The TouchArcade party doesn't require a GDC pass. Just a company business card or a stray cat. I live somewhat close to SF, so I just showed up for the party.
Oh that's awesome. Lucky for you to live so close! I'm in ny so I have to plan it out lol. One last stupid question. How can I find out when they are having the next get together?
qpawn, would it be some sort of taboo if I asked you what your sales pitch looked like when you submitted your APP to TouchArcade? I'm just wondering what a really convincing Subject title would look like.
In the email to TA, we linked to our upcoming game thread, but I don't think there was anything fancy about the press release we sent out. They knew our company story from talking with me at GDC and WWDC. They also had a beta version of the game for a few months, so they already had an idea of what the game was all about.
Thanks for sharing qpawn. I'm probably going to be posting something in the upcoming games thread quite soon. Hopefully it'll garner some interest prior to releasing the game. I'd like to invite you guys to check it out once I have something to show. I'd really like to thank everyone who's been helping out and answering all my questions. Hopefully some of my questions would have helped other developers as well. The one problem I have right now is that I still can't get into the private developers forum. Not sure who I should be contacting or not sure if anyone has been checking for new apps to the private developers forum. I guess TA seems to be quite busy. Did you guys create your upcoming games thread before submitting your game to apple?
We created a thread with a sneak peek trailer and game details a little over a month before we submitted.
Ah, that's probably why I can't get in. Does anyone else know if there are other forums out there that are similar to Touch Arcades developer's corner? I'm trying to find other websites similar to Touch Arcade, where I could promote my game on their "Upcoming games" forum.
I would suggest if you could contact a number of app review sites. Here's a list of different app review sites: http://maniacdev.com/2012/05/ios-app-review-sites/ Make sure you pitch your app well so that they'll consider it for review. Hope it helps!
How to approach journalists I have recently published on our blog couple of tips gathered from 3 interviews with games reviewers. Maybe you find it useful: 1. Be sure you offer the right information to the right journalist. Do some research and contact only those who are covering your business. Don't expect response. If your topic is interesting the journalist covers it often without contacting you back. 2. The first 5 seconds are essential to get the journalist to pay attention to your message, so put some extra effort to email subject and the first sentence of text. This is a one time chance. 3. Press releases and emails should be localized in journalist's language with his/her name in the greeting. Don't be lazy and get your press release translated! 4. Be very, very brief, a few sentences are usually enough to deliver the key message. The maximum text length should be three paragraphs, also avoid PR bullshit (We are the one and only, best, great, epic story, etc.). 5. No image attachments, please! 2 Mb pictures will definitely get you on a spam list. Add only a link to your website gallery or attach one small low-res image if it is essential to communicate some features of your product. 6. No press releases in PDFs! The best way is to insert your press release to email body or to send it as Unformatted Word document. Journalists won't be impressed by even the most creative and colorful Word template. They've already seen (almost) everything. And they need good information, not coloring book. 7. If you are iOS developer and you have a paid app, use redeemco.de to distribute promo codes. Only the most desperate journalists will ask you for a code. Save their precious time and send the link for instant promo code download right away. GOOD TO KNOW Journalists are looking for trends. If you fit into a trend, tell them. Journalists are looking for interesting people. So, if you've done something interesting, something that is really worth reading, tell them. Journalists are looking for interesting stories. So, if your app is being used by American Idol, tell them. You may also try to create truly interesting story, find some unusual connection, create anything unique. If you can tell the journalist something interesting about the marketplace / the pond you're swimming in, it will definitely make you more interesting. Passion goes a long way. Persistence helps, but there's a line. If you push too hard you might get blocked.