How to Launch on AppSumo [Free Downloadable Guide]

AppSumo has helped hundreds of software companies put the “start” in startup.

Every week we scour the earth for the world’s greatest unknown digital tools. When we find them — or, more likely, when they come to us with a strong recommendation — we collaborate to create the deal to end all software deals.

AppSumo is like a medieval catapult. Instead of launching flaming stones at castles, we’re launching the hottest tools (read: Dropbox)  into the inboxes of hundreds of thousands of curious Sumo-lings.

Through this process, AppSumo partners have gone on to become some of the most reputable software brands in the world.

But before you buckle yourself into our digital catapult, you’ve gotta endure our careful selection process. We aren’t looking for just any software tool. We’ve got standards, thank you (and a highly-refined taste).

But we’re not snobs. In fact, we wrote this article (and this downloadable AppSumo Partnership Guide) to help more products find and submit their tools to us.

We’re always looking for new partners to launch to stardom. If you want to know if your tool has what it takes, this guide was written for you.

First, let's cover the why.

Besides winning immediate favor with the taco gods, which is my favorite reason to launch on AppSumo, many entrepreneurs also work with us for these perks:

‍Product validation

‍We know a thing or two about validating your product — and we only work with about 10% of the companies that reach out to us. If your product is selected, that means our team — a group of software experts who have truly seen it all before — is impressed with your product.

‍High-quality feedback

‍Step into the Sumo-ling feedback loop, a world where good software transforms into great software. Imagine thousands of experienced entrepreneurs giving critical ideas and feedback about your product. That’s what you can expect.

‍$$$

‍Sure, we’ll make you discount your product — a lot. But entrepreneurs regularly earn tens of thousands of dollars during their AppSumo launch. (And did we mention you don’t have to give up any equity?)

‍Startup incubator / accelerator

‍We’ll spearhead all-things marketing, creative, copywriting, and testing. To date, we’ve spent $3,500,000+ advertising partner deals. Plus, we have 2,000+ affiliate partners (bloggers, video creators, freelancers, consultants, etc.). This is a team effort.

‍All the cool kids are doing it

‍Businesses like Shopify, Evernote, MailChimp, Depositphotos, Grasshopper, LiveAgent, MobileMonkey, and CrazyEgg have come up through the AppSumo ranks. If you’re the next best thing in digital tools, we want you to join them.

Is your product a good fit to launch on AppSumo?

Want to sell your delicious new taco seasoning? AppSumo probably isn’t the right fit… Want to get more users for your AI-powered, Zapier-integrated, breakfast taco-ordering alarm clock? Now you’re talking. AppSumo looks for certain benchmarks and criteria among potential partners. If your product satisfies those, you may be a good fit! Here’s what we look for:

‍Your product is live

‍To be a good fit for our audience, you can’t be in beta with a huge roadmap of 1,000 features “coming soon” without any current functionality. We require a certain level of product maturity. We partner with products that people already pay to use. It’s also a huge plus if you have basic integrations (i.e. Zapier, Slack, big email marketing tools, etc.).

‍There’s “product/Sumo-ling fit”

‍If your target user is too niche, your product probably won’t work on AppSumo.

CRM tool for B2B ✔️

CRM tool for lawyers? ❌

If the average Sumo-ling looks a lot like your buyer persona, that’s a good sign.

‍You have a team of 3+

‍We want to make sure you have the tools and team in place to handle support tickets and answer Sumo-ling questions as they flood in. Partner launches on AppSumo have been known to crash servers and overwhelm underprepared support staff.

A 3+ person team should help you handle all the excitement.

‍You’ve got stability

‍We don’t discriminate if you’re VC funded, crowdsourced, or bootstrapped. But you’ll need to show that you have a plan and a runway for your product. If you’ve been on a lot of other deal sites, it will lessen your chances of getting picked.