Software Marketing Best Practices: Part 2 – Distribute your download
Increase your visibility and distribution with our guide to publishing your files on download sites.
About this series
This Brain Food article is part of a series on software marketing for developers. Follow our easy-to-digest guide to improve the visibility and distribution of your software and grow your user base.
In this series:
Part 1 – Make your site convert
Part 2 – Distribute your download (this page)
Part 3 – On-page SEO for Software Developers
Preface
When it comes to software marketing, one of the benefits of developing a great application that end users love is that you won’t be the only person promoting it. There are a ton of download sites that have made it their business to provide your application to their users if it meets their listing criteria. Publishing your application on a well-trafficked download site can also alleviate some heavy-lifting in garnering the top slots in search engine results for your product or target keywords. Let’s go over getting your software listed.
Publishing your software on download sites
Depending upon the existing reach of your software and the resources you have to spend managing listings, there are a variety of approaches you can take toward getting your software listed.
The shotgun method
There is a wide selection of automated submission tools to choose from that can help you submit your software to hundreds of download sites automatically. Robosoft is one such a frequently updated tool that can submit your software to 1,000+ download sites, taking care of account creation and even some CAPTCHA’s automatically. While in the long run it is worth having your software listed on many download sites, your submission methodology may depend on how much you’re willing to spend and how much time you have to manage your listings. For example, it costs $99 USD to use Robosoft’s service, but when you next release an update for your product you won’t have to spend a lot of time tracking and updating all of your listings manually. It is worthwhile updating your listings after significant updates that affect the product version number because this can boosts visibility by raising your software to the top of “What’s new” lists – just don’t be abusive with your updates or you might find yourself out of favor with site administrators.
Smaller publishers will likely find the investment in good automated services and tools worthwhile to boost awareness of their product. Larger publishers may find that focusing their attention on manually optimizing listings on larger sites is a better investment for them.
The DIY approach
For a more targeted approach to listing your software, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most reputable and influential download sites. Cumulatively, these sites drive a significant portion of all software downloads and getting your software listed can introduce a substantial number of new users to your software that wouldn’t discover it otherwise.
- Download.com — http://upload.cnet.com/
- Snapfiles — http://www.snapfiles.com/submit/
- Majorgeeks — http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=198114
- Softpedia — http://www.softpedia.com/user/submit.shtml
- BetaNews/FileForum — http://fileforum.betanews.com/addprogram
- Brothersoft — http://author.brothersoft.com/
- Softonic — https://www.softonicads.com/
- Tucows — https://author.tucows.com/
- Simtel — http://www.simtel.net/account.logon.php?SiteID=simtel.net
- Download32 — http://www.download32.com/submit.html
- Downloadatoz — http://www.downloadatoz.com/submit/
- Soft32 — http://www.soft32.com/sw.html
Get your PAD on!
Regardless of the exact submission method you choose, most will require that you submit a portable application description (PAD) file along with your software. PAD files use a standard data format to store all of the typical information about your product download sites require to complete a listing, and allow some sites to fill form fields or entire listings automatically. While PAD files can be created by hand, the easiest way to make one is using a PAD generator, such as PADGen, a downloadable app, or PADBuilder, a free online service.
Send the right message
Whether you are working with PAD files, filling in forms manually, or using automated submission tools, always put extra care into writing the description of your software. A carefully crafted and engaging write up can lead to a marked increase in downloads, and in long-term users who better understand the value proposition of your product. When describing your software:
- Include keywords that a person might search for when hunting for a solution to the problem that your software solves.
- Keep your description concise. You may have a lot of information to share, but most visitors don’t spend a lot of time reading.
- Focus on communicating the most important benefits of your product. Sometimes it is better to write about the problems the product solves rather than the features it has.
- Write for the general audience of the download site(s) you are listing on. Assuming visitors have the same technical knowledge as you can deter people from trying your software versus competing products that appear easier to use.
Build your reputation
As part of your overall software marketing strategy you want to have your application listed on as many reputable sites as possible. Do your research and never list your software on sites that carry malware or engage in any other questionable practices. Curating your brand from an early stage is an important step toward building a good reputation, the trust of your user base, and increasing both your distribution and search rank.
-The OpenCandy Team
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