App Store Milestone: $10K

I thought this paragraph was particularly insightful:<p>"I learned a lot from releasing my first iPhone app: Six-Pack Equivalent Calculator... primarily that you shouldn't release an ad-supported app that does not have high user engagement times. The app was a utilitarian "one use and quit until you want to use it again" type of app. I can see an RSS reader or a Facebook client being free with ads, since there's a long user engagement period, but this revenue model simply didn't work with my application type."<p>It's a pretty good 'rule of thumb' on when you should or shouldn't consider ads as your monetisation method.

I'm reminded of some stellar advice I read years ago -- to launch a new software product, just hang out in the forums of a group of people focused around a topic / hobby / area of passion.<p>Ask them what they need. Build it.<p>This doesn't minimize all the work that goes in, but I think it's a great practical reminder that building for an audience with a need is the first step of product management and product marketing. When Amazon launched the original Kindle Development Kit, I posted in ebook forums asking for 'requests' for apps. I received many, many pages of really pretty good ideas for applications.<p>I couldn't build any because Amazon turned me down for their early-access program, but I was gratified to see how much time and energy enthusiasts put in to helping design and spec an app.

My business partner makes over $120,000 a year with just three apps in a very particular field where a limited number of users are willing to pay 19.99 for it.<p>Don't just join the 99c app game -- if you are looking at joining the app market, examine what unique expertise you can bring to it and target a niche.

A lot of success can come from creating simple apps for undeserved niches. I've made about $10,000 over last two years selling an app that is literally 5 images in a tab view. It took me one weekend to make. I know it's not too much, but it feels good in the pocket, the money flows steadily every day no matter what and requires absolutely no maintenance or additional work on my part, ever. There's a lot of low-hanging fruit in the long tail of the distribution.

Thanks so much for posting! I think the real key here is that you went after an underserved niche, instead of trying to build something with mass appeal. The app store is crowded for sure, but there are still tons of underserved niches out there just waiting for a good app.

Handing out business cards for the app at the convention was a smart move. It's amazing that doing something so simple can be so effective yet I find myself getting stuck in the mindset of trying to fix things digitally. Get out of the house!

Thanks for posting that. I'm in a similar situation with a couple of apps that have done surprisingly well, and am hoping to replicate their success on other apps.<p>I especially like your marketing idea: qr codes on business cards handed out at a conference. Glad it worked for you!

Thank you for sharing, its appreciated by people like me who are new to mobile development.<p>Question: Can you disclose any information about your in-app sales? You mentioned you sold customizable background art, what was the price point? How many did you sell? Roughly what percentage of app owners end up doing an in-app purchase?<p>Thanks

I wonder if the author changed the title or keywords when he shipped version 2. That's one of those hidden factors that can make a big difference in sales.<p>(Not to minimize the importance of word of mouth and a great product, of course.)

Congratulations. If you don't mind me asking, what do you use for data storage in iOS? In other words do you use Core Data, SQLite, or something else?

Thanks for sharing. Always interesting to read through challenges others have faced/are facing.

Could this realistically be scaled to 10 such apps per year for a 100k income?