App reviews are a fantastic way to to attract the right kind of traffic to your app, i.e., visitors who are likely to convert to paying customers. The problem is, app reviews can be tough to land. Often times, top review sites have long backlogs and steep competition. Here are three ways to help you break through the clutter and score app reviews.

3 Ways to Score App Reviews

1. Network with Writers and Ad Reps: App reviews are like job hunting: it’s much easier to get in at a place where you know someone who can vouch for you. Before you resort to the “cold calling” that is the app review submission form, try networking. You can almost always find contact information for review writers. (You can even find Twitter handles.) Use this information to reach out and open a dialogue.

   If you don’t want to kiss up to writers, consider ad reps. Many app review sites offer advertising opportunities. If you can afford it, work with an ad rep to take advantage of these opportunities. Develop a relationship with your rep to optimize you campaign and get a feel for the site’s audience. When you’re ready for a review, you’ll have an ally.

2. Submit a Killer Request for an App Review: if you choose to go the submission route, you need to think of your submission as a piece of marketing/art itself. Put effort into your submission, making sure it: starts with a great description of your game, links to an engaging video, provides complete information and contains a promo code. (I’ll write more on this in an upcoming post.)
3. Pay Your Way: If all else fails, you can pay your way onto an app review site. For a fee, many sites will offer expedited service, i.e. moving your game from the back of their backlog to the top of their “to-do list” to guarantee a timely review.

   IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do decide to go this route, it is important to ensure that your money is ONLY going toward getting your game reviewed faster, not toward any bias. This means your game should be subject to the same scrutiny and honesty all non-paid reviews are, as well as the same physical presentation when it is posted on the review site. If a site is offering anything for an expedited/paid review that is different from a non-paid review, stay away. Any bias in your review could harm you, or your game’s, reputation. It should also be noted that even if a paid, expedited review is completely unbiased, some readers may still take issue as they question the validity of any paid review.

If you’re having trouble choosing which sites to shoot for a review on, try using this app review sites comparison tool.