Amid millions of apps vying for attention, standing out is critical. This is where the concept of Featured Apps comes into play. Being featured on app stores can catapult an app’s visibility, generate buzz, and drive downloads. But what does it truly mean to have your app “featured,” and how can it impact your marketing efforts?
What is Featured Apps?
Featured Apps are applications spotlighted by app stores, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, in prominent areas like the home page, specific categories, or special collections. These apps are carefully curated by the app store teams based on various criteria. When an app is featured, it benefits from premium visibility, often accompanied by banners, editorials, or placement in themed collections like “Apps We Love” or “Top Picks for the Season.”
App store editors typically choose apps that showcase excellent user experiences, creative designs, innovative features, or high relevance to current trends. Being featured isn’t just about having a great app; it’s about aligning with the app store’s standards and objectives.
The Featured Apps section provides valuable insights into what kinds of apps Apple is highlighting and promoting in their stores:
- Study the types of apps, categories, and characteristics that Apple chooses to feature
- Identify trends in what Apple views as innovative, exemplary, or otherwise noteworthy apps
- Benchmark the quality, polish, and marketing/promotion tactics of featured competitors
- Analyze how featured apps leverage new technologies, form factors, or business models
- Detect opportunities for own apps to align more closely with Apple’s featuring priorities
Marketers can leverage these insights to:
- Inform the refinement of app experiences to increase featuring potential
- Guide testing of new capabilities that could attract positive editor attention
- Anticipate feasible growth trajectories by mimicking success recipes
- Evaluate risks from rivals set to gain broader exposure and downloads
By tracking Featured Apps over time, marketers gain an unparalleled view into Apple’s showcase strategies – empowering goal-aligned calibration to prevailing industry priorities and opportunities.
Being featured in an app store isn’t just about luck—it’s the result of deliberate planning, quality execution, and understanding the dynamics of app store operations. Whether you’re an indie developer or a large enterprise, being featured can redefine your app’s trajectory, delivering exponential growth in visibility, downloads, and revenue. By focusing on quality, innovation, and user-centric design, you can position your app to catch the attention of app store editors and reap the rewards of this coveted spotlight.
