How to create your FreshBooks app listing

Showcase your app by getting listed on the FreshBooks App Store. Listing an app with FreshBooks allows you to enjoy our customer base of 22+ million. Further opportunities are available through co-marketing and revenue opportunities like newsletters, in-app advertisements, features on the app store, and more.

Submit your app via the Self Serve Developer Portal in 3 simple steps. We are going to assume that you already have a FreshBooks account and have created an OAuth app for your app. If you have not done this yet, read through the Introduction section

1. Create content & digital assets for your app listing.
   • FreshBooks is focused on helping business owners manage their day-to-day bookkeeping with ease so that they can spend more time doing what they love – building their business! Keep this in mind when writing content for your FreshBooks app listing, and try to focus on how your app helps business owners solve their problems. Keep it simple, and don’t get too technical. Below is a list of things you’ll need to prepare for your app listing
2. Create your app listing
   • Navigate to the developer portal
   • Select the app for which you want to create the app listing
   • Select the App Store Listing tab & Click on create a listing
   • Using the content created earlier, create your app listing
     Tip: To avoid errors, use the Save as Draft button, this will allow you to preview the app listing even before your submit it
3. Submit your app listing & stay engaged via email
   • Once you are ready, you can click on Submit for Review

Once your app is submitted the FreshBooks App Store team will reach out to you via email. Make sure to keep track of emails from @freshbooks.com

Fields marked with a ‘*’ signs are required.

1. Listing Name*
   1.  Requirements 
      1. Max length: 30 characters

2. Short Description*
   In 140 characters or less state the value of your integration, and how FreshBooks customers will benefit from using it. The typical format we use is: {app name} integrates with FreshBooks to allow/to help you {benefit(s)}.
   1.  Requirements: 
      1. Max length: 140 characters
   2. Example

   

3. About The App*
   Provide a brief description of what your app does and state the value of your integration, and how FreshBooks customers will benefit from using it.

4. How It Works With FreshBooks*
   What exactly does your app do when integrated with FreshBooks? For example, does it create journal entries or time entries? 
   1.  Requirements: 
   2. Recommendations:
      1. Focus on the information that is shared between your app and FreshBooks, and where any data is going 
   3. Example
      1. After payroll is run in PaymentEvolution, an expense is created in FreshBooks
      2. Directly synchronize your payroll with FreshBooks to keep more accurate track of company expenses

5. Steps to connect*
   List all the steps a FreshBooks customer would have to take to connect your app to their FreshBooks account. 
   1.  Requirements: 
      1. Max number of steps is 15
      2. Need to create at least one
   2. Recommendation:
      1. Keep in mind that everyone has different levels of technical skills; a FreshBooks customer could range from someone who has never used an integration before, to someone who is highly tech-savvy 
      2. Try to be as descriptive as possible
   3. Example
      1. Go to the apps page in NiceJob’s Product Settings by clicking this link
         Click “Connect” on the FreshBooks app listing
         Login to your FreshBooks account when prompted
         Authorize NiceJob to access your FreshBooks data
         Select the FreshBooks account that you want to connect
         You are connected!

6. Categories*
   Select at least one or multiple categories from the drop down list of categories. 
   1.  Requirements: 
      1. Max number of categories is 5 
      2. Need to select at least one
   2. Recommendation:
      1. Our categories are based on Jobs that apps help fulfill. Only select categories that matches jobs your app helps solving 

7. Available Region
   By default, your App will be available in every Region. If you’d like to restrict your App to specific Regions, you can choose one or more Regions in the region picker.

8. App installation URL *
   Provide the URL where the app listing page will redirect users when they install your App. It can be either a landing page on your website or ideally directly into the app authorization flow in your website.
   1.  Requirements: 
      1. You host the URL  
      2. It should be HTTPS
         

9. Logo*
   A logo represents your brand identity, and is a way for customers to instantly identify you. Try including your app name within the logo; this gives your app more visibility in the app store, and also helps customers understand what your app will help solve for them.
   
   1.  Requirements: 
      1. The logo image format must be a .JPG or .PNG 
      2. The ratio of the logo should be 1:1
      3. The image should be 320px and above
   2. Recommendation:
      1. If your logo has background color, please upload the logo with background color display edge to edge, as the example below

      Dos	Donts

      2. If your logo doesn’t have background color, The logo should be PNG and have the background as transparent, also remember to provide some padding to the edge as the example below
         

      Dos	Donts

10. Video URL
    1. Recommendation:
       1. Use a video hosting platform that is able to generate screenshots as metadata like youtube or vimeo.
       2. You can use https://metatags.io/ to test your URL, so we can display the video thumbnail in the app store, as the example below

       

11. Gallery/Screenshots
    1.  Requirements: 
       1. Image dimension should be at least 300px and above to ensure high quality.
       2. Images are limited to a maximum of 10 uploads.

12. Key features
    Talk about the 3 key features of your app, this helps capture the user’s attention.
    1. Requirements:
       1. Maximum number of characters for the title is 30 characters
       2. Maximum number of characters for the description is 90 characters
    2. Recommendation:
       1. The ideal ratio of the image should be 16:9, to make sure the best quality of display. If your image is not this ratio, we will fill the full width of the image block with the image upload.
       2. Use these fields to showcase your most impressive features or your value proposition 

       

13. Developer Name*
    Provide us with your company/developer name, this will be displayed on the app listing to tell customers who you are. It will appear as “Built by {developer name}”.
    1.  Requirements: 
       1. Max length: 30 characters 

14. Developer contact email *
    Provide a contact email that FreshBooks can reach out to about your app. This email will not be displayed publicly. 
    1. Requirements
       1. This should be a valid email address. The FreshBooks team will use this email to send you important messages, such as feature updates and breaking changes
    2. Recommendation
       1. You should respond to emails from FreshBooks and its representatives

15. Support contact email *
    Provide a contact email that FreshBooks customers using your app can reach out for support in regards to your app. This email will be displayed publicly.
    1. Requirements
       1. You should provide a valid email address so Users can reach out to you if needed
       2. Ensure emails to this contact address are always responded to in 2 business days
    2. Recommendation
       1. We recommend creating a dedicated email address for the FreshBooks AppStore Contact Email to ease of management and separation of concerns

16. Support phone number
    Provide a contact phone number that FreshBooks customers using your app could reach out for support in regards to your app. This phone number will be displayed publicly. 
    1. Requirements
       1. You should provide a valid phone number so Users can reach out to you if need be

17. FAQ page URL
    Provide a URL to your frequently asked questions page where users can find articles regarding your app. This URL will be displayed publicly. 
    1. Requirements
       1. Ensure its a https URL with a valid SSL certificate hosted on your company domain
    2. Recommendation
       1. A sub-domain with format support.xx.com or help.xx.com where xx is your domain name
       2. Create a separate page on your  support document dedicated to the FreshBooks listing
       3. Create an FAQ section answering as many questions as possible

18. Website URL
    Provide your website URL where users can find more information about your company. This URL will be displayed publicly.
    1. Requirements
       1. Ensure its a https URL with a valid SSL certificate

19. Privacy policy URL
    Provide a URL where users can learn more about your app’s privacy policy. ​​This URL will be displayed publicly.
    1. Requirements
       1. Ensure its a https URL with a valid SSL certificate
    2. Recommendation
       1. We recommend covering all privacy related topics on this page

20. Support website URL
    Provide a URL where customers can get support. ​​This URL will be displayed publicly.
    1. Requirements
       1. Ensure emails to this contact address are always responded to in XX business days
    2. Recommendation
       1. We recommend creating a dedicated email address for the FreshBooks AppStore Contact Email for ease of management and separation of concerns