Acquiring app downloads is much harder than acquiring web traffic. The main reason is because mobile acquisition channels aren’t as mature as web acquisition channels.

One day paid advertising within app marketplaces will exist and Mobile Install Ads will be available across more platforms, but we’re just not there yet. In the meantime, one of the best ways to drive app downloads in by appearing on TV. Here’s two case studies of how to get more app downloads by appearing on TV.

Last week, I was interviewed for a 3-minute segment on NBC Chicago.

You can watch the segment here:

As a result of the segment, we saw a big spike in app downloads. Below is a graph of daily iPhone App downloads by day, and you can see the spike the day we were on NBC Chicago.

Not surprisingly, a national segment can make an even bigger impact. Here’s a segment with ABC World News that featured us in December.

As a result of the national segment, two amazing things happened.

First, we got a ton of app downloads. Here’s the chart of iTunes downloads, and there were a ton more for Android.

Second, as a result of the surge in app downloads, CBInsights wrote a piece featuring us as one of the Hottest Apps in the iTunes App Store. This piece drove a second small bump in app downloads the day it was published.

Of course, one might ask if PR is scalable. While media hits don’t happen daily and don’t compound, as an app gets more downloads and more positive ratings it tends to rank better in app stores. Here’s an example of how our app store ranking is consistently improving, in large part thanks to big press mentions.

All over the web you can read about app store optimization, mobile install ads and more, but TV is honestly one of the most effective and cost efficient way to drive awareness and app downloads for non-gaming consumer focused apps.