Featuring in RuStore: All About the Formats, Criteria, and Logic of Project Selection

Featuring in RuStore isn't a single placement format but a set of promotional tools within the storefront. Each serves a different purpose: some provide a quick traffic spike, others offer steady visibility, and still others help highlight a specific offer or update.

All placements in these formats are determined by the RuStore editorial team. The team selects projects based on metrics, current product state, and growth potential, then chooses the format that best suits the specific goal.

Main Placement Formats

• Single featuring — promotion of a single app or game as a banner.
• Collection — placement of several projects as a carousel, rail, or list with a cover. These can be both temporary editorial collections and permanent sections — for example, "New this Week," "Everyday Essentials," "Popular."
• Store Events — promotions, discounts, promo codes, or major updates in a carousel format.
• Editorial Badges — special badges assigned by the editorial team based on analytics and their own expertise.
• Promo Coupons — discounts on purchases shown as a carousel of banners or events.
• Campaigns and Special Projects — special promo formats with extended reach — for example, "Prokachnitsa" and "Krutoteka."
• Stickers — animated elements in the store interface that draw additional attention to the project.
• Push Notifications and Newsletters — not part of classic featuring but used as an additional promotion tool to amplify placements.

"Prokachnitsa": Regular Promo Event with Maximum Reach

"Prokachnitsa" is a monthly promo event in RuStore that simultaneously uses several promotion formats inside the store. During this time, the storefront, collections, events, and additional promo slots work in sync, amplifying the overall effect and creating a focal point of user attention.

The event focuses on offers: discounts, bonuses, promo codes, and special deals. For users, it's an opportunity to get better terms inside apps and games; for developers, it's a way to significantly boost project visibility and monetization through comprehensive promotion.

Participation in the event is not automatic: the final selection remains with the RuStore editorial team. Below are guidelines to consider when preparing a project for participation.

Requirements for Participating in "Prokachnitsa"

• Pay SDK integration;
• Rating of at least 4.0;
• No active technical issues (especially in the week before launch);
• 10,000+ installs;
• An exclusive monetization offer for RuStore users;
• Offer price range — 1,000–1,500 RUB;
• Monetization metrics at launch:
  • From 1,300 RUB ARPPU/ATPPU — for casual and card games;
  • From 1,900 RUB — for other game categories.

It's important to understand: the above are not strict requirements for getting into "Prokachnitsa" but working guidelines. In each case, the editorial team evaluates the project holistically: its current state, dynamics, and growth potential within the promotion.

For a project to be considered by the editorial team, it must meet baseline requirements for quality, metrics, and product state. This does not guarantee featuring, but without meeting these conditions, the project will not be reviewed.

1. Product Quality

• Stable operation without critical errors;
• High-quality user experience;
• Polished execution: graphics, interface, animation.

2. User Interest

• Number of installs (including traffic from external sources, not just featuring);
• Audience activity.

3. Rating and Reviews

• A rating above 3.5 increases chances of being included in collections;
• The share of positive user ratings matters;
• Fake ratings are not considered and are checked separately.

4. User Reviews

• Both quantity and quality of reviews are considered;
• Projects with active and useful feedback have an advantage;
• Regularity, recency, and substance of reviews are important.

5. Responding to Feedback

• Timely developer responses to reviews;
• Handling negative feedback and user complaints.

6. Version Recency and Updates

• Regular and relevant updates;
• Use of events;
• The editorial team tracks new releases and fresh updates;
• The RuStore version does not lag behind other stores.

7. Store Listing Quality

• Correctly filled app information;
• Clear description without errors;
• High-quality screenshots reflecting functionality;
• Presence of a video in the listing.

8. Compliance with RuStore Requirements

• Compliance with platform requirements for performance, security, privacy, and other basic publishing criteria;
• Correct creatives that meet storefront requirements.

9. Integration of RuStore Tools

Using platform tools increases chances of being featured. This primarily refers to:

• Pay SDK;
• SDK Update;
• SDK Review.

10. Commercial Potential for Projects Monetizing via Pay SDK

• From 10,000 installs;
• ARPPU from 1,500 RUB;
• Regular monetization offers for RuStore users.

11. Developer Console Activity

• Events — after moderation, they appear in the listing; the editorial team decides on storefront promotion;
• Coupons — available when using Pay SDK; after moderation, they appear in the listing; the editorial team decides on promotion.

12. Driving External Traffic to the App Listing in RuStore

• Driving users from external sources directly to the app listing is considered;
• Independently buying traffic for the app increases its chances of being featured.

13. Working with ASO

ASO affects app visibility in the store but is not the same as featuring.

What ASO Includes

1. Metadata

• App name;
• Subtitle;
• Short and full description;
• Keywords.

2. Visual Design

• Icon;
• Screenshots;
• Video.

3. Categories and Tags

• Up to two categories;
• Up to five tags.

4. Keyword Strategy

• Keyword research;
• Regular metadata performance checks;
• Adjusting descriptions and tags based on trends.

5. Managing Reviews and Ratings

• Increasing average rating;
• Obtaining detailed positive reviews;
• Using SDK Review to natively request ratings inside the app.

How ASO Relates to Featuring

Featuring uses the same criteria for selecting apps and games for promotion as the rest of RuStore:

• Listing quality;
• Pay SDK integration;
• Conversion to install;
• Rating and reviews;
• Overall product perception on the storefront;
• External organic traffic.

In addition to internal store promotion, external traffic — how well developers drive users to their RuStore app listing — is also considered when selecting projects for featuring.

This is an important signal of product interest: external traffic increases installs and audience activity, and shows that the project can grow beyond just the storefront.

To increase visits to your RuStore listing, you can use:

• Buying traffic that directs users straight to the app listing via VK Ads, Yandex Direct, BIGO Ads, Mintegral, and other platforms;
• Communication within your own communities;
• Newsletters about the app's release or special offers in RuStore;
• Any external communications that take users directly to the app's store page.

It's important that external traffic leads directly to the RuStore listing — this increases conversion to install and amplifies the overall effect of promotion within the platform.

Featuring is not a starting point but a tool that amplifies an already established growth system for an app or game. It delivers results where the product is stable, the listing is well-crafted, monetization is clear, and audience engagement is regular.

Featuring on its own does not compensate for a weak product, poor listing quality, or lack of traffic. It does not replace ASO, fix reviews, or create demand from scratch — it scales what already works.

Therefore, the main focus when working with featuring should not be on trying to "get on the storefront" but on systematically developing the product. When the foundation is built, featuring becomes a growth catalyst. When it's not, featuring remains just a placement with no tangible effect.