How to contact the press

If you want the press to notice your app, you need to tell them. It is improbable that some journalist will stumble upon your app.

Before we get to the “how question,” it is vital to think about the who. Who are you going to contact?

Who to contact?

I believe it makes sense to spend some time trying to “get to know” journalists from your favorite websites. This means following them on Twitter, reading their stories, and similar. Your goal is to determine if your app is a good fit for a particular journalist. Contacting the “correct” journalist will significantly boost the chances they will write about your app.

For example, if you have a productivity app that shines on iPad, you should first contact journalists who really love their iPads and ideally use them for work. When I reached out about my app SwitchBuddy, I tried to contact journalists who own Nintendo Switch because then they will see the point, and there is a high chance they were frustrated with transferring screenshots.

You can also think beyond the “Apple orchard” and try to find folks writing about other topics than Apple & apps if your app can help them or their readers. Tasks apps can be great for sites about personal productivity, apps for gamers can be interesting for audiences of sites like IGN, GameSpot, or VG24/7.

How to structure the email

Once you know who you want to contact, you can start crafting the email message. If you have a press release, you can prefix the subject with [Press Release] or perhaps [New App] if you are launching a new app.

The subject should succinctly convey what you are offering without being overly sensational. Next, try to keep the email as short as possible—ideally, just a couple of sentences that will introduce either the app or the new update. Be sure to provide relevant info and links to your press kit, landing page, and possibly others. If you have paid app, you can mention that promo codes are available upon request.

Getting in touch again

Most of the emails you will send will likely fall on deaf ears. That is normal. And also, getting just a couple of even one through can make a big difference for your app.

I would advise avoiding “tactics” like replying to the email you send with something like “Just making sure you have seen the email” and others. I think this will annoy the journalists.

Instead, you can send the following press release when the time comes to release a new app update. Send it like any other without mentioning the previous communication.