How to make and sell your own iPhone app

Do you have a great idea for an iPhone application? Here’s a simple beginner’s guide to stop talking about it and actually make it, and how to finetune your idea so that you know that it’s marketable and possibly profitable. So go ahead, read this and create your app. Who knows, it could be the next big thing…and you could be the next big millionaire!

Best ideas for iPhone apps

You say you have a good idea…but how good is it? The most successful iPhone apps usually solve a real problem. Users will feel that it saves them time or energy, or at least makes their lives more comfortable and enjoyable. So write down the ‘benefits’ of your app and see if it meets a real and pressing need.

The best iPhone apps also serves a niche market, like ‘pet lovers’ or ‘working moms.’ Niche markets help you focus your marketing resources on very targeted communities. Or, you don’t even have to reinvent the wheel. Review existing iPhone apps and see how you can make them better.

Another winning formula for iPhone apps is….make people laugh. Hey, everyone’s stressed, and will grab any opportunity for fun. But the trick to truly entertaining applications is interaction. Try to make your iPhone app as interactive as possible.

Developing your iPhone app

You can make and market your iPhone app yourself, but that would consume a lot of your time. And think about it. Like any other small business, this project would entail a long list of job responsibilities: researcher, accountant, information architect, developer, marketing head. Do you really want to handle all of that? Consider partnering with other people, especially if you know that a task isn’t really suited to your personality or skills. You may be a programming genius, but if recoil at the idea of schmoozing with people you barely know, maybe you should leave the public relations and marketing to somebody else. However, have everyone in your team (and any other contractors) sign a non-disclosure agreement, to prevent them from selling the idea to somebody else.

Study the market

Look at the most successful and least successful iPhone apps today. This can give you an idea of what people are looking for, and the kind of issues and concerns that could ‘kill’ a good product. You’ll also know if you need to finetune your iPhone app to make it more unique or user-friendly.

And, of course, part of your research involves understanding what the iPhone can do. See how you can maximize those features and make your iPhone app more interesting and powerful. Again, looking at the other iPhone apps will give you a concrete idea of how to take advantage of the iPhone’s capabilities.

photo from kottke.org