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First, write down the problem you are buying help with
Are relevant people failing to find the app? Are listing visitors unconvinced? Does your team need drafts prepared or a method it can run? A proposal can contain plenty of activity and still leave your actual question unanswered. Write a one-sentence objective and compare every major deliverable with it.
Translate a promise into something you can approve
| Proposal wording | Ask for this instead |
|---|---|
| Optimize your metadata | Name the store, market, fields, draft versions, reviewer and publishing owner. |
| Improve screenshot conversion | Separate message brief, design files, test setup and result review. |
| Monitor performance | List metrics, reports, comparison context and the decision each review should support. |
| Ongoing strategic support | Define the available work, response arrangements, minimum term and handover. |
Keep the original promise beside the clarified scope. If nobody can name the output, owner or next decision, do not treat the phrase as a deliverable. A sentence can be very confident while containing no work at all.
Translate vague lines into concrete outputs
| Proposal wording | Ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword strategy | A relevant shortlist, sources, market and rationale | A tracked-keyword count is not a prioritization decision |
| Creative optimization | A message hypothesis, asset list and production owner | A recommendation and finished design are different outputs |
| Monthly reporting | Metrics, interpretation and the next decision | A dashboard needs context and an action |
| Localization | Markets, adaptation work and native review | Translation alone may miss local intent |
| Testing | Platform, eligible audience, metric and decision rules | An experiment needs a question it can answer |
Check stores, markets and access
The scope should name iOS, Android or both, then specify the storefronts and languages. Ask what evidence is required, who supplies it and whether public observations are enough for the stated diagnosis. The provider should not claim to know private conversion performance from a public listing.
Check who does and approves the work
- Who writes and reviews the metadata?
- Who supplies product facts and substantiates claims?
- Who designs, localizes and approves the assets?
- Who publishes changes and records what went live?
- Who is responsible when a release or access dependency delays the plan?
Read the testing section carefully
A test plan should identify the audience, proposed change, comparison and metric. It should explain what happens if the evidence is inconclusive. A guaranteed lift or a guaranteed winner by a calendar date deserves scrutiny. Changes to traffic, product releases and other assets can also complicate interpretation.
Read the commercial terms together
Check setup, recurring fees, minimum term, notice period, required tools and separate design or translation costs. Confirm ownership of files and research, how access is removed and what handover is provided. A fixed project also needs clear review rounds and a definition of completion.
An illustrative rewrite
Weak: “Optimize screenshots monthly.” Better: “Review the first three screenshots for the agreed audience, produce one message-led storyboard, agree who designs it and document the next validation step.” This is an invented example, not a quoted contract. Its value is that both parties can identify what has been delivered.
Before accepting the proposal
- Mark each line as an output, recurring operation or dependency.
- Write the missing owner beside each task.
- Calculate the full minimum fee commitment.
- Ask for an example of the actual deliverable.
- Get the remaining questions answered in the revised scope.
Questions and answers
Does a long proposal mean better work?
No. Look for relevant diagnosis, specific outputs, responsibilities and evidence. Length alone does not establish quality.
Should I send confidential material?
Start with the store link and a non-confidential scope summary. Agree what information is needed before sharing private proposals or console exports.
Can a consultant help alongside an agency?
Yes. A defined review or specialist project can complement an existing team when responsibilities are clear.
Work directly with Gabriel
Find the problem. Leave with the priorities.
Send your listing and the decision you are stuck on. I’ll scope an audit with annotated evidence, prioritized actions and a handover your team can use. A report without a next action is an expensive obituary.
Want a first opinion? Get a free video teardown of your listing.