APP:4 Tips on How to Use YouTube to Market Your iPhone App (iPad/Android)

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Top Tips for Successful App Promoters YouTube's tagline is "Broadcast Yourself" for app marketing purposes, it needs to be "Broadcast Your App." Why is YouTube so critical to your app marketing efforts? YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine, only behind Google. It's also the world's largest video social networking site, with an incredible amount of video uploaded every minute - 35 hours a minute, to be exact. With that much content, you might wonder how your app can get noticed. The answer is simple: "Viral." While not technically a viral video, the video below showcases my silly iPhone app review for the app "Talking Carl": This video, which I created without a script or planning, has reached 120,778 views. It's not a viral video by definition - that would be over 1 million views. However, with time, it might reach that milestone. Let's get serious for a moment: creating a demo of your app or a video review can significantly boost and possibly help increase your app sales. I've created 1,038 iPhone video app reviews on YouTube, many of which have thousands of views, some in the tens of thousands. I'm also a YouTube partner, which means I've achieved a preferred status with YouTube that allows me to monetize my channel. Without formal training or education, I simply picked up a camera and went for it. Here are four key tips for shooting an iPhone video: 1. Keep your video short - Most viral videos are between 10 and 30 seconds long, so you don't have much time. For demo videos set to music, suggest 30 to 45 seconds, while app reviews should be around 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The viewer drop-off rate increases after 30 seconds, so keep it concise. 2. Leverage Humor - Probably the number one way videos go viral is through humor. Spontaneous humor usually makes videos more engaging, but thinking up some clever humor can definitely help your chances of going viral. 3. Take numerous takes and retakes - While your video won't be a Hollywood production, others will be watching it, so take a few takes until you're satisfied. The video above was a one-take video, yet people are entertained by it. Today, it typically takes me 5 to 6 unscripted retakes before I get a clean take I'm happy with. 4. Use a Microphone - A Lavalier microphone costs around $30, including shipping, and will work with any video camera that has a standard audio input jack. I recently purchased one and it works great. Nothing is worse than a great video with horrible sound, so invest in good equipment. A few more pointers for your app video: Don't be monotone - pay someone to do a voiceover if you can't pull it off. Explain the features, but don't explain everything - leave some things to the imagination and tease the viewer. Be sure to name the app, developer's name or company name, and any other top-of-mind information you want the viewer to remember. Creating a video app review or demo of your iPhone, iPad, or Android app may be the vehicle that launches your app into the iTunes App Store or the Android Market. Making a video is relatively cheap and easy, and it may be the best marketing strategy to get your app noticed.