Ask HN: How to reverse my entertainment app's demoralizing downward trend | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How to reverse my entertainment app's demoralizing downward trend

12 pointsSeoxyS4 comments

http://akhun.com/seo/skitch/Dashboard_-_Google_Analytics-20110514-133827.png

See above the usage trend for my iPhone entertainment app. Traffic has slowly but surly slowed and shrinked over the past year, and nothing I've tried has been able to put a dent in this trend.

For the past two years, my ability to pay for my (admittedly way overpriced) college has been largely dependent on this app. Summer break having just started, I want to see if I can find a new strategy for this app.

Does the HN community have any tips or advice for me?

PS: the app is http://ilaughapp.com/

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I'd say you may want to look into a celebrity endorsement or partnership with the likes of someone such as Jimmy Fallon who has a strong tech following (e.g. he and his writers create fun worldwide trending Twitter topics each week) and also is a comedian who can bring the type of brand recognition to your app that might set it apart form others and introduce it to folks who may never find it otherwise. Admittedly, he already has his own "Late Night" app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/late-night/id399052778?mt=8) but there are plenty of big name comedians who are likely looking to get into the social/mobile space and you could provide them an avenue to do so.

Did you make any changes around the date that you hit your peak? Did a competitor app come out around that time? The cause of the decline could provide a clue of what (if anything) you're doing wrong.

If you have data/contact info of individual users, you can try to email all the users that are no longer using the app asking them why they stopped.

In summary- figure out the cause of the decline, then make the necessary changes in response.

It might be worth posting to http://startupguild.net

Just throwing this out there: add topicality. Geokit stuff to provide regional jokes, maybe even location based, like, they're near a McDonalds, display Steve Martin's McDonalds joke.

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