monetizing iPhone apps...advice needed!

NYCTom · 05-02-2009, 09:50 AM

hi all,

I'm working on an app and I'm confused on the following:

1.) Pricing the app.
I was thinking about doing a LITE version for free and a paid version, but basically because I've no clue what works. Ideally, I think the app should go for $.99. Should I bother doing a LITE version, given the small gap of cost?

2.) Banner Advertising inside the app
The app is a browser for content which will be provided. Think a newspaper app, were there numerous articles to browse. On the bottom I want to have a banner for advertisers. For a good example, check out wall street journal app

Can I charge a download cost + do the banner ad?

Thanks in advance

bazilsoft · 03-11-2011, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCTom

hi all,

I'm working on an app and I'm confused on the following:

1.) Pricing the app.
I was thinking about doing a LITE version for free and a paid version, but basically because I've no clue what works. Ideally, I think the app should go for $.99. Should I bother doing a LITE version, given the small gap of cost?

2.) Banner Advertising inside the app
The app is a browser for content which will be provided. Think a newspaper app, were there numerous articles to browse. On the bottom I want to have a banner for advertisers. For a good example, check out wall street journal app

Can I charge a download cost + do the banner ad?

Thanks in advance

I think it's not a good idea to have a banner ad in a paid version. It's ok for the LITE one

Tambourin · 03-11-2011, 08:08 AM

try without the lite version first and see how sales go. You can still release a lite version afterwards.

Rudy · 03-11-2011, 08:22 AM

I've been wondering the same thing for my new game that I'm working on. In the past I've released the paid version and a few weeks later a lite one (and now I just have a paid one and a free one with an ad with the option to remove it).

I'm debating between:

- 1 paid version and 1 iAd with option to remove the ad (in-app purchase)
or
- 1 iAd version (free) with the option to remove the ad (in-app purchase)

Still not too sure :/ Having 2 versions is a pain to update but gives you a bit more exposure

Tambourin · 03-11-2011, 08:50 AM

@Rudy
For your existing free app, what is the percentage of people buying the ad removal?

SeatSherpa · 03-11-2011, 09:06 AM

I'd like to hear the same from Rudy as well. I've always wondered about how good the conversion rates are for that approach.

Rudy · 03-11-2011, 09:36 AM

I get about 1-2 person / day :/

afb321 · 03-11-2011, 04:16 PM

I just added an In-App Purchase to remove ads in my app a couple days ago. Out of the 1000 or so people that updated it so far I have had 10 purchases at 99 cents. I get about 130 downloads a day so we see how it goes moving forward.

How many downloads a day do you get on your tangled app?

Kryckter · 03-11-2011, 05:30 PM

From my experience, which is somewhat new to iAds and In App Purchases, I find it good to do a full featured app and then a lite app to remove ads and add the full features....

Just removing ads isnt that big to most people, but if you have only 25% of the features in your free app with ads, and then in app purchase to remove ads and upgrade to the pro version, I think it carries a better upgrade percentage...

Just my thoughts...