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Success starts by choosing metrics that reflect where your game is in its lifecycle. In soft launch, optimize for signal density (installs, T1 retention, tutorial completion, cost per quality session). In global launch or live ops, lock on to cohorted ROAS, pay rate, and LTV contribution by creator and channel. Keep your attribution windows consistent with platform realities (e.g., limited iOS postbacks vs. granular Android referrers) and align creator flighting to those windows.
– Leading indicators: CTR, click-to-install rate, tutorial completion, T1 retention.
– Mid-funnel quality: D1/D3 retention, first purchase time, ARPDAU for creator-acquired cohorts.
– Commercial outcomes: CPPU (cost per paying user), D7/D30 ROAS, LTV/CPA ratio.
– Strategic: Share of voice in genre, reusable asset ROI (creator content reused in paid UA).
Two rules make this usable: measure cohorts by creator and standardize windows (e.g., D7/D30). If you can’t attribute at user level (iOS), roll up by geo, device, and timeframe to maintain directional control.
Channel-format fit determines whether a creator can actually show the fun. Long-form YouTube suits complex loops (strategy, survival, RPG). Shorts/TikTok excel at spectacle, meme-able moments, and quick challenges. Twitch drives depth and community events but needs compelling watch-time incentives. Don’t push the same concept everywhere; adapt the core promise to each format.
– Does the format surface your core loop in under 5 seconds? (If not, cut a teaser first.)
– Can the creator demonstrate meaningful progression, mastery, or social proof live?
– Are the audience’s device and region aligned with your target (iOS vs. Android split, top geos)?
– Does the platform allow deep links, promo codes, or pinned links that convert?
– Can you legally and technically repurpose the content into performance ads?
If your game thrives on social play or UGC, prioritize creators with active Discords or communities you can seed with events, not just channels that rack up impressions.
Gut feel picks favorites; scoring picks winners. Build a short, repeatable model that ranks creators beyond vanity metrics. Weight audience fit and quality higher than raw reach, and include brand safety and fraud checks to protect spend.
– Audience Fit: Geo/device match, age, genre affinity.
– Format Match: Ability to showcase gameplay loop, narrative, or competitive angle.
– Authenticity: Organic gaming content ratio, sponsored-to-organic balance, comment sentiment.
– Performance Signals: Historical CTR/install proxy, average retention uplift vs. baseline if known.
– Brand Safety & Fraud: Bot/abnormal growth checks, view-to-like ratio, moderation quality.
– Cost Efficiency: Estimated CPM/CPI vs. channel benchmarks and projected ROAS window.
Shortlist creators with high scores, then diversify into a portfolio: a few large anchors for reach, a mid-tier layer for efficiency, and a long tail of niche creators for depth. Lock usage rights upfront so high-performing content can be amplified in paid.
In gaming, the first three seconds decide whether viewers see your loop. Lead with conflict, mastery, or reward—then link it to a clear next step. Build a testing grid so each iteration isolates what’s changing (hook, offer, or format) and avoid noisy conclusions.
– Hooks (3): Challenge, Transformation, Social Proof.
– Formats (3): 45–60s YouTube integration, 15–30s Shorts/TikTok, 90–120s deep-dive.
– Angles to test within each: Core loop, meta/progression, limited-time event or reward.
Run at least nine combinations in a pilot wave, keeping CTA, landing, and incentives consistent. Enable quick iterations: cutdowns from long-form integrations into Shorts/Spark Ads; invert best shots into vertical-first edits.
– First frame shows gameplay consequence, not the logo.
– On-screen captions and UI clarity for sound-off views.
– Clear, single CTA aligned with platform (Install, Wishlist, Join Event).
– Offer or hook that matches creator persona (exclusive skin, speedrun challenge, community clan).
– End card with persistent URL/pin and creator voice endorsement.
Front-loading everything into day one spikes charts and kills learnings. Instead, structure waves that compound: test, learn, scale, and sync with in-game beats.
– Wave 0 (T-14 to T-7): Technical shakedown. 5–10 creators across tiers to validate links, trackability, and content angle feasibility.
– Wave 1 (T-7 to Launch): 15–30 creators focusing on two winning angles from Wave 0. Introduce a community challenge or limited-time reward to prime demand.
– Wave 2 (Launch Week): Add anchors with larger reach. Stagger drops over 3–5 days to maintain pressure. Activate paid amplification on top performers within 24–48 hours.
– Wave 3 (Post-Launch, T+7 to T+21): Retention and monetization wave—tutorial skips, mid-game content, event collabs. Retarget creator-engaged audiences with UA.
Pacing rules: don’t stack competing creators on the same day unless it serves an event narrative; avoid creator fatigue by spacing integrations; refresh offers weekly to maintain urgency.
Perfect attribution doesn’t exist, especially on iOS. Instead of arguing models, ladder your evidence: start with the cleanest signals, then add triangulation until the picture is decision-grade.
– Step 1: Direct click-through via MMP with deep links/UTMs and install referrers where available.
– Step 2: Promo codes/vanity URLs for console/PC or platforms with limited click tracking.
– Step 3: View-through and post-exposure lift (time-bounded spikes matched to content drops).
– Step 4: Geo/time holdouts—leave comparable geos or days unexposed to estimate incrementality.
– Step 5: MMM/aggregate models—feed creator spend/impressions into lightweight MMM to validate directional ROI.
Operationalize this by tagging every creator with unique links, discount codes, or event IDs; logging publish timestamps; and mapping cohort performance to those timestamps. Keep platform-specific constraints in mind (e.g., SKAN postbacks) and shift to aggregate analysis when user-level data is limited.
Once an integration hits, squeeze more from it. Secure whitelisting rights to run creator content as performance ads (Spark Ads, Branded Content Ads, or platform equivalents), then push to lookalikes built on creator-engaged viewers. Maintain frequency discipline; creator content fatigues slower than brand ads, but it still fatigues.
– Whitelist top 10–20% of creators and port their best edits into paid UA with fresh hooks.
– Retarget viewers who watched 50%+ of an integration with a shorter, offer-led ad.
– Re-engage creator-acquired cohorts with new content drops tied to live ops.
– Refresh your creator portfolio quarterly—swap the bottom quartile based on performance and safety.
Keep a living playbook: a single document with winning hooks, formats, offers, and creators. Every new wave pulls from it, not from scratch.
Influencer marketing drives growth when it’s treated like a performance channel with creative soul: measurable goals, controlled testing, and content that actually demonstrates why your game is fun. Map channels to your loop, score creators with rigor, and iterate the first frame until it earns attention. Use an attribution ladder instead of a single brittle model, and turn wins into a flywheel through amplification and retargeting. Do this consistently, and creators become a predictable acquisition, retention, and revenue engine—not a line item of “awareness.”
If you want a partner to operationalize this system, we can help. Zorka.Agency runs gaming-first creator programs end-to-end—from scoring models and creative testing grids to whitelisting and measurement frameworks. Ask us for a no-obligation audit of your current creator spend and we’ll share a practical plan: a ranked creator shortlist, a 30-day test roadmap, and the exact metrics to prove incrementality.