the majority of apps, the design is a huge part of what sells it. The beauty of thescreens, the attractiveness of the characters, the ease of use, and the ever-import-ant icon are all factors that set an app apart from its competitors.

    The best way to get a cost estimate for the design of your app is to specify exactlywhat type of design and animation you’re looking for with references to similar apps,coupled with the number of screens in your app or the number of playing levels andtheir extent if you’re making a game.

    Using the example of games, here are some considerations to help estimate thework required:

    » Do you want retro 8 bit art, 2D sketches and animations, 3D models on a 2D

    background, or a full-blown 3D game?

    » A single 3D character model can take 4 days to design. That doesn’t

    include animation.

    » How many UI screens do you need? And game levels? To what extent is new

    design required for each of these levels?

    » What is the number of characters and building block designs you need in 2D,

    2.5D and 3D?

    Taking the time to list out everything related to these questions will be a bittime-consuming, but it will help you discover areas you can adjust if your budgetrequires it down the line.

    3. DevelopmentThe design might be the book cover of your app, but the coding and development is what

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    brings your idea to life. The code is the nuts and bolts of what keeps your app work-ing, serving users, and most importantly, not crashing.Development for a simple app that doesn’t do much beyond displaying content inpre-set tables or other types of containers can take as little as two weeks before

    you hit the market with an MVP.

    On top of these initial two weeks, consider the following development options andthe approximate time frames we’ve given to further estimate the time it will take todevelop your app:

    » Integrating native features like GPS, camera, email, and contact lists - any-

    where between 3-7 days depending upon the feature

    » A server component to maintain user records, access database info, or com-

    pute information on a server rather than a device, making the final results ofthe computation easily available to the user

    » A content management system allowing for quick updates in app content.

    The amount of time depends on the features that need to change in the live ver-

    sion of the app.

    » Open-ended research-based components are needed when you want your

    app to do something like identify a song being played in a public location so the

    user can add it to his playlist. This requires the matching of audio signatures in

    real time and can take some time to develop.

    »

    Integration of third party SDKs - 3 to 10 days in most cases» Social features like sharing and access to the open graph - 1 to 2 weeks

    » Integration of a physics engine is especially important for gameplay design.

    Even if not 100% scientifically accurate, these engines make collisions, shifting

    impulses, and body and fluid !dynamics at least perceptually correct to the

    player. - 2 weeks to 3 months

    4. Quality TestingHere, the amount of testing depends on the number of features you’re integratingand whether or not you expect an MVP to release to a group of dedicated beta tes-ters, or a fully polished product that’s ready to take the market by storm.

    For a standard MVP, expect testing and troubleshooting to take between one to threeweeks, though this is highly variable depending the number of platforms you’redeveloping for. Keep in mind that Android apps also take a little more time due to the

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    larger variation of screen resolutions.

    5. Platform DevelopmentThis consideration only applies if you want to develop your app to run on different

    operating systems. For this, you have two choices:

    » Develop for each separate OS natively and go for a fully customizable experi-

    ence and feel depending on the operating system.

    » Use a cross platform development tool like Phonegap, Unity, Corona,

    Cocos, or HTML5.

    Either way has pros and cons that are too deep to go into right now. We’ll save that

    for another post. But to give you an idea of the time it takes to get a more accurate

    estimate of your development cost, if you use a cross platform development tool, itonly takes 15% more work to make an app for two platforms than it does to create

    an app on one platform natively.

    Ok, so now that you have rough time estimates, all you have to do is multiply this by

    the hourly or daily cost for the development team or professional individuals you

    hire - though we recommend the team approach.

    Hiring a Team: Mobile App Development Cost

    Throughout your app’s development, you will have to coordinate communication

    with developers and designers to ensure the app turns out the way you want it. Most

    developers agree that hiring a team rather than individuals is worth it because you

    get a pre-built structure you don’t have to worry about, a project manager as your

    single point of contact, and a project architect to organize the 5 to 30 man hours per

    week you need according to your requirements.

    Beyond what your budget allows, it’s also important to consider a team’s experi-

    ence, trustworthiness, transparency, and thrust on process to ensure you get the

    most for your money.

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    Step #4:

    their product. We will go into much more detail in Step#8 on how to drive the usersthrough this engagement funnel to maximize ARPU’s but first lets see how do weacquire users for our new engaging games.

    User Acquisition

    “If you build it, they will come.” 

    This promise may have worked for Field of Dreams’ Ray Kinsella beckoning famousghosts of baseball’s past to a corn field in the middle of Iowa, but with over-crowded app

    stores and countless copycat apps, it simply does not work as a user acquisition strate-gy for app startups and mobile games.

    Any indie developer knows the difference between a struggling app and a popular one.At least in the beginning, the key is how much traction you’re able to gain through down-loads and installs in the initial days after the app’s launch.

    Unfortunately, there’s no way to magically share your new app with the entire world atonce, so you need a touch of creativity and a lot of old-fashioned hard work to driveinitial downloads for quality user acquisition – i.e. getting users that will actually want touse and enjoy the app, therefore helping you drive more downloads, rather than peoplewho could care less about your app’s existence on their phone.

    Our Best User Acquisition Advice

    After developing more than 100 apps and working with droves of indie developers andapp- based startups, we’ve come up with a step-by-step tutorial presentation to helpfellow indie developers get quality users and drive even more downloads without spend-ing a lot of money on acquiring new users.

    View the SlideShare and feel free to share it elsewhere around the web.

    While most of the aspects are covered in the SlideShare let’s briefly touch on App StoreOptimization and getting App reviews in separate sections.

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    App Store Optimization: How to Increase Your App DownloadsMore than 60% of apps are discovered through search. Discovery of your app dependseither on high rankings or its searchability in the App Stores. Implementing a smart AppStore Optimization (ASO) strategy helps you immensely improve your app rankings andget organic downloads in app store search results.

    What is App Store Optimization?ASO is the process of optimizing the description of your app/game to make it searchfriendly and rank higher in search results, leading to more downloads. App store rank-

    ings are important to gain visibility among potential buyers and attracting traffic to yourapp store page.

    It’s a pre-launch task that should be done before you put your app live in app stores.Google Play allows for description changes after the app’s launch, but in Apple’s appstore, you can’t make immediate changes: the content first goes through an approvalprocess, which generally takes a week.

    Keyword ResearchKeyword research is the first step to effective ASO. To get a decent set of keywords to

    compete with other high-ranking apps, find high-ranking keywords, monitor their rank-ings, and try out related keywords. Short list the most relevant and effective ones toinclude in your description. Although there are multiple tools to help you in the processwe have found SensorTower to be incredibly effective tool in helping you do this.

    Step #5:

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    ASO: Beyond KeywordsWhile doing App Store Optimization, keep in mind some important factors:

    Your app will be available on multiple app stores and will cater to audiences worldwide.

    The content that you use in your app must be legible and culturally inoffensive.

    ASO takes time and you must wait for results patiently. You must monitor and tweak it

    constantly to derive better results.

    Along with ASO, you must focus on good ratings and reviews. These help boost the over-

    all search ranking.

    See below a small table with basic differences in two of the most popular app stores –

    iOS App Store and Google Play:

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    Step #6:

    Expediting App DownloadsApp store optimization is surprisingly one of the most democratized steps that can pro-vide results instantly without putting in lot of marketing dollars.

    Putting in the effort to tweak the keywords in your app descriptions will give bothshort-term and long-term results in prompting more app downloads. But in addition tothis democratized step, Apple and Google are continuously propping up App reviews asa really important factor in deciding the rankings. So let’s briefly touch on how to getapp reviews from both the websites and the users.

    App Reviews: An Important Aspect ofApp Marketing Strategy

    According to consumer behavior analysis, most buyers read product reviews beforepurchasing a product. But how many read app reviews before installing an app?

    With more than a million apps in the app store and hundreds uploaded everyday, manydevelopers get cold feet when uploading a new app to the marketplace. How thegame/app is going to be perceived by the initial set of users who are used to highly

    polished games can make or break the game.

    But getting the good reviews can be tough. Although having a highly engaging game inthe first place is a prerequisite but the work doesn’t end there. Developers go all out,e-mailing every app reviewer, sometimes more than twice a week, to get a review of hisapp done in time to coincide with the app launch. But most of the time, for whateverreason, it doesn’t happen and developers are left downtrodden and even more nervousabout the success of their app.

    But Why is an App Review Important?There are a plethora of apps in various app stores and more are being uploaded everyminute, so how do you get your app noticed?

    Either you are a big name in the industry and reviewers are waiting to write for you,your previous app was a major success and a sequel is much awaited, or you get areview to shed some light on why your app stands out.

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    App reviews help to both leverage your app and bring you to the attention of reviewerswho will keep a note of your future apps and as previously noted app reviews left byusers also help improve organic rankings of your app and instill trust in the minds ofnew users.

    App Marketing StrategyBig names in the mobile industry plan an app marketing strategy months before thelaunch of their app. This helps leverage the buzz around the app that particular compa-ny is working on.

    Industry big shots hire marketing agencies to do the work for them, but if you have todo it on your own, a pre-planned strategy is crucial.

    Try to coincide the date of the launch with a good review and social media activities

    relating to the app.

    Viral word of mouth spreads like wildfire, so even if you don’t get an app review, thenmake sure at least a handful of industry leaders you trust, know about your app andhave some experience with it that they can tell others about.

    App Reviews from UsersUser ratings and rankings are equally important for an app as professional reviews.Have review submission available within your app for the best results. Prompt yourusers from time to time for reviews and ratings. Different app store studies show that

    some developers have earned positive reviews during the initial days of app installation.This is because users are enjoying the app when it’s new and go back to it quite regular-ly. But on the other hand, some developers believe reviews after some time of appusage are more prominent and genuine.You have to try what works for you.

    Paid ReviewsGetting paid reviews is a black hat practice and is condemned by the industry. Whenadvertising agencies are hired for pre-launch publicity, work may be outsourced tocompanies that indulge in such practices. Paid reviews are a downgraded way of earn-ing publicity that may not last long. Such a practice is unethical and will result in badpublicity once it’s caught.

    Another perspective to this is that if you are an established app development company,getting reviews is no trouble, but for new and indie game developers, indulging in otherpractices to gain game reviews is apparent.

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    Manipulation of App ReviewsThe manipulation of app reviews involves maximizing positive reviews and minimizingnegative ones. Some of the apps doing that well are Occipital’s 360 Panorama and

    Dragon Flight.

    360 Panorama made a clever user interface by disintegrating their users with optionslike ‘Send Feedback’ and ‘Send Love’. The former directs the feedback in an email to thedevelopers whereas the later takes them to app store review interface. The sentimentanalysis in this technique is manipulation of app reviews. This practice is not black hatyet, but we can’t say if it is white hat.

    Dragon Flight, on the other hand, is a top rated app with 4.5 stars and more than30,000 ratings. The gaming app gives its users 2,000 coins automatically as a bonus

    when they leave a review or rating. This cannot be referred to as black hat for sure andis an intelligent way of gaining reviews – both positive and negative.

    Read more about manipulation of app reviews here:www.90percentofeverything.com/2012/05/21/manipulating-app-store-reviews-with-dark-patterns/.

    Getting App Reviews from ReviewersOn average, app reviewers receive more than 100 pitches per day to review new apps.Eminent companies get reviews for their apps without much hassle, but for others, youhave to be really lucky.

    It’s hard to get an app reviewer’s attention unless you have something extraordinarilyamazing in your email subject line that makes the reviewer open your email. Apartfrom that you can:

    » Write the uniqueness of the app in the subject line.» Be personal with the app reviewer but not informal.» Introduce your company and your previous work.»

    Talk about the reviewer’s previous work. Let them know you are an industryexpert and not an e-mail spammer.» Along with the description of your app, attach a press kit, app screenshots & alink to the app video.» Highlight high points in the app, and how do you plan to release a sequel (if it is a» gaming app).

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    » Let the reviewer know what is unique in your app and how it is better than others» Send the app for no less than a month before you plan to launch it. An appreviewer does not work on your deadlines.» A reminder email is suggested, but not everyday. You may e-mail after a week

    and then again after 10 days.» Have a professional signature at the end of the email, with links to portals youcan be contacted at.

    Furthermore, here’s a good link to review sites for iOS platforms along with their Alexa ranks:www.reviewfordev.com/ipad-and-iphone-app-review-sites-the-list-to-promote-ios- apps.php.

    Also, here’s a highly useful marketing checklist for indie game developers:http://gamedev.tutsplus.com/articles/business-articles/promoting-your-indie-game-checklist/.

    Create an Effective Game Press KitSo now that you have decided to reach out to the professional app reviewers you willneed to create a professional press kit.

    A press kit is your resume to the world outside. It contains all the information aboutyour company and the game you want the public to know. Since your press kit is yourfirst impression to the world, it doesn’t have to be lengthy, but it does have to give allthe required and relevant information. It also needs to be written in a compelling way

    that helps you stand out from the crowd.

    Types of Press KitsThere are 3 different types of press kits to show yourself off. It helps to have a copy of all 3

    1. Traditional Press Kit: An on-paper press kit containing all the information and arti-cles about your game/app in a folder. These can be handed out at networking events ormailed to publishers.

    2. Online Press Kit: This is a direct link URL including all the latest news, events and

    accomplishments of your company is created and sent to various websites. Unlike theother two types of press kits, you can include audio and video clips within an onlinepress kit.

    3. Digital Press Kit: A press kit in a PDF file version can be handed out on disks, sentthrough ! email, or posted as a downloadable file from your website.

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    Anatomy of a Press KitA press kit should be made to grab attention, make a lasting impression, and createenough interest that the readers will either download the app or contact you formore information.

    Each press kit should contain:

    » Recent Press Release: A press release that explaining the services or entertain-ment you are offering to them. The spotlight should be on the game you’re pro-moting.» Look Book: These are stylized screenshots of your games. Make sure the linksyou provide are working and are of good quality. Include a video link of your gamegiving an idea of the storyline and a demo video of the game being played.» Line Sheets: This is all the relevant information about the game like the price

    of the game and the different POS options.» Media Gallery: Any and all past press coverage is essential to help validate yourwork. You can also include articles relevant to your company which could help pro-mote your game.» One Sheet: With a headshot or game/app logo, explain your game/app. This isquick way for readers to learn about you.» Company Background: People involved in your game and some informationabout your company. It should not be more than half a page.» Testimonials: Providing testimonials is the best way to build credibility. Includesome testimonials from field experts or players who have already used the

    upcoming game or the previously launched version.» Contact Info: Provide the name, address, url, phone number and email addressof your company. Present it clearly so readers can contact you easily and quickly.» FAQ: Include FAQ in the press kit to answer the most common questions on the spot.» Tip Sheets (optional): The tips you provide can range from gameplay hints,cheat codes, or general tips about all games in your genre.

    Benefits & AdvantagesEvery brand needs to be packed in a way that will help it to gain acceptance and quality

    » Single Resource: When you provide proper information, the publisher will nothave to look to other sources. Thus, the first hand and only positive informationwill be passed on to the public.» Coverage: A properly maintained and distributed press kit does not guarantee areview or article on a big and influential blog, but not having one will definitelydiminish the chances.» Maximum Control: You can experience the maximum control over the flow of

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    information through a press release. It’s the publication that decides what infor-

    mation, links, and message are conveyed to the public.» High Quality Presentation Piece: The first impression is the last impression, anda good press kit could be used to impress investors, lenders and other people who

    are related to the company or work.» Faster Response Time: If you have a digital press kit, you are always ready toprovide !information in minutes.

    WarningMaking a noticeable press kit is the key to getting published on game review sites.But few things need to be taken care of while making a press kit.

    » Be professional. It ensures that you get the attention you deserve.»

    Don’t include any assumptions in your press kit. It will end up in the trash.» Do not forget to include the header and footer on every document of the

    press kit you send.» To gain a competitive advantage and pass on the effective result oriented infor-

    mation, you should always check and recheck and recheck to eliminate mistakesand increase readability.» And always, always remember to follow up.» The information in ready to use format (downloadable pictures and grammati-cally correct content) is always preferred because it can be used by an editor

    without any extra effort.

    The Golden Rule of Press KitsOne must always remember that while making a press kit, more is always betterthan enough. No one can predict what information the publisher will be interested in,

    so try to include everything relevant. Just don’t forget to keep it crisp and concise.Now that we know how to get the game in front of the users lets see what we can

    do to engage and monetize the users.

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    • Mobile App Analytics: Retention and MonetizationGuidelines for Your Mobile Game

    Making a game and advertising it is costly.

    Let’s be honest.

    Even from affordable development studios – you’re still spending a wad of cash to turnyour idea into reality.

    This is why it’s so critical to pay close attention to each stage of game development tooptimize it for users and their willingness to spend money, thus turning your wad of cashinto something lucrative and profitable.

    Mobile App Analytics = Addictive Apps = $$$Aside from spending money to make your game, user acquisition and retention usuallycosts something. But unless lots of users magically come out of thin air – you’ll have togo through the grind and focus on fine-tuning the user cycle:

    » Acquisition - we have already touched on this aspect earlier» Engagement» Retention» Monetization

    And yes, it takes some work. Unfortunately, we can’t all be as lucky as Flappy Birds.

    The Math Behind It AllAt the end of the day, you have to make more money per user than you spend in acquisi-tion and retention.

    The profitability of making money with app/game, centers around the lifetime value ofyour users. Let’s call this Y. The amount you spend on acquisition and retention is X.As soon as Y>X, your spread is positive and you can begin to scale your game.

    •  But reaching Y=X is a challenge, let alone Y>X.

    Step #7:

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    •  Incentivized downloads

    •  Finding out if the game is being downloaded by a non-targeted demographic

    •  A complex, elaborate sign-up process

    •  Lackluster or absent tutorial to guide users through their first interactionwith the game

    2. Engagement: the Key to App MonetizationOnce the user has spent some time with the game, you want to entice him to make it apart of his everyday routine: something he gets into the habit of returning back to. Nor-mally, this means he plays the game 3 to 10 times per day.

    At this point, important KPI data to track include:

    • 

    Number of gaming sessions per day•  Frequency with which a player returns to the game & time lapse between sessions

    Coupled with the data collected with each user during sign up, you can send customizedpush notifications and pop ups during the times when the user is most likely to play yourgame, incentivizing him to keep playing.

    Here, data-ridden activity maps help you know how a player is doing in different ses-sions and what content to include in your notifications. To motivate players to keepgoing, try to include elements of the game the player may not have discovered yet, like

    tips for improving, social initiatives, leaderboards, and so on.

    3. In-App Retention AnalyticsAfter the user finishes 10 to 50 gameplay sessions, you need to pay a lot of attention tothe depth of the game to keep them hooked with a personal interest in succeeding.

    Here, the most important thing for game designers to keep an eye on is milestone ormission- based metrics to find out where users are getting stuck or frustrated. Heatmaps are especially helpful in figuring out where to fine-tune the game’s design-relatedparameters on different levels.

    To find out which levels you need to start fine-tuning the most, track retention rates inpercentages at each of the following time-point milestones:

    •  Daily

    •  Weekly

    •  Monthly

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    4. App Monetization StrategiesOnce someone has become a dedicated player, it’s time to convert him into a spenderby pushing him through the monetization funnel.

    But this is easier said than done.People get scared of spending money and you should expect a sizable number will shyaway from spending money and simply prefer to put the game down.

    However, taking care of how you display the request for an IAP has a lot to do withwhether or not the user will take the plunge and spend a few dollars to keep playing.

    For example, having limited time sale offers for different amounts of lives or in-gamecredits tailored to what the user needs will have a much higher conversion rate thansimply demanding payment under the threat of stopping the game.

    Here, to ensure your strategies for requesting IAPs are working to their maximum effi-ciency, track these KPIs:

    • ARPDAU (average revenue per daily active user)

    • ARPPU (average revenue per paying user)

    • LTU (lifetime value of user)

    • Inflation (whether or not the user has too many extra lives already at the time ofan IAP request)

    But, just because a user doesn’t pay on the initial round of an IAP request doesn’t meanhe or she is no longer of any value.

    After a while of resisting an IAP, try giving them a generous award for their dedicationto the game, like extra lives or a boost to get to the next level. Here is the link to a blogpost which will arm you with all the tricks of the trade as far as presenting the IAP’sare concerned. - http:// www.raywenderlich.com/39647/40-secrets-to-making-mon-ey-with-in-app-purchases

    Based on our work with games, user engagement, and monetization with hard data,we’ve developed an admin panel for game developers to track their user engagement

    and monetization so they can more easily and accurately monetize their apps withfine-tuning rather than educated guesses.

    At each stage, the dashboard displays KPIs applicable to each stage of the user moneti-zation funnel and the ability to reach out to users in crucial parts of the game throughtailored push notifications.

    Go to Step # 1 2 4 53

    http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http://bit.ly/1vRmF1ihttps://plus.google.com/share?url=http://bit.ly/1n9PTV2http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://click-labs.com/game-development-ebook-outsource-launch-mobile-games/&media=http://click-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cook_book_img.png&description=Free%20eBook:%20%227%20steps%20to%20Successfully%20Outsource%20Development%20and%20Launch%20Mobile%20Games%22%20http://bit.ly/1k3Fx3Fhttp://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://bit.ly/RhL3sxhttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=webclient&text=Free%20eBook:%20%227%20steps%20to%20Successfully%20Outsource%20Development%20and%20Launch%20Mobile%20Games%22%20@clicklabs.%20http://bit.ly/RhLeUG

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    Why Click Labs?

    Click Labs works as a team that believes in stakeholder-based approach, are particu-

    lar about processes, experienced in different platforms and diverse genres and trans-

    parent to the core.

    We offer an affordable hourly rate for hiring a development team, that we use to

    figure your overall project cost. We also have a Startup Subsidy Program and a Start-

    up Incubator for those who qualify.

    You can also check out our work portfolio  here.

    If you are having a nightmarish experience finding an outsourcing partner for develop-

    ing your mobile gaming app , and want to get realistic time and cost estimates , drop

    us a line and we would love to help you in the process. We believe in exchanging

    knowledge and would love to provide free consultation on your ideas.

    Go to Step # 1 2 4 53

    http://click-labs.com/work/http://click-labs.com/work/http://click-labs.com/work/http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http://bit.ly/1vRmF1ihttps://plus.google.com/share?url=http://bit.ly/1n9PTV2http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://click-labs.com/game-development-ebook-outsource-launch-mobile-games/&media=http://click-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cook_book_img.png&description=Free%20eBook:%20%227%20steps%20to%20Successfully%20Outsource%20Development%20and%20Launch%20Mobile%20Games%22%20http://bit.ly/1k3Fx3Fhttp://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://bit.ly/RhL3sxhttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=webclient&text=Free%20eBook:%20%227%20steps%20to%20Successfully%20Outsource%20Development%20and%20Launch%20Mobile%20Games%22%20@clicklabs.%20http://bit.ly/RhLeUGhttp://click-labs.com/work/

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    +1 415-758-1522

    [email protected]

    click-labs.com/mobile-gaming/

    Go to Step # 1 2 4 53

    Get in Touch

    Have an idea?

    Also follow as on:

    http://click-labs.com/mobile-gaming/http://click-labs.com/mobile-gaming/#mobile_gaming_formsectionhttp://click-labs.com/mobile-gaming/#mobile_gaming_formsectionhttp://www.pinterest.com/PinClickLabs/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_3/google.com/+Click-Labshttps://www.linkedin.com/company/click-labshttps://twitter.com/clicklabshttps://www.facebook.com/clicklabshttp://click-labs.com/mobile-gaming/

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