Alternate promotion options
We've tried traditional web ads, requesting app reviews from notable sites, and just about every mobile ad network we've come across. My suggestion is to explore all free options first. Make sure to contact every app reviewer you can find and give them a promo code for your app if you have em available. Then explore social network sites. Then start looking at affordable advertising solutions that won't cause you to spend your life savings to even TRY a campaign.
We at Fossil Software have recently initiated a very affordable app promotion opportunity. We've created the "AppZilla Showcase". This Showcase is a page within our AppZilla apps where we feature 12 apps at a time. When a user taps on any of the apps, they get to see the store description, screenshots, ratings average, view a YouTube video for the app (optional), and a link to buy/download the app from iTunes. What makes this such a good opportunity for developers? Our AppZilla user base is over 2 million users strong. We have been frequently ranked in the top Utilities category, as well as top 50 and often top 25 paid apps over all. This means that developers participating in the AppZilla Showcase can take advantage of the months of exposure we have earned. It's sort of like cutting in line! The most difficult issue for developers is getting your app SEEN. You may have an awesome app, but if Apple doesn't grace you with a featured spot, you may not get enough initial traction to rise in the ranks. Quickly your app slides into the abyss of apps that users will never know about. With the AppZilla Showcase, you have another opportunity to be seen by millions. We bring the audience, you bring the app!
So how affordable is it? Currently our lowest campaign starts at $100. That buys you 4 days in the showcase. (Prices subject to change). If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit our website, (fossilsoftware.com), and click on the "Showcase" page. There you will find details of how it all works, everything the showcase comes with, and you can check availability and book campaigns 24 hours a day on our calendar.
I hope this helps! We've seen some exciting results for developers currently participating in the AppZilla Showcase.