In a market full of advertising, it is getting harder for app developers to find the right ad format to catch user attention. Among various new ad formats, playable ads offer marketers an opportunity to boost conversions, reduce uninstalls, and increase retention.
Playable ads are an interactive and cost-effective ad format that allows mobile app advertisers to offer a quick preview of their game, app or brand. According to data from Liftoff+Vungle, from January 2021 to January 2022, playable ads had achieved 12.6 billion hits, 200 million installs, and 805.0 billion expressions.
Playables have the power to convert more users than video ads. According to ironSource, with playable ads, your retention rates can go up by 30 to 40 percent.
In what follows, we outline five practices to improve performance and drive quality users to your mobile app.
Keep in mind that users might be unfamiliar with your game. Therefore, it is a smart move to focus on early-game features. The main goal here is not to represent the full game experience, but to demonstrate some basic mechanics so that users can understand what the game is about in seconds.
Your playable ads should be under 30 seconds long; keep it short and sweet. Also, optimize your CTA (Call-to-Action) button. It should be simple and clear to inspire your players to take action. Make your CTA available throughout the ad so that players can click it to install the game at anytime.
Be sure to demonstrate some of your characters and unique elements to make your gameplay stand out from the crowd. It is essential to use engaging visuals to attract users to take action in the first few seconds. Include a few selling points — elements that represent your game in the best light — in the ad to make your game as memorable as possible.
If your playable ads are too hard to win, most likely users will get frustrated and simply move on. On the other hand, if your ad is not challenging enough, players might see it as a waste of time, and won’t install the app. So it will take time to find the right sweet spot.
It is a good idea to make a hard level a bit easier than usual. Users that achieve good results from the start might feel confident to continue the game. So letting users win your playable ad can instantly encourage them to convert.
A little tease never hurt nobody, but it sure increased app downloads. Place a sneak peek or a screenshot of the next level before the end card. That will encourage users to install the app and continue playing.
It would be unfortunate to get a user to click-through to your app store page and not actually convert. Making changes to your app description, screenshots and videos will help you increase conversions.
Keep in mind that A/B testing should be done strategically and regularly.
No doubt, creating effective playable ads will take time. Nevertheless, it is a powerful way to acquire players, increase user retention, and audience lifetime value (LTV). The high interaction of playable ad creates an authentic and effective brand experience, and drives user engagement naturally.
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