In this guide
Vague requests get vague answers. "What do you think?" gets "looks good". A good request names a task, sets a small size and says what you will do with the answer.
The rules behind every message
- Ask for one thing. "Try signing up and tell me where you got stuck" beats "any feedback?".
- Say how long it takes. "Five minutes" is easier to agree to.
- Ask for facts first, opinions second. What happened, on which device, then how it felt.
- Make replying easy. A link to a short form beats a blank email.
- Never pay for or reward ratings. Ask for feedback, not for stars.
Who to ask and what to write
Friends and family. They are kind, so ask for something that kindness cannot soften. Example: "I'd like you to try my app for five minutes. Please say out loud what you expect before each tap, and tell me the first thing that confused you. Honest beats nice." Be aware: they are often not your target users.
Beta testers. They signed up, so be specific. Example: "Build 12 is ready. Please test the checkout flow and the new settings screen. Send me what you did, what you expected, what happened, and your device and OS version."
Users in the app. Short and at a natural pause, not at launch. See Ask for in-app feedback without nagging. Example: "Anything that annoyed you today? Two minutes, private, goes straight to the developer."
Developers like you. On AppReviewX, feedback is private and structured, so your request is the app plus the questions you want answered.
A message to avoid
"Please rate us 5 stars if you like the app!" asks for a rating, not feedback, and it tells you nothing. Keep ratings and feedback apart.
After the answer
Reply within a few days, say what you will change and what you won't. People who see a reaction answer next time. Sorting what comes back: Structured vs open feedback.
Related
Get started and get private, structured feedback on your app. 1 feedback = 1 credit.