Making Money with Spin-Offs: a Flappy Bird Tale

15 points by sxsde 11 years ago | 6 comments
  • warrenmiller 11 years ago
    cached here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PXvFByI...
    • paxtonab 11 years ago
      One of the monetization ideas that stands out to me is trying convert app users into email subscribers. Permission based marketing is insanely more effective than any form of display ads, and to the author's point if you aren't being a schmucky spammer it would be a great way for Indie Developers to build a trusted brand and make a splash in the app store every time they released a new game.

      I personally would have downloaded all of Dong Nguyen's other apps had I received an email about them. Although I think the only way he could have experienced more online vitriol is if he started spamming users with dating apps...

      Edit: out of all of the games I have downloaded I have never once given out my email address or even been asked for it via the app. Is anyone doing this now?

      • IBNZ 11 years ago
        Thanks for your comment! Yeah, a lot of non-direct marketers I talk to are like "Sending Emails? That's so oldschool, nobody reads them anymore and nobody is entering their email addresses on their mobiles anyway". That couldn't be farther from the truth. People need to understand that mobile devices replace common desktop setups more and more. I might publish a case study of one of my mobile campaigns about that if you're interested.

        I know that the guys behind the Runtastic apps are collecting emails and offer more features in return. A non-mobile example would be League of Legends where they reward you with a free skin if you like their page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/leagueoflegends/app_208195102528120).

      • IBNZ 11 years ago
        Sorry everybody for the slow, unresponsive and sometimes broken site. I initially didn't think that one of my posts would gain a lot of popularity. I'll work on shifting the site to a dedicated server soon (oh boy, what was I thinking?).

        Thanks to @warrenmiller for posting the cached version here!

        • ForHackernews 11 years ago
          What is a CPA and why does this guy hate it so much?
          • IBNZ 11 years ago
            CPA = cost per acquisition aka affiliate offers. I don't hate it, it's just the fastest way to ruin a good list if you don't know how to do it right. Most people spam their email lists to make a quick buck but ruin their asset in the long run. It's better to build your own offers and use your own list to promote them. Advantages: you are in control, you know that the service / product you are offering has value and makes your customer happy, your profit margins are way higher.