The latest strategy for 2015: How to build Android third-party channels with zero budget?

Introduction: As we all know, domestic Android channels are mainly third-party, and how much volume can be obtained basically depends on how much the other party can give. Therefore, whether it is games or other applications, they all try hard to win over channels, but it is not easy to find a suitable one. This article will mainly introduce the method of building Android channels with zero budget, and will briefly introduce some commonly used third-party channels in China. CPs can use this as a reference.

Starting from scratch, with zero budget and a failing Chinese language level, I worked hard for two months, refusing to rush to the charts or inflate the traffic (well, actually, it was because I had no budget). I encountered many setbacks and jumped over countless pitfalls. I barely built nearly a hundred channels, big and small, and accumulated hundreds of thousands of downloads. It's not a good result, but I have at least stepped half a foot in. Looking back, I still have some experience and insights.

Laying channels is a very tedious job. Although traffic in domestic Android channels is gradually concentrated, at least for now, there is no unified platform to dominate the market. Many channels die and many new channels emerge every minute. The business of this channel leaves, and the business of that channel is new. Baidu App Market has been completely revamped, and Wandoujia has closed its first launch business... The world of promotion still needs to be managed slowly.

1. Find channels

The first step in laying channels is to find them. With so many channels, where can you find out the URL of the app market? Generally, there are two ways. One is to learn from the experience and suggestions shared by seniors, and the other is to find friendly links from some app markets. However, a useful and large-scale market still needs to be verified and rolled out personally. I once got a list of "400 Android Markets " and was very excited, but it turned out that most of the URLs were invalid.

2. Registration and Certification

After finding the channel, you need to register and authenticate. Generally, unauthenticated accounts are not allowed to upload applications. There is basically no big difference between a corporate account and a personal account, but some markets do not open some permissions to personal accounts, so if you are not so utilitarian, it would be more convenient to register a corporate account (those who are thinking of leaving their jobs with channel resources can ignore this).

Account authentication generally requires a business license, legal person ID card, organization code, taxes, etc. If these are ready, most authentications will be no problem. Just a quick note. If your organization is non-corporate and the number of digits in the registration number is incorrect, you will not be able to submit the authentication page for some application markets. Generally, you can just add zeros after the license registration number. For other special cases, you can communicate with the business department or customer service. However, if you encounter an "antique" like China Mobile, you'd better register a personal account if you don't have a corporate license.

3. Channel Material Package

Special mention here of the screenshots in the app introduction. It's a lesson learned from bitter experience. You must make them well and don't be careless, because this will be a good advertising display. If your app can't do the simple and crude thing of taking screenshots of red envelopes like WeChat, I really don't recommend uploading screenshots directly from your mobile phone. At least make your screenshots appear to have a sense of design.

You can try to highlight the essence of the application and make some minor modifications. When I first received the 360banner recommendation, I just foolishly took a few mediocre screenshots and posted them, and the result was that the number of downloads was only a few hundred per day. If you think that 360's first release banner recommendation is only of this level, you are totally wrong. I thought so at the beginning, too. Later, after communicating with several friends who were doing promotion, I found that other people's promotions were worth thousands or tens of thousands. Then I gradually realized that I seemed to have wasted some opportunity. Why is there such a big difference in the recommendation position of my product in the same market? A comparative study found that in addition to factors such as the time of the first release, there is another very important problem, that is, the screenshots I uploaded were too ugly! Come to think of it, everyone likes beautiful things, and the same goes for applications.

4. Mark channels and analyze channel distribution

Generally, a strong backend team will do channel marking themselves and analyze and monitor the distribution of each channel.

At the beginning, we also did the statistics ourselves. The team developed the statistical SDK ourselves, which added a lot of development work. Then there were various problems that could not be monitored. Later, we found a free third-party statistical plug-in that was simple, stable and convenient. The monitoring is very thorough, including download volume, device models, channels, daily active users, retention... the data is very detailed, and I recommend it to startup teams that are just starting out. The reasons are simple, it's free, it saves time, and monitoring work is essential. Of course, monitoring the distribution data after the business grows is another matter. Generally, large application markets such as App Store also provide free monitoring SDKs, but considering that other application markets may not pass the review after adding it, it is more reliable to use a third party.

5. Deepen the main channels

While broadening the channels, you also need to deepen the main channels, including applying for free recommendation positions in various application markets, such as first releases, new products, special topics... Different application markets have different rules . Make good plans, schedule well, find business contacts, and the application market QQ exchange group will achieve twice the result with half the effort. In addition, keyword search optimization is also a very important promotion strategy . Finally, there are the awards from the app market, the Little Red Flower, the Golden Rice Award…

The above are some of my simple experience in laying channels. Attached below are the URLs and application upload requirements of the major Android application markets in 2015, which can help you save some work time.

● App Store (http://open.qq.com/)

Materials required for application submission: installation package; introduction text; logo 16px*16px; 512px*512px, 2-5 screenshots 480px*800px; copyright certificate. Contact email: [email protected].

A few points worth noting:

1. The first release of a new product has a 3-month shelf life, which means that the number of downloads for the first release of a version update applied for within 3 months will not be used as an evaluation point. So cherish it well;

2. The first release upload entrance is different from the normal update entrance, so be sure to pay attention, otherwise you will miss the precious first release recommendation, don’t blame me for not reminding you;

3. If possible, strive to be a star developer, and get a recommendation position, customer service, and other resources and treatment that are much better;

4. New product self-recommendation and the Little Red Flower Award. These two recommendations are very important for start-ups. Of course, because of their high value, the application is naturally difficult. According to friends in the venture capital circle, winning the Little Red Flower Award is basically equivalent to having the key to getting the A round. Therefore, we should polish the products in a targeted manner.

● 360 Mobile Assistant (http://dev.360.cn/)

Materials required for application submission: installation package, introduction text, logo 512px*512px, 2-5 screenshots 480px*800px (notification bar required to be removed); copyright certificate. Contact email: [email protected], customer service QQ: 2724990365

A few points worth noting:

1. You can add a suffix to the application name, which is very important for SEO, so grasp it well;

2. The first application for first release does not consider the number of downloads, and the requirements for UI design and product features are not high. It is easy to get a good recommendation position or even a banner. However, the subsequent releases require that the previous first release download data is higher than the platform average. Therefore, it is recommended that the 360 ​​first release application be scheduled later, and at the same time, some synchronous work should be done during the first release, such as topic creation, brushing comments, etc.

3. It is easier to recommend new products on 360 than on App Store, and the volume it brings is also very impressive. It is said that there are 500,000 exposures . The requirement is that the application must be launched within six months (basically this deadline). In addition, you can apply for new product self-recommendation multiple times. Of course, don't apply for nothing, otherwise you may be blocked by the editor;

4. 360 is not currently open for developer topic applications, but 360's celebrity editor and other activities are a disguised way of opening up topic self-recommendations. The application entrance is in the 360 ​​Mobile Assistant forum.

● Baidu system (http://app.baidu.com/apps)

Materials required for application submission: installation package, introduction text, logo 512px*512px, 4-6 screenshots 480px*800px; the official version applies for a separate entrance and needs to submit: business license, website registration, and software qualifications.

A few points worth noting:

1. 91 Assistant , Android Market, and Baidu Mobile Assistant have basically been merged, but the corresponding channel activity cooperation recommendations are still valid as of now. Just contact the corresponding contact person. Personally, I feel that 91 has the best developer service and the fastest application processing;

2. It is currently being upgraded in the background, and the first release permissions have not yet been fully opened. If you have a need for first release, regardless of Android, 91, Baidu Assistant, or joint first release, if there is a Baidu Mobile Assistant business interface, please contact the Baidu Mobile Assistant business interface person directly. If there is no interface person, please send the application name, package name, id, intended first release date, first release platform and other information to the Baidu business mailbox: [email protected];

3. The backend is currently being upgraded and revised, and the corresponding developer service system is not perfect. However, if you have corresponding needs, you can join the developer exchange group for consultation and cooperation. QQ group number: Baidu 260550970; 91 assistant 79227976.

● Wandoujia (http://open.wandoujia.com/app)

Materials required for application submission: installation package, introduction text, logo 512px*512px, png file, 4 screenshots, no size requirement. Proof of copyright.

A few points worth noting:

1. Wandoujia has cancelled its initial public offering application service and is currently offering paid promotion services based on bidding keywords similar to Baidu search. I don’t know what kind of mentality it comes from;

2. However, you can still run promotion activities on Wandoujia. For details, please contact the business department.

3. Wandoujia has a design award for self-recommendation. You can apply every week. Wandoujia will select a software and a game for push every week. The email title is: XXX (application name) Apply for Wandoujia Design Award. The body of the email must include: ① Application name ② Application introduction ③ Application link on Wandoujia ④ Reason for recommendation. Email: [email protected].

Xiaomi App Store (http://dev.xiaomi.com/)

Application submission materials: installation package, introduction text, test account, logo 512px*512px (Xiaomi recommends flat application icon), at least 3 screenshots, 480*854 or 720*1280 or 1080*1920, plus points for Xiaomi shell. If tablet is supported, tablet screenshots must be uploaded separately.

A few points worth noting:

1. If the software is suitable for tablets, it is recommended to open another package, which is more adaptable to management and has an additional optimization and promotion channel. The application market of Xiaomi tablets is operated separately from that of mobile phones, so it is relatively easier to recommend the first release of tablets;

2. Xiaomi's first release email application requires a test package with no functional bugs to be submitted as an attachment. The recommendation cycle is relatively long, up to one week, with two days for first release recommendations and three days for popular application recommendations. However, the recommended position will be adjusted with the download volume and comments. A low-key kid once used Xiaomi's first launch to get 8,000 units, and the volume brought by Xiaomi is obvious;

3. To be recommended by Xiaomi, you need to reply in the Xiaomi forum to apply for special topics. There will be new topics almost every week, so keep an eye out. Xiaomi has not yet opened the entrance for group self-recommendation. Well, it may be that I haven't figured it out yet. If you know, please tell me.

4. For Xiaomi's premium self-recommendations, there is generally only one chance for successful recommendation. Please apply via email. The email format is: Email title: Self-recommendation application-Application name-Version number, Body: Application name: Link to the Xiaomi App Store where the application is located: Contact information: QQ and phone number, reason for self-recommendation (within 200 words, picture description can be attached), and send it to [email protected].

● Huawei App Store (http://developer.huawei.com/)

Application submission materials: installation package, introduction text, logo 144*144px, at least 3 screenshots, 800 x 480, 480×800 or 1280 x 720, 720×1280

A few points worth noting:

1. The volume brought by Huawei's application market activities is relatively small, but with proper optimization, it is also quite considerable. In addition to SEO optimization, there is also a special event calendar, which provides application entrances for activities such as "See you on Monday", "Special Topic Self-recommendation", "Fresh Product Album", "Points Mall", and "Privilege Club".

2. Huawei App Market supports group applications and email applications. However, even if the topic is approved, the participating apps still need to apply on the event calendar. In other words, even if the group app is on the topic at the same time, it may not be able to get the final topic recommendation. However, according to the official statement, the editor of the group app with approved topic will be given priority;

3. Huawei's first launch application can be booked in advance and the first launch package can be submitted on time. There will generally be a three-day recommendation period, and the recommendation position will be adjusted in real time based on comments and downloads.

● Samsung App Store (http://seller.samsungapps.com)

Application materials: installation package, logo, 4-8 screenshots, 320-3840 pixels, 2:1 ratio required.

A few points worth noting:

1. Since July 1, 2014, Samsung has divided sellers into four types.

Partner sellers: have a cooperative relationship with Samsung and can submit applications that do not use Samsung SDK. Applications must be submitted via email to: [email protected];

MENA sellers: Sellers living in the MENA region do not need to register applications that use the Samsung SDK, but can only sell applications to MENA countries/regions;

Developer seller: The default registration identity after July 1, 2014. The application must be embedded with Samsung's SDK before the application can be uploaded;

General Sellers: Developers who have uploaded apps before July 1, 2014 can only update apps that are actually currently for sale.

2. Adapted applications (applications embedded with Samsung custom function SDK) will receive component recommendations and embedded help documents at http://developer.samsung.com/galaxy.

● Meizu App Store (https://member.meizu.com)

Application submission materials: installation package, introduction text, logo 512*512px, at least 3 screenshots, the minimum resolution is 1280*800 or 800*1280, and the image width/height ratio is between 1:1.6 and 1:1.7.

A few points worth noting:

1. The application process for the event is basically the same as that of Xiaomi. For first release recommendation, please send an email to [email protected] and copy [email protected]. First release applications on non-working days are not accepted for the time being.

2. For new products, we accept applications within 6 months of launch. Please reply to the forum thread. The interval between applications for the same application must be greater than 6 months. Recommend special topic applications and forum reply applications;

3. Meizu Business is basically not arrogant (probably because it needs to receive relatively fewer inquiries) and is happy to help developers. Of course, just a reminder, don't waste other people's time just because you are not arrogant.

● China Mobile App Store (http://dev.10086.cn/cmdn/supesite/)

As expected of a state-owned enterprise, the process from account registration to usage is the most strict and complicated.

1. Let’s talk about the corporate account first. First, register a developer community account. Then you will be required to apply for a corporate cooperation account. Then you will need to submit a series of business certificates and taxes, including a bank account opening certificate. Since my business license does not belong to a corporate unit, I fiddled with it for a long time and finally gave up the authentication of the corporate account. The entire backend page interaction experience is quite poor, with freezes, jump failures, 404... The review process is quite slow, so I will not describe it one by one. If you just want to upload an application to apply for a first release, it is recommended to register a personal developer account.

2. Personal developer accounts need to submit information such as ID cards, and a certification fee of 50 yuan needs to be paid here. Of course, this is the first step. After the review is passed, an electronic contract is required. Fortunately, it only takes a few clicks of the mouse. However, this is not over yet. You also need to log in to the Fetion account on your computer for video authentication. Yes, that's right. Only Fetion video on PC can be authenticated. Mobile phone video is not acceptable. The clarity of ordinary laptop cameras basically cannot pass the review. You can either install a high-definition camera or install a program to use your phone as a camera. (What should I do if Fetion freezes? Well, I can only restart it. I am too tired to complain. Fetion deserves to have no users).

3. After getting an account, you need to submit the application for commercial use. Well, you also need to pay a 50 yuan application testing fee (if I hadn’t heard that China Mobile’s volume was not bad, I would definitely close the webpage and ignore it). Then, if the review goes well, you can basically submit it successfully.

4. To apply for the first-release recommendation, you need to submit a self-recommendation PPT via email. It needs to be written according to China Mobile's template. Then an account manager will contact you, fill in the corresponding form, submit the document version of the first-release recommendation installation package, and then just wait for the result. Generally, the deadline for first-release application is before 12:00 every Tuesday.

● China Unicom Wo Store (http://dev.wo.com.cn)

The registration procedure is much simpler than that of China Mobile, but software submission requires proof of software copyright. Since the software copyright certificate has not yet arrived, we have not conducted in-depth research on China Unicom’s application market.

● China Telecom’s Tianyi Space (http://open.189.cn/)

It is necessary to embed the capabilities of telecommunications before going online. Of course, you can fill in the capability check box randomly to pass the review, but this is meaningless, because there is basically no volume just by going online. You need to apply for application promotion to have volume. However, one of the application qualifications for application promotion is that the telecommunications capability interface calls must reach a certain volume.

In addition, there are Sogou Mobile Assistant, PP Assistant (merged with Taobao Mobile Assistant and UC App Store backend), Gionee's EasyAccess, etc., all of which have first releases, special topics and other activity recommendation services, which can also bring some volume. You can check the corresponding document requirements.

The above is my sharing. I hope it can be helpful to friends who are new to the promotion circle.

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