$4,739 in One Weekend with One App! Interview with the creator of Photo 365, Benny Hsu.

Before I start with the interview, I will give you a little bit of background about Benny and the story of Photo 365.

Benny runs a great and inspirational blog called Get Busy Living. This blog is about living the life you want and escaping the like that we are expected to live. Benny has been trying to make money online for a few years. He then decided venture into the app store. As you can tell by the tittle of this post, the app did very well. Lets head what Benny has to say about the app:

1- What inspired you to create this app and what do you think made Photo 365 as successful as it was?

I was inspired to create this app because i was using a similar one but felt like it could be done better. I wanted to create a better one that I would use and thought others would as well. I don’t know the exact answer why it was successful but I can certainly guess. It’s because of the idea and the execution. I made sure the app looked great. I know if my graphics looked cheap, no way would I have been featured by the App store. Also the iPhone is becoming the main camera for most people so this app fits perfectly. I’m pretty sure that’s why my app was chosen to be featured.

2- What do you think made people (including apple) take notice of Photo 365? Do you think it was the quality of the app, the marketing or something else?

I definitely think it’s the quality of the design. The idea is very simple. Take a photo. Add a photo. Continue each day. That’s the main focus. I didn’t do any marketing for the app. I just put it out there and it got noticed by Apple. Again, it had to be a combination of the idea and the execution. If could have been the best looking app but if the idea wasn’t interesting, they wouldn’t be interested in featuring it. If it was a great idea but looked poorly made, I don’t think they would have featured it.

3- What was your marketing strategy and how important do you think marketing is when trying to create a successful application?

I’m not the best person to ask because I had no marketing strategy. I had a Facebook page and a Twitter account but both were not that active leading up to the launch. My biggest marketing came from telling my Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ friends. I did that because I was just excited to have my app in the store.

How important is marketing? I learned that someone spent $4000 on marketing and it didn’t help out sales at all. Others have spent $0 and grown their app organically and through word of mouth. One developer I know has grown his app that way and last week did $7000+ in sales in a day. He has a fantasy football app so it’s seasonal but has built it up without advertising. I think the best marketing is to make the best app you can.

However I would definitely get blogs to review it. Any mention of the app helps.

4- What made you decide to use Elance to find a developer for your app, rather than trying to do it yourself?

It was easy for me to use Elance.com because I have no idea how to code. I wish I knew and I’ve tried to learn but after 10 minutes, it’s confusing for me. Outsourcing it was a no brainer for me.

5- Did you have any issues with your developers on Elance, and what tips do you have for people considering outsourcing their app development like you did.

I didn’t have too many problems with my developers. The only way we communicated was by email. We did well enough that we didn’t need to get on Skype. When picking a developer, look at their portfolio. Download an app or two that they’ve created before and see how it is. Read their feedback. See how email communication is with them. Don’t just go for the cheapest developer. Also the most expensive doesn’t mean it will be the best for you.

6- What 3 tips would you give to people who are considering publishing an app of their own.

• I would say [think of?] what makes your app different than the others in the App store.
• Spend money on graphics to make it look good. Get a good looking icon as well. That’ s the first thing people see when they see your app.
• Make an app that you would use yourself.

7- Finally, what are your plans for the future? Do you plan to create more apps?

I’m working on adding few features to Photo 365. That’s my main focus. After that’s done, I’m probably going to create a version for the Android. I’d love to do more apps and hope to get started on a new one as soon as I’m ready.

Any final thoughts or anything else you would like to include.

Thanks Ramy for the questions. If anyone wants to learn more about me they can see me at Getbusylivingblog.com or find me on Twitter at @Benny_Hsu. If anyone has any questions about apps, please don’t hesitate to ask me. You can also read more about the app at Photo365 or download it at iTunes.

Ramy here again. What an inspiring story. Some amazing advice there, it seems that graphics are extremely important. It is also vital to focus on the quality of your app if you want long term success in the app store. You should definitely head over to Benny’s website, I have regularly been visiting it since I discovered it.

So the good news is that there is still money to be made in the app store! Now I know that people will be thinking that Benny got lucky. Photo 365 got featured in the app store and then it went onto being the app of the week. Benny was lucky to have these things happen but this was not an overnight success by any means, the app took a total of 7 months to develop. You have to earn your luck! Remember, you can’t get lucky if you aren’t doing anything!