Why mobile app publishing is the right way to go for app creators in 2023
It’s 2023, and we’re living in a new reality. The tech industry is undergoing harder times, cash and investment are scarce, and agencies are expensive. What’s more, the app market has never been fiercer with more and more competition at every corner. The way things used to be done in the world of apps simply doesn’t apply anymore.
App industry giants like large-scale corporations and developers now have both endless resources and funding to ensure that any app they put out there is a success practically overnight. Today, it’s not enough for you to have developed an incredible app with awesome content and code. But it should be.
Enter the wonderful world of mobile app publishing. So, today we’re going to cover what mobile publishing is, what its main benefits are, and why app creators should work with publishers over agencies in 2023.
1. Mobile app publishers provide everything needed to make an app a success
With the mobile app publishing model, you get way more than you ever could with a traditional app agency. Why? It’s very simple. While an app agency will charge a fixed fee at the end of each month, an app publisher will invest in you. While an app agency will specialize in a specific area like ASO or UA, an app publisher will have a host of experts in-house that can help you with anything you need. While you need to work with several app agencies to cover all your bases, you only need one app publisher.
At Kovalee, that’s exactly what we do. By signing with a mobile app publisher like us, you instantly gain access to a whole team of experts working with you, as well as a seasoned method of work that will improve every aspect of your app. You’ll also enjoy using unique technologies in product, UA, ASO, and monetization that will help us collectively reach our goals.
If you’re more of a visual learner like me, then this diagram will help you understand the model better:
In terms of cash, mindset, and performance, app creators are now opting for app publishing over working with agencies. While this model has historically been prevalent with mobile gaming apps, app developers around the world focusing on apps across a range of categories and verticals are now discovering this as an option.
2. The mobile app publisher pays for everything
Yes, you read that right. Mobile app publishers will invest in your app (and, of course, in you) and will pay for everything. While you focus on doing what you do best - content production and code - an app publisher will take care of everything else. That includes things like user acquisition, app store optimization, monetization strategies, product design, and more. They’ll develop all of your creatives for UA campaigns, determine which screenshots work best on the Apple App Store or Google Play, and figure out the best onboarding flow for your app, among other things... Basically, you name it and an app publisher can do it.
This differs quite radically from working with a traditional app agency. As I already mentioned, app agencies tend to be very service-specific, so you’ll likely need one agency focused on ASO and another on UA, for example. So, let’s assume you’ve decided to work with a UA agency. What will end up happening is that on top of the monthly fee you have to pay them for their services, the costs of all of the user acquisition spend on social media for things like Facebook ads, Apple Search ads, and more, will also fall on you.
With a mobile app publisher, on the other hand, you won’t pay for a thing. The publisher will take care of all costs associated with user acquisition, app store optimization, monetization, and more. It also won’t charge you a fee because of the nature of the publishing partnership, which relies on the publisher getting paid based on the long-term profits of your app.
3. The app creators and the app publisher share the same objectives and goals
Working with a mobile app publisher necessarily entails a different mindset than with any other kind of service provider. An app publisher is a long-term partner that invests in your app because they believe in it. They care about performance. They care about perception. They care about you being happy. It’s not a supplier that sends you an invoice at the end of the month no matter what happened. It’s about collaboration and cooperation.
An app agency normally isn’t as incentivized in the long term when working with an app. The way they work is simply different, but it can in some cases create a misalignment between the agency’s goals and the app creator’s goals. There’s also this dualistic relationship between the customer and the provider, which isn’t always what’s best for the business. An agency might be more inclined to “make the client happy” over acting in the app’s best interests.
With an app publisher like Kovalee, you’ll always share the same goal - making the app a success for the long haul. An app publisher doesn’t make any money unless the app itself is a triumph, so there is a vested interest for any publisher to make the app work at any cost. And that leads me nicely to my next point.
4. All the risk lies with the app publisher, and the reward is shared
It’s not just a line. An app publisher literally takes all the financial risk. It invests plenty of money into an app - even going as far as financing up to $50,000 a day for just one app. And it doesn’t ask for cash in return like an agency would. Instead, the app publisher will literally create a vested interest for itself in any app it chooses to work with. If the app succeeds, the publisher succeeds. If the app fails, the publisher fails.
That’s why the app publishing model is built on profit sharing. While you’re building and scaling your app, you don’t have to worry about money because your publisher is footing the bill for everything. When your app becomes a resounding success, you share that reward with the publisher that helped you get to where you are.
Want to learn more about app publishing?
Whether you have an app for iOS or Android, we’re delighted to hear from you and tell you more about how we work. Our sole focus is on publishing apps for mobile devices across a range of categories and verticals. We’re currently working with apps in the health and fitness categories, AI image generation, motivation, meditation, and more. Our team has over 10 years of experience working with mobile app developers on Apple and Android apps, and we’ve helped several apps crack the global top 10 in their respective categories.
So, if you have the ambition, the drive, and the determination to take your app to #1, give us a call. We’re always willing to take on new apps we believe in, and in typical startup fashion, we give our all to everything we do.
Reach out by filling in this form below and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can!
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