Promoting demoware/shareware

Since back in 1996 I became a member of Association of Shareware professionals, a lot has changed. At the time, a crowd of software hungry users were quite happy to send you money in the mail, in payment of shareware that was often fully functional, no nag screen, no limitation.

Today, the notion of shareware tends to be blurred, as even big software companies have demoware which, for all intents and purpose, quacks and walks like shareware.

The arrival of the App Store for Mac, and the Windows Store for Windows 10, have been an additional earthquake in the small shareware pond. Instead of paying the author directly, a lot of users prefer to go to the online store and buy directly from the big guy.

However, I can report that with the proper promotion, demoware/shareware can bring in sales to your web site, if you are able to offer immediate download. I enjoy actually double sales on my own web site for Check Writer III+, than in the MAS.

There are currently hundreds of download sites. Appvisor.com lists 620 of them, after screening them to make sure they are live. It is pretty impossible to be present on all of them manually. Although a search on google by “Download shareware” will probably result in skimming the top dozens of them.

Shareware repositories today expect you to pack a PAD file in the package, together with your demoware executable. If is an XML which contains a precise description of your program, its price, and which URL to go to to register (buy). Appvisor will let you create it for free.

Upload the Pad file to your web site, in the web area.

You can then go by software repositories yourself, such as softonic.com or macupdate.com, for instance, where it suffices to enter the URL of the Pad file to get your software listed on their system.

I strongly recommend, though, at least when you launch your program, you get listed by appvisor with their paying submission system. They will make sure the app is present on each and every software repository that caters to your type of program and platform. Since the Pad file can be updated when you issue new versions, they will keep current without the need to pay again for submission.

Thank you @Michel Bujardet for taking the time to share this information with us.

in regards to the PAD file Michel mentioned… years ago I wrote a PAD Editor that collected all the required data and created the properly formatted file. If anyone is interested, perhaps I can dust it off (I wrote it back in 2010)

There is a LOT of data the can be in that file… the items in BLUE I believe were required (note there are 3 screens)

Ineed Pad requires work to be setup. But it is a done once, mostly.

Thanks Michel.
I have most of my apps listed on Appvisor but never paid anything.
What is exactly the difference when you pay a fee to Appvisor? I always thought they list your apps for free.

[quote=468186:@Dave S]in regards to the PAD file Michel mentioned… years ago I wrote a PAD Editor that collected all the required data and created the properly formatted file. If anyone is interested, perhaps I can dust it off (I wrote it back in 2010)

There is a LOT of data the can be in that file… the items in BLUE I believe were required (note there are 3 screens)
[/quote]

Is it PAD2 compatible?

I’d have to check… it was 9 yrs ago :)… but it seems to me it is

[quote=468240:@Christoph De Vocht]Thanks Michel.
I have most of my apps listed on Appvisor but never paid anything.
What is exactly the difference when you pay a fee to Appvisor? I always thought they list your apps for free.[/quote]

The number of sites, I think.

[quote=468240:@Christoph De Vocht]
What is exactly the difference when you pay a fee to Appvisor? I always thought they list your apps for free.[/quote]
I must have missed where the free option was. I’ll have to look around later, did they hide it?

Stupid question, how do I upload my PAD file?

I went here http://repository.appvisor.com/

Then clicked on “Submit Software” and get a blank page, in both FireFox and Safari under macOS 10.14.6

Do I have to use Windows?

[quote=468584:@Sam Rowlands]Stupid question, how do I upload my PAD file?

I went here http://repository.appvisor.com/

Then clicked on “Submit Software” and get a blank page, in both FireFox and Safari under macOS 10.14.6

Do I have to use Windows?[/quote]

No you don’t need to have Windows for that. Once in a while, their publisher site is down. Apparently that is the case now.

They request file format version 4.0 for now, even another application, Pad Fab, which I’ve used for years now, is outdated to both operating system and PAD file format.

:wink:

Thanks Edwin,
I got in, I couldn’t figure out how to upload my PAD file, so I ended up copying and pasting the data from my pad file to into their pad editor.[quote=468176:@Michel Bujardet]I strongly recommend, though, at least when you launch your program, you get listed by appvisor with their paying submission system. They will make sure the app is present on each and every software repository that caters to your type of program and platform. Since the Pad file can be updated when you issue new versions, they will keep current without the need to pay again for submission.[/quote]
Michel, which plan would you recommend?

[quote=468622:@Detlef Kahner]They request file format version 4.0 for now, even another application, Pad Fab, which I’ve used for years now, is outdated to both operating system and PAD file format.

;)[/quote]

Well then I guess my app would need a massive update depending on what happened in version 3 and 4
and I’ve not got the resources to attack that at the moment

I simply got the “Lite” plan. It seems to do the job.

I have actually more sales of Check Writer III+ for Mac on the web site than on the MAS.

Yet, I offer a choice there to buy a download on the site, the MAC, or to get a CD on Amazon,.

I’ve just recently taken the decision to stop offering a CD option.
Did you have a ‘burn on demand’ service , or did you make up a batch and allow the version on the CD to become out of date?

The only Check Writer software that shows up on Amazon when I search is this free one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Soft-Check-Writer/dp/B017AVIEMM/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=CheckWriter&qid=1576918372&sr=8-9
Thats not you?

That check writer program is an Android program. Mine is not there yet.

Mine are on amazon.com and are called either Check Print’R+ or Check Writer III+, for Mac and Windows.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VX1QQ6C?ref=myi_title_dp
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WP85598?ref=myi_title_dp

Amazon remains a very powerful distributor, and while the MAS shows signs of fatigue, it is nice to have a supplemental outlet.

I used to have a burn on demand service, but it got killed by Digital River (very toxic company).

I duplicate the CDs myself on PC, and print the sleeves on bond paper in a color printer. Then I use double sided scotch tape to close the sleeves. It looks clean.