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Getting user acquisition right, particularly in the modern mobile landscape, is a challenge for any publisher.
Targeting the right players is tougher than ever, but there are still ways to stand out from the crowd and strategies to consider to ensure you are getting the most from your marketing efforts.
In this guest post, user acquisition and marketing consultant Matej Lančarič shares valuable insight taken from a recent talk he gave during Appfest in Barcelona. Lančarič goes into some best practices for diversifying your UA channels.
This article was originally published on lancaric.me.
Let’s dive straight into the UA Playbook, which covers the UA channel mix, AKA Diversification, spying competitors, creative trends as a form of diversification, channel best practices that unlock growth for you.
Which UA channels are best for your game, and what should the campaign structure look like?
Well, everything depends on your budget. With a smaller scale, you can start with Facebook. You don’t need an MMP. Facebook SDK is sufficient. Facebook provides the best targeting options, and you can still get a lot of data from this network.
Diversification of your UA channel mix is crucial – we know that
Diversification doesn’t always mean you have to run a million UA channels at once. It really starts with one channel. What am I talking about? What to diversify:
- Campaign optimisation
- MAI, AEO Engagement events, AEO purchase, VO
- Attribution windows (campaign types)
- GEOs
- Creatives
- Different angles bring different types of players
- Placements
- Monetisation (IAA, IAP, hybrid)
The main channels are FB, Google, TT, Applovin, and Unity. No doubt!
Now, it gets pretty complicated. The number of rewarded play UA channels is on the rise, so I would say the hype is real.
It started with Misplay a while back:
Mistplay is a loyalty program for gamers, allowing users to earn rewards by playing games. Here’s how it works:
- Game discovery: Mistplay features a selection of mobile games from various genres. Users can discover and try out new games that are recommended based on their preferences.
- Earning points: As you play these games through the Mistplay app, you earn points called “Units”. The amount of Units earned can depend on factors like the time spent playing and in-game achievements.
- Redeeming rewards: Accumulated Units can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards and rewards, such as Amazon, Google Play, Visa prepaid cards, and more.
- Social features: Mistplay also includes social elements like chat features and leaderboards, allowing users to interact with friends and see how they rank against other players.
After a pretty successful year 2023 for Mistplay, people started founding companies and moving in the same direction. Now we have a shit ton of them. Good or bad?
The whole database is put together by a true hero, Paul Bowen. Give him a follow!
Here is the Rewarded play UA channel series.
Diversifying UA on rewarded play channels
This picture says everything. Choosing inappropriate Cost Per Engagement (CPE) events is a common reason marketing campaigns fail.
If an event is too easy, it may not attract high-quality users (AKA shitty players) who are genuinely interested in the game, leading to low retention rates and poor long-term engagement. Conversely, events that are overly challenging or irrelevant can result in high drop-off rates, as users abandon the effort when tasks seem unattainable or misaligned with their interests.
If an event is too easy, it may not attract high-quality users (AKA shitty players) who are genuinely interested in the game.
For instance, setting a high-level requirement in a complex game might seem like a strategy to ensure deep engagement.
However, many users may quit if the level is too difficult or time-consuming, leading to churn and minimal spending. Similarly, making a high-priced in-app purchase the CPE event can deter users if they view the cost as prohibitive or unrelated to their gameplay goals.
Advertising platforms often employ a funnel approach, designing campaigns with a mix of events that gradually increase in difficulty. This strategy keeps users motivated with early, attainable goals while guiding them toward deeper, more valuable actions.
Campaign structure for rewarded play UA example
In addition to the event selection, the scale is limited. Therefore combining more channels is crucial for success.
Example
Multi-event bidding: Prodege – Adjoe – TyrAds
CPI bidding: Exmox – InfluenceMobile – AdAction
Playtime: – Mistplay (IAP ROAS & Ad ROAS) – Playio (CPI)
Fraud! Yes, this shit still exists. You have to be careful and monitor campaigns daily (DUH!)
So, all in all, it can be quite a lot of work. But given the lack of innovation in UA and the limited number of channels, this really is the next thing we should pay attention to.
Channel best practices
Let’s check out what really works for me on the big 4.
TLDR: AI on Facebook, CPPs on Applovin, audiences on Google and TTCC for TikTok.
Unlocking Facebook with AI.
Could you guess which of these were made by a designer and which ones by AI?
There is this tactic when creating multiple creative concepts – static images. You test them against each other. You take the winner and make a video out of that creative concept.
Works quite well!
TikTok creative challenge FTW!
Official creator monetisation program that turns your creativity into cash by creating UGC-style ads. This has:
- 100+ Full-time creators making a great living.
- 600+ International brand campaigns to participate.
Unlocking TikTok? Seems like a big challenge. Oh wait, have you said challenge? Do you mean TikTok Creative Challenge (TTCC)? Badumtss! Jokes aside.
If you are not listed for a TTCC, you are missing out heavily. TikTok is transforming the way people discover new ideas and products while creating a new way for games to engage with creators and reach and connect with diverse communities around TikTok.
TikTok is transforming the way people discover new ideas and products while creating a new way for games to engage with creators.
TikTok creative challenge is a new in-app feature that allows creators to submit video ads to brand challenges and receive rewards based on video performance. Creators can browse through the list of challenges, read the challenge’s brief, which displays the reward pool and details rules and requirements, and submit their video ad.
The Creative Challenge gives creators full creative freedom over their ads, unlocking more opportunities for creators to collaborate with brands in a way that’s most authentic to them.
Easy! Sit down, write to your TikTok rep, and get on this ASAP. Then, you prep a creative brief for creators. Don’t forget! The brief is the key to receiving quality videos!
I must say, I saw some pretty weird shit in the TTCC for many games. But there is also gold in there. Your performance (and scale) improves heavily when you find that gold!
Original TTCC video
God bless AI! You can’t use TTCC videos outside of TikTok, but again. God bless AI!
TTCC creators are using our assets. Always. Just change the person and you are good to go.
Applovin CPPs
Applovin is TOP1 channel for iOS at the moment
- Get Applovin up and running with the blended D0 ROas campaign for both iOS and Android.
- Playables production for Applovin (and all SDK networks in general)
- Absolutely necessary to have 1+ playable per month
- Creative refresh bi-weekly (new creatives & old creatives with new CPPs)
Audiences on Google are killing it
Audiences in Google Ads is an interesting targeting option that has not been discussed enough. How to set it up:
Why should you care? Besides the Google case studies, it looks like for some games I manage, it works. It helped to improve performance quite a lot. (a lot = 10-30%).
Always track your competitors
Always check the competitors. Use the FB Ads library, TikTok Ad library, and Google Ads transparency centre; on top of that, use Adscan.ai to spy on your competitors and see which creative is spending the most in Europe (the most spending creative is most likely their best performing creative at that moment).
Take the inspiration and tailor the creative to your gameplay
Now you can dive a little deeper and check spend in EU countries:
Don’t only look at their creatives but also how much they’re spending and how they’re spending it. High spend = most effective.
It’s also about which UA channels they are running; doing regular research is quite handy!
I ended the presentation showcasing Creative trends for 2024 and how creative depth helps with UA diversification
In the ever-changing world of UA & creatives, staying ahead of the curve is essential. Here is why:
- Celebrity endorsements can significantly impact game marketing and user acquisition.
- AI is becoming increasingly important in game development and marketing strategies.
- User-generated content is influencing game trends and player engagement.
- Game creatives are becoming more sophisticated & more complex, utilising various game features.
- Understanding player psychology in marketing strategies is crucial.
- Trends in app marketing are shifting towards more personalised and targeted approaches.
The future of game creatives will likely involve more integration of AI and user-generated content in long format, meaning one minute and longer videos. As the UA landscape evolves, so do the creative trends that shape how games communicate with their audiences.
