Treat it like any business: if you are passionate and willing to spend the next year+ of your life building it then jump in, but except a long hard journey to get customers.
If you just want to capitalize on being featured, that will be likely end before you can take advantage.
1500 a day on the mac app store might be considered quite good though? The Mac App Store always seemed less popular than the iOS one.
As far as freemium, they'll definitely have to be very careful with that, because if you're too nice you lose money, and on the flip-side you piss people off lol. Sometimes at the end of the day it works to be a paid app (especially if you're getting free marketing from Apple features).
But beware, once you're not featured, your sales can go close to 0 a day.
I love the app, and I want OP to know that that a watermark is a deal breaker for me.
Without a watermark, I have things I can use this app for. While using it, if I like it and want the premium features then I'll upgrade. With a watermark, I won't use this, and I won't ever upgrade.
There are some great ideas in the thread; watermarking is not one of them.
I have no experience in mac apps nor do I know if this already exists nor can I attest to the viability... but this is something I've wanted on one occasion before:
Some sort of API so that developers can send requests to a user for a screencast. An example would be if I'm a customer service representative and I need a user to send a screencast of a problem they have, I could click "request screencast" in my helpdesk software (which interfaces with your API) and they would get a notification in the app that allows them to click record then send and I get the video back, just two clicks from the user: "record" then "send". Help desk software is one situation I can think of it being really valuable, another is user feedback on websites where a user clicks give feedback -> selects "include screencast" -> app notifies them to record, on send it's sent back via the API and then the feedback widget can say "great, your screencast has been received!". Maybe the app could even track the users environment so that it would be extra helpful for situations where the user is demonstrating something.
For that idea you could keep the app free as it is now, but add that functionality and charge businesses for API access. Although now that I think about it, asking a user to install an app/program (the first time they ever encounter someone using the service) might be a bit off putting to users.
I had this idea too when I was in Tech Support at an ISP but concluded that walking a customer through installing the app would most likely be as difficult as having the customer explain what they saw.
Step #1: First get some sort of analytics telling you how people use the app, for how long, etc. Look for ways to get data on what people actually do with the thing so you can tell if there are points that cause it to stop being used.
Step #2: Start building a way to reach your audience. Look for ways to get people to sign up for a mailing list for updates, or some way to keep in touch.
Step #3: Increase engagement (if needed). Consider adding a quick non-intrusive splash/notification about new things in the app as they are released.
Step #4: Monetize, most likely via either a premium version or in-app purchases. You could allow simple paid upgrades for the more advanced features, akin to Paper for iOS. Make sure that you do not impinge on the original free functionality outside of what is necessary. 3 minute screencasts for free is a good way to do it, but I would add a watermark somewhere on the video in free versions.
Of course, these are all off-the-cuff recommendations so I would use a generous amount of salt when considering them. That said, I'm going to go download it now because the app could quickly become what I need for my business.
2) Happy customers championing your product for you
3) Charge for your product
How:
1) Start tracking if users continue to use your product/are happy with product (sounds like you already can do this).
2) Once you know your free customers are happy to use the product begin to monetization the product.
3) Build code to help your existing users spread your product
- Create the ability to email friends free account codes from inside the app.
- current users are limited to two free invites
- first round invited users are limited to one free invite
- second round invited users can not give out free invites
4) Once the above code is ready, start charging for the product on the app store.
5) Release "invite a friend" code
6) Experiment with price
7) If you fall on your face & fail, begin offering the product for free again and re-evaluate how you determine if you are making your customers happy.
Part of the fun and beauty of it though I think is that you can't stop - you are on a rolling train therefore under pressure to get it right in one take = it's kind of exciting that way ;-)
Just goes to show you that even if it's provided free by default as apart of the OS, you can still create something does one specific thing, even if it does less. The iOS-ification of apps: just do one thing.
This would be awesome for customer service reps who want to see exactly what the user is seeing. Main issue with current tools (remote viewing apps) is that they are often too slow and unreliable.
You don't actually need to build an features yet. Create a pricing page, list out a simple set of features, put a buy button and see how many people click on it. Test with a different set of features and different price points.
No - we were lucky and just got featured - that's kind of why I know it's a chance I don't know if I'll get again and want advice to make the most of it.
So if I don't "publish" I lose my screencast? That seems pretty lame. Also, as much of a CC fan as I am, why do you force people to license their screencasts under CC?
Cool. Thanks. If you want to differentiate yourself over what quicktime already provides, I would add in some basic titling, pointer highlighting and region zooming.
If you just want to capitalize on being featured, that will be likely end before you can take advantage.