In just 30 days, rewarded UA helped them hit their 6-month performance targets — and then some.

Campaign Objectives

The studio had ambitious goals:

• Launch a rewarded UA campaign to acquire Android and iOS users in the U.S.
• Hit key ROAS milestones:
  • Day 1: 12%
  • Day 7: 45%
  • Day 30: 100%
  • Day 180: 130%
• Achieve user retention targets:
  • D1: 45%
  • D7: 25%
  • D30: 12%
  • D90: 5%
  • D180: 1%
• Reach at least a 4–5% unique in-app purchase rate

Our Rewarded UA Strategy

With our proprietary ad tech and data-driven funnel design, Adscend launched a custom rewarded UA strategy built to deliver both scale and monetization. Here’s how we did it:

• Targeted value-driven users via offerwalls and first party rewarded placements

• Rewarded key funnel events 

• Used behavioral insights to trigger high-ROAS actions and purchases

The result: a user base that not only installed the app, but engaged deeply, monetized quickly, and continues to monetize. 

Rewarded UA Results (30 Days)

ROAS Success

• 161% ROAS on Android

• 163% ROAS on iOS

That’s 60%+ above the studio’s Day 30 ROAS goal — all in the first month.

Monetization Performance

• 23% Unique Purchase Rate (Android)

• 27% Unique Purchase Rate (iOS)
  (Crushing the 5% goal and showing that rewarded UA drives paying users)

Retention Metrics

• 12.6% 30-Day Retention, beating the target of 12%

(Download the full rewarded UA case study)

Why Rewarded UA Works

This campaign proves that rewarded UA is far more than a top-of-funnel tool. When executed with intent, it delivers high-retention users, drives IAPs, and hits ROAS milestones ahead of schedule.

Rewarded UA aligns incentives for users, advertisers, and publishers — creating a performance loop that drives real results.

Ready to Scale with Rewarded UA?

Whether you’re launching a new app or scaling an existing one, a smart rewarded UA strategy can help you:

• Acquire loyal users

• Maximize IAPs and ad revenue

• Hit performance goals fast

Let’s talk about your next rewarded UA campaign

The post Crushing ROAS Goals: How Rewarded UA Delivered 162% D30 ROAS for This Game Studio appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

We’re thrilled to announce that Adscend’s Offerwall just got a fresh new look! This update brings a modern, streamlined design that’s not only easier on the eyes—it’s built to boost user engagement, retention, and ultimately, your earnings.

Why the Redesign?

We know that when it comes to offerwalls, user experience matters. A clean, intuitive layout helps your users discover offers faster, stay engaged longer, and convert more often. That’s why we’ve rolled out a more polished UI—while preserving the core features you rely on to drive revenue.

What’s New:

Modern, clean interface optimized for all devices 
Faster, smoother navigation to keep users focused on earning
Streamlined offer presentation to highlight high-value opportunities

What Hasn’t Changed:

While the look has evolved, everything else you and your users love stays the same:

• Access to top-quality, high-converting offers from trusted advertisers driving industry leading eCPMs 

• Real-time rewards to keep users motivated 

• All features and functionality fully intact

• Dedicated support to help you grow

When Is It Live?

The new Offerwall design is now rolled out, and we can’t wait for you to see it in action! 

As always, we’re here to support your success. Got feedback or questions? Reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you. 

Thank you for being a valued partner!

Not yet an Adscend Media Offerwall Publisher? Learn more about our Offerwall ad unit and get started today. 

The post Introducing the New Look for Adscend’s Offerwall appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

Looking to boost your revenue with offerwall monetization? As a rewarded ad unit that delivers high eCPMs while rewarding your users, it’s easy to see why it’s a popular choice. To help you make the right decision, we’ve created a 14-point essential checklist for selecting the best offerwall ad network for your app, game, or website. 

If you’re not sure what an offerwall is, click here to learn more: What is an offerwall?

Reputation of the Offerwall Ad Network

There are countless offerwall providers that exist, so it’s important to choose the best provider for your needs. When deciding a network to work with, consider the company’s history, any reviews that may be posted online, and publishers that already work with the company. Given the popularity of offerwalls, there are many fly-by-night offerwall ad networks that are not tuned into advertiser and/or publisher needs. While it may seem straight forward, offerwall providers work very hard to maintain a delicate balance that delights advertisers, publishers, and their users alike. 

At Adscend Media, we’ve been around since 2009 as a rewarded ad platform. We’ve paid tens of millions of dollars to our publishers, and we’ve never missed a single payment. 

Payments & Net Terms

When choosing an offerwall provider, it’s essential to consider their payment terms and methods. Look for a provider with a solid reputation for timely payments, without unnecessary delays or hurdles.

A great offerwall network will offer flexible payment options, such as various payout methods. Transparency around net terms, minimum thresholds, and any associated fees is also key to a successful partnership. Ultimately, you want to work with a provider you can trust to deliver payments consistently and without complications, allowing you to focus on growing your revenue. 

High-Quality Advertisers

It’s important to work with offerwall ad networks that partner with reputable brands and advertisers to maintain a positive user experience. High-quality advertisers ensure that the offers presented are valuable and trustworthy, which in turn drives high eCPMs and boosts user engagement and retention. Working with well-known, respected brands also reinforces credibility and trust in your brand.

Offerwall networks that prioritize quality over quantity when selecting advertisers tend to deliver higher eCPMs and greater long-term user satisfaction. It’s important to avoid networks that promote misleading offers, as they can damage your app’s reputation and negatively impact user trust. 

Variety of Offers

In addition to high-quality advertisers, the best offerwall partners provide a diverse range of offers, such as:

• Mobile Gaming Offers: Most mobile gaming offers reward users with significant incentives for reaching higher levels in a game. These offers often generate high eCPMs and keep users engaged for longer periods.

• Branded Offers: These include sign-ups, app installs, subscriptions, free trials, deposits, and more, giving users a broad selection of valuable actions to engage with.

• Market Research Surveys: Allow users to participate in surveys regularly, offering a steady stream of opportunities to earn rewards while providing valuable insights for advertisers.

• Video: Although different from traditional rewarded video ads, video formats in offerwalls engage users with small rewards, encouraging them to return frequently.

A diverse offer base not only drives user engagement but also promotes repeat visits, as users continually return to discover new opportunities. This increases your app’s retention rate and contributes to steady incremental revenue. By partnering with an offerwall network that provides a variety of offers, you ensure that users find something of interest, keeping them engaged and eager to earn rewards.

eCPM Expectations 

Offerwalls deliver exceptionally high eCPMs, often outperforming other ad units. This makes them a powerful monetization solution, particularly for publishers seeking non-intrusive ad units. However, eCPMs can vary based on factors like the type of publisher, geographic makeup of users, and the types of offers available on the offerwall.

When choosing the best offerwall ad network to work with, it’s important to discuss eCPM expectations specific to your app or platform. Discuss benchmarks for apps similar to yours, taking into account factors like user demographics and offer types. A good offerwall network should provide valuable insights into expected eCPMs, helping you set realistic revenue goals and optimize your monetization strategy.

By understanding your eCPM potential upfront, you can make more informed decisions regarding offer placements, offer categories, and even targeting strategies to maximize your revenue.

Anti-Fraud Measures

Ad fraud has become a growing concern over the last decade, and offerwall ad networks have not been immune. Fraudulent activity not only undermines advertiser confidence but also affects publishers’ revenue potential, making it critical to address. As fraud schemes grow increasingly sophisticated, the best offerwalls have had to evolve their strategies, implementing robust anti-fraud measures that protect both publishers and advertisers.

To mitigate these risks, leading offerwall providers typically employ a combination of solutions. These include in-house fraud prevention measures, dedicated compliance teams that actively monitor network activity, and partnerships with multiple third-party fraud detection vendors. Together, these layers of protection help ensure that ad fraud is minimized and that advertisers can trust the offerwall to deliver legitimate, high-quality traffic. Ultimately, this drives higher ad revenues for publishers along with lower reversals. 

At Adscend Media, we take fraud prevention seriously. Our Total Fraud Defense system protects all of our publishers and advertisers by employing a multi-layered approach to fraud detection and prevention. This includes advanced algorithms that detect suspicious patterns, continuous monitoring by our in-house compliance team, and the use of trusted third-party fraud prevention tools. We are committed to staying ahead of evolving fraud techniques by constantly updating our technology and vendor partnerships, ensuring ongoing protection for our partners.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

The best offerwall partners work seamlessly across multiple platforms—iOS, Android, Unity, and web—to reach the widest audience possible. Ensuring compatibility across all platforms not only increases the potential user base but also allows for a more consistent and engaging experience for your users, no matter which device they use. While certain platform-specific restrictions on ad monetization exist, such as limitations with iOS offerwalls, a diverse range of offers helps mitigate these restrictions and ensures you can still effectively monetize users.

To maximize success, it’s important to choose an offerwall provider that optimizes for each platform, adapting to unique user behaviors and technical requirements. This adaptability allows for a smoother integration process and a more cohesive user experience across devices. By delivering a uniform experience across platforms, you ensure that users can enjoy a rewarding experience on the device of their choice, helping to improve both engagement and retention. 

Developer Support

While offerwalls are relatively easy to integrate, it’s important that your provider provides strong technical support to ensure a smooth and hassle-free offerwall integration. The best ad networks provide a comprehensive range of developer resources, including detailed Web View, API, and SDK documentation, to support seamless integration across different platforms. These resources not only help during initial integration but also come in handy when troubleshooting issues that may arise. 

Beyond just documentation, having access to responsive technical support teams can make a big difference, especially when you’re dealing with unexpected challenges. Whether it’s solving integration problems or troubleshooting bugs, reliable developer support ensures that you can quickly resolve any issues and maintain a high-quality user experience. A good offerwall provider will offer timely assistance and even provide best practices to help you maximize your monetization efforts.

Account Management

It’s crucial to have access to a dedicated publisher account management (AM) team to maximize offerwall revenue over time. A reliable AM addresses any issues that arise and provides ongoing guidance to optimize offerwall performance. They assist with strategic decisions, such as advising on offerwall placements, securing private ad deals, and suggesting best practices to drive revenue.

Beyond support, a good AM acts as your advocate within the offerwall network, ensuring you have access to the best opportunities and resources. By fostering a strong, collaborative partnership, they focus on your long-term success with tailored insights that align with your business goals.

User Support

Offerwalls are a unique ad unit because they directly involve user rewards, making a positive experience crucial. The best offerwall ad networks provide reliable, prompt support to users who encounter issues, such as missing rewards or offer completion problems. Since user satisfaction is important to maintaining engagement, ensuring quick resolutions to user concerns is essential. 

While user support can be an afterthought at some offerwall networks, it’s an important consideration. A robust support team helps prevent user frustration, builds trust, and improves retention rates. Choosing an offerwall provider that prioritizes user support can lead to fewer offer issues, higher overall satisfaction, and increased incremental revenue from your offerwall. 

Customizable User Interface 

The best offerwall ad networks provide the ability to fully customize the UI to seamlessly match your app, game, or website’s design. This customization is important for maintaining consistent branding and ensuring that the offerwall feels like an integrated part of your platform rather than an external add-on. 

A well-customized offerwall not only enhances user experience but also increases engagement, as users are more likely to interact with an interface that feels familiar and intuitive. Additionally, your provider should offer tighter integration options, such as via API, to fully customize the look and feel to your liking. Choosing an offerwall provider that offers this flexibility allows you to create a more appealing and effective ad unit. 

Customizable Offers & Offer Categories

Every publisher tends to have their own requirements for the types of offers enabled, offer categories allowed, and minimum offer payouts. The best offerwalls will provide the ability to customize offer categories, feature high-performing offers, remove those that don’t align with your brand, and set minimum offer payouts. 

With an intuitive dashboard, publishers can easily manage offer categories, highlight exclusive or high-performing offers, and disable those that don’t fit their audience. This level of control ensures that the offers presented reflect both the publisher’s brand and user preferences.

Having the ability to make these adjustments with just a few clicks empowers you to fine-tune your offerwall in real-time, optimizing performance and delivering a seamless experience that aligns with your brand.

Real-Time Reporting

Real-time and robust reporting is essential. The best offerwall networks provide detailed, real-time analytics and reporting tools that allow you to monitor performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to optimize earnings. With access to real-time data, publishers can quickly assess which offers are performing best, adjust strategies on the fly, and maximize user engagement and revenue.

Accurate reporting also enables more effective A/B testing, allowing you to experiment with different offers, placements, or user segments and measure the impact instantly. 

Choosing an offerwall provider with real-time reporting ensures you stay in control, equipped with the data needed to fine-tune your offerwall and achieve the best results.

Unique Value Prop

Each quality offerwall ad network brings something unique to the table, offering features and benefits that set them apart from competitors. This is why many publishers work with more than one offerwall provider to maximize their revenue potential. Whether it’s exclusive advertiser partnerships, advanced targeting capabilities, or unique ad formats within the offerwall, every network has its strengths.

When selecting an offerwall provider, it’s important to ask what differentiates them from the competition. Understanding their unique value proposition will help you determine how they can complement and enhance your existing rewarded ad strategy. 

Why Choose Adscend Media?

This 14-point checklist is built on years of experience and a deep understanding of offerwall monetization. At Adscend Media, we’ve helped publishers boost revenue through high-performing offerwalls while delivering a rewarding user experience. Our mission is simple: to make every experience rewarding for both you and your users.

Whether you’re new to offerwalls or looking to expand with an additional partner, Adscend Media offers the tools, fraud prevention, and real-time reporting you need to grow your app, game, or website’s revenue.

Let’s connect and create a monetization strategy tailored to your success.

The post How to Choose the Best Offerwall: 14-Point Essential Checklist appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

In the rapidly evolving fintech landscape, acquiring new users isn’t just about numbers — it’s about building trust, fostering engagement, and driving meaningful actions that lead to long-term retention and growth. Over the past few years, interest rate hikes by central banks worldwide have significantly impacted fintech companies. These economic changes have led to a slowdown in venture capital funding and shifts in consumer behavior. As a result, fintech companies have increasingly moved towards tighter budgets focused on profitability. Additionally, fintech companies have grappled with increasingly saturated advertising channels that have driven up customer acquisition costs (CAC) significantly.

Enter rewarded user acquisition (UA), a performance marketing strategy that enables fintech companies to cost-effectively acquire engaged users who contribute to a higher return on ad spend (ROAS) over time. By offering users incentives, rewarded UA not only attracts new users but also encourages deeper engagement and loyalty, effectively addressing the challenges of high CAC and low LTV. 

In this article, we’ll explore how fintech advertisers can leverage rewarded UA to overcome industry-specific challenges and achieve more sustainable growth.

If you’re new to rewarded UA, please check out Winning Rewarded UA Strategies for 2024 and Beyond to familiarize yourself with the basics. 

What Are Good CAC and LTV Benchmarks for Fintech Companies?

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, the fintech industry experienced a funding boom, with unprecedented amounts of capital directed toward acquiring new users. This influx of investment led to a significant increase in CAC, which remain high due to intense competition from both large fintech players and traditional banks expanding their digital offerings.

While each fintech company ultimately has its own unique CAC and Lifetime Value (LTV) metrics, it’s helpful to compare against industry benchmarks to gauge performance. Below is a benchmark of CACs by category leaders and acquisition channels for 2023: 

As a general rule of thumb, a healthy business shoulnad aim for an LTV:CAC ratio of at least 3. An LTV:CAC ratio of at least 3 indicates that for every dollar spent on acquisition, you earn three dollars over the customer’s lifetime, ensuring profitability and sustainable growth.

If the LTV:CAC ratio is too low, consider the following strategies: 

• Lower CAC:

  • Utilize Performance Marketing Channels: Target cost-effective channels like rewarded user acquisition (UA) to reach engaged users.
  • Optimize Ad Sets and Creatives: Refine your messaging and visuals to improve ad effectiveness.
  • Explore New Channels: Test additional marketing channels to diversify your acquisition strategy, including organic/viral methods like SEO and referral programs. 
  • Address Funnel Drop-Off Points: Analyze where users disengage and optimize those stages to improve conversion rates.

• Increase LTV:

  • Reduce Churn: Increase ad spend on marketing channels/sources that have higher LTV and reduce spend on marketing channels/sources that have lower LTV. In addition, implement retention strategies such as personalized messaging, rewards programs, or fast customer support.  
  • Upsell Additional Services: Offer complementary products or premium features to increase customer spend. 
  • Adjust Pricing Strategies: Consider value-based pricing or tiered subscription models to boost revenue.
  • Refine User Targeting: Focus on acquiring high-value customers that meet your ICP and are more likely to utilize your services extensively. 

If your fintech’s CAC is already below industry averages but the CAC:LTV ratio is less than 3, it’s best to focus on increasing LTV. Conversely, if your CAC is high relative to industry benchmarks, refining your marketing strategies to reduce CAC should be a priority.

Why Rewarded UA Drives Fintech ROAS 

Rewarded user acquisition (UA) is a powerful performance-based marketing strategy that enables fintech companies to pay only for specific user actions. By focusing on meaningful engagement rather than impressions or clicks, rewarded UA allows you to optimize key performance indicators (KPIs) cost-efficiently, ultimately boosting your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) with less on-going optimization effort. 

Optimize Marketing Budget Towards Active Users

In traditional advertising campaigns, such as Google Ads, marketers invest significant resources in optimizing text, images, videos, keywords, and other ad params to lower the cost per acquisition (CPA). This process often involves continuous adjustments and will still result in paying for clicks or impressions that don’t convert into active users. While Google Ads provides extensive reach, it doesn’t guarantee engagement from the users who matter most to your fintech business.

Rewarded UA changes this dynamic by allowing you to set specific criteria for what constitutes an active user—such as completing an account registration, verifying identity, and making an initial deposit. You only pay when users meet these predefined actions, ensuring that your marketing budget is spent exclusively on acquiring users who are more likely to deliver long-term value. This performance-based approach can lead to a lower CAC and a higher LTV, maximizing your ROAS. 

Demographic Synergy

Rewarded UA platforms attract users who are tech-savvy, financially motivated, and open to exploring new digital solutions—traits that align closely with the target demographics of fintech companies. 

This demographic synergy means your marketing efforts are more likely to reach individuals who are not only interested in financial products but also willing to engage deeply with innovative services. By tapping into this receptive audience, you increase the likelihood of acquiring users who will actively utilize your fintech solutions, thereby enhancing engagement and boosting LTV.

Lowering CAC and Increasing LTV

By leveraging rewarded UA, fintech companies can reduce their CAC. Since you incur costs only when a user completes a desired action—such as downloading your app, signing up, and making an initial transaction—you eliminate spend on users who show no real interest. This efficiency leads to lower overall acquisition costs.

Moreover, rewarded UA helps increase LTV by attracting users who are more likely to remain engaged with your platform. Offering the right reward encourages users to explore more features of your app or service, fostering loyalty and increasing their lifetime value. For example, a fintech app might offer rewards for users who not only make a deposit but also set up a recurring deposit. This strategy not only secures new users but also promotes ongoing engagement, directly impacting LTV.

By continually refining your rewarded UA campaigns—adjusting incentives based on user behavior—you can concentrate on attracting high-value users who contribute more revenue over time, thus maximizing your ROAS.

Building the Right Rewarded UA Campaign for Your Fintech Company

Designing the right rewarded user acquisition (UA) campaign is crucial for maximizing your fintech’s growth and return on ad spend (ROAS). Among the various campaign formats, Cost Per Engagement (CPE) campaigns stand out as the most effective for fintech companies. CPE campaigns allow you to pay only when users perform specific, valuable actions, ensuring that your marketing budget directly contributes to meaningful user engagement and revenue generation.

Single-Reward CPE Campaigns

Single-reward CPE campaigns focus on a action or a single set of required steps you want users to complete. For fintech companies, this action could be:

• Signing Up for an Account: Attracting new users to your platform.
• Completing KYC Verification: Ensuring compliance and security.
• Making an Initial Deposit: Jumpstarting user engagement with your financial services. The user is rewarded after the initial deposit. 

Advantages:

• Simplicity: : Easy to implement and track, allowing for quicker campaign launch. 
• Focused ROI Measurement: Directly link marketing spend to a specific KPI.
• Cost-Effective for Specific Goals: Ideal for campaigns with a singular objective.

When to Use:

• Launching a new app or feature where immediate user action is desired.
• Driving a specific metric that is critical to your growth strategy.

While single-reward campaigns are effective for targeting specific actions, multi-reward CPE campaigns can take user engagement to the next level by encouraging continued interaction.

Multi-Reward CPE Campaigns

Multi-reward CPE campaigns involve setting multiple payable actions, creating a pathway that encourages users to engage more deeply with your app or service.

Examples of Actions:

• First Reward: User signs up and completes KYC verification.
• Second Reward: User makes an initial deposit of a specified minimum amount.
• Third Reward: User sets up a recurring deposit or savings plan.
• Fourth Reward: User refers friends or shares the app on social media.
• Fifth Reward: User upgrades to a premium subscription.

Advantages:

• Initial Event Payout Can Be Decreased: Reduce the initial event payout and increase the deeper event payouts to increase LTV:CAC. 
• Enhanced User Engagement: Encourages users to explore and utilize more features.
• Higher Lifetime Value (LTV): Promotes sustained interaction, increasing the revenue per user.
• Stronger Brand Loyalty: Builds a lasting relationship through ongoing rewards.

When to Use:

• Fostering Deep Engagement: Ideal when your goal is to encourage users to engage with multiple features over time.
• Increasing LTV: Use when aiming to boost the average revenue per user through continued interaction.
• Building Brand Loyalty: Effective for establishing a loyal customer base that actively promotes your app.

Key Considerations:

• Calculate Potential ROI: Weigh the cost of multiple rewards against the expected increase in user LTV.
• Optimize Rewards: Ensure that rewards are enticing but financially sustainable.
• Monitor Performance: Regularly analyze campaign data to adjust strategies as needed.

Balancing Costs and Returns

While multi-reward CPE campaigns may involve higher overall costs due to multiple payouts, the long-term benefits often outweigh these expenses. By:

• Continuously Re-engaging Users: You foster habits that lead to regular app usage.
• Increasing Revenue Streams: Encouraging users to engage with certain features boosts LTV.
• Reducing Churn Rates: Engaged users are less likely to abandon your app. 

Selecting the appropriate CPE campaign type depends on your fintech’s specific goals and resources. Single-reward campaigns are excellent for targeting specific KPIs, while multi-reward campaigns are ideal for fostering deeper engagement. By carefully designing and continuously optimizing your rewarded UA campaigns, you can significantly improve your ROAS and drive sustainable growth.

Example Rewarded UA Fintech Campaigns 

At Adscend Media, we’ve delivered impactful results for fintech companies across various sectors, including investment, banking, cryptocurrency, payments, lending, and more. Below are several example rewarded UA campaigns modeled on actual initiatives that have generated significant results for our partners.

Well Known Bank

A well-known bank can deploy a single-reward CPE campaign to reward users who open a specific type of checking or savings account with a minimum deposit. In this case, the bank already has significant brand loyalty and extensive reach through other marketing channels that reinforce their messaging and support a clear Lifetime Value (LTV). By incentivizing account openings with a reward, they can efficiently acquire new customers likely to engage with their services.

Emerging Neobank

An emerging neobank can deploy a multi-reward CPE campaign to reward users for multiple actions:

1. First Action: Open a checking or savings account with a minimum deposit to earn a reward.
2. Second Action: Apply for and open a specific credit card offered by the bank.
3. Third Action: Spend at least a specified amount (e.g., $500) on the credit card within a certain period.
4. Fourth Action: Open a certificate of deposit (CD) account.

This multi-reward CPE campaign helps foster brand loyalty by encouraging users to engage with multiple financial products and services offered by the neobank.

Cryptocurrency Platform

A cryptocurrency platform can deploy a single-reward CPE campaign to reward users who open an account and make a minimum deposit. To take it a step further, a multi-reward CPE campaign can further reward users for additional actions, such as making their first trade on the platform.

By incentivizing these actions, the platform encourages users to actively engage with trading features, increasing user retention and transaction volumes.

Financial Planning Platform

A financial planning platform (e.g., investment planning, budget planner, money tracker, net worth tracker) can deploy a single-reward CPE campaign to reward users who subscribe to a free trial or paid subscription. With a multi-reward CPE campaign, the platform can further encourage interaction by rewarding users for:

• Second Action: Engaging with core features like setting up budgets or financial goals.
• Third Action: Linking financial accounts to the platform.
• Fourth Action: Continuing the subscription beyond the trial period.

In a world of short attention spans, this approach increases the likelihood that users become and remain paid subscribers by showcasing the platform’s value more effectively.

Payment/Money Transfer App

A payment or money transfer app can deploy a single-reward CPE campaign to reward users who:

• Set up an account.
• Complete Know Your Customer (KYC) verification.
• Add initial funding.

With a multi-reward CPE campaign, they can further reward users for:

• Second Action: Referring a friend who also completes the same actions.

This strategy not only increases user engagement but also leverages network effects to grow the user base cost-effectively.

Insurance Platform

An insurance platform can deploy a single-reward CPE campaign to reward users who purchase a particular type of insurance plan offered by their platform. By offering incentives for plan purchases, the platform can attract new customers and encourage them to explore additional insurance products and services.

These examples showcase just a few ways that single-reward and multi-reward CPE campaigns can be tailored to meet the unique goals of various fintech companies. We understand that every business has its own specific objectives and challenges. That’s why at Adscend Media, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

Choose The Right Partner 

While rewarded user acquisition offers significant benefits for fintech companies, it also presents unique challenges—particularly concerning compliance and fraud. Financial firms often view rewarded traffic with caution due to strict regulatory requirements and the risk of fraudulent activities. Choosing the right partner is essential to navigate these challenges effectively and maximize your return on ad spend (ROAS).

Navigating Compliance Challenges

Fintech companies must adhere to stringent regulations such as Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies, and data protection laws like GDPR and CCPA. Non-compliance can result in hefty fines and damage to your brand’s reputation. It’s crucial to ensure that rewards are structured in ways that comply with these financial regulations and that users’ identities are verified appropriately. 

Mitigating Fraud Risks

Fraudulent activities like fake account creation, bot traffic, and reward abuse can undermine your campaign’s effectiveness and inflate acquisition costs. Trusted incentivized traffic platforms utilize sophisticated fraud detection tools and secure tracking systems to identify and prevent such activities. By ensuring that rewards are only granted to genuine, high-quality users, you maintain the integrity of your user base and maximize your ROAS.

Test Rewarded UA

In today’s competitive fintech landscape, leveraging rewarded user acquisition strategies is an essential component of a successful marketing plan. By understanding and optimizing your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV), implementing effective single-reward or multi-reward Cost Per Engagement (CPE) campaigns, and partnering with the right experts, you can significantly enhance your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). As the industry continues to evolve, staying ahead with innovative marketing approaches will position your fintech company for long-term success. 

Contact us today to discover how Adscend Media can help your fintech company leverage rewarded UA campaigns to drive ROAS and achieve sustainable growth. With our proven track record and industry expertise, we’re ready to partner with you to navigate the complexities of rewarded user acquisition and propel your fintech business forward. 

The post Drive FinTech ROAS with Rewarded UA appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

Incentivized traffic, also known as rewarded traffic, can be a powerful user acquisition channel, delivering higher engagement rates and conversions for advertisers across industries such as finance, gaming, apps, gambling, AI, e-commerce/retail, market research, subscriptions, health, telecom, and more.

While incentivized and rewarded traffic are often used interchangeably, some differences lie in the ad units deployed and the specific user engagement they drive, making the distinction important to understand. 

What is Incentivized Traffic?

Incentivized traffic refers to users who are driven to take specific actions, such as signing up for a service, completing a survey, or making a purchase, in exchange for a reward. This reward can be anything from discounts, free products, or in-app currency to more tangible rewards like gift cards. Advertisers use this user acquisition (UA) marketing channel to attract users quickly by offering incentives that encourage immediate engagement with their product or service, ultimately drive return on ad spend (ROAS). 

Over the years, incentivized traffic has occasionally faced criticism due to concerns about the quality of user engagement. However, it’s important to recognize that this traffic source has often helped advertisers achieve specific objectives at critical moments. For example, during the early days of app marketing, incent traffic was commonly used to drive a high volume of app installs. This rapid user growth strategy aimed to boost app rankings in the charts, which in turn generated more organic traffic.

At that time, incentivized advertising was highly effective for achieving its intended goal: to increase visibility and downloads. However, as app store optimization (ASO) algorithms evolved, it became clear that these low-cost installs often resulted in lower user engagement rates. Since the primary goal at that point was rapid growth rather than sustained user activity, this trade-off was acceptable. 

Today, incentivized traffic has evolved significantly. The focus has shifted towards acquiring high-quality, engaged users, aligning with the goals of more sophisticated advertiser campaigns. Generally, most of these campaigns are also performance-based, where advertisers only pay for specified actions. As a result, this rewarded UA channel now plays a more strategic role in helping advertisers attract the right users who are likely to remain active and engaged over the long term. 

What is Rewarded Traffic?

Rewarded traffic is often used interchangeably with incentivized traffic, as both involve users taking specific actions in exchange for a reward. However, if we get more nuanced, rewarded traffic often refers to ad units like rewarded video. In a typical rewarded video ad, users engage with a short video—commonly an app trailer—in exchange for a small reward, such as extra lives in a game. In this case, the reward is granted solely for watching the video, and the user may optionally choose to install the app afterward based on their interest.

For advertisers using rewarded video, they often operate on a cost per install (CPI) basis, where the installs are driven more by user interest rather than direct incentives. This results in installs that more closely resemble typical paid traffic sources, which has been a major driver for the popularity of this ad format. It’s also worth noting that rewarded video tends to work particularly well for mobile gaming advertisers. 

While rewarded video is a highly successful format, other types of rewarded traffic include offerwalls, survey walls, and rewards programs. For these formats, the campaign structure is critical to the advertiser’s success. However, it’s also important to recognize that the quality of rewarded traffic is influenced by more than just the campaign mechanics. How users are sourced, the targeting methods, and the publisher or ad platform’s ability to deliver the right user to the right ad—while minimizing fraud—are crucial factors in determining traffic quality.

Ultimately, the key difference between rewarded and incentivized traffic lies not just in the ad format itself but in how these campaigns are structured. Rewarded video ad campaigns are distinct from formats like offerwalls and rewards programs, but the targeting and sourcing strategies play an equally important role in driving meaningful results for advertisers.

Rewarded Ad Units & Successful Campaigns

Choosing the right type of ad campaign for each rewarded ad unit is crucial for maximizing ROAS (return on ad spend) for advertisers. Below is a brief overview of different rewarded ad units and incentivized traffic sources, and how campaigns should be structured to drive success:

Offerwalls

Offerwalls are a popular type of rewarded ad unit deployed across publisher apps, websites, and games. They allow users to browse a selection of offers and choose the ones they are most interested in, earning rewards such as in-app currency for their participation.

Offerwall ad campaigns are typically structured using a cost per action (CPA) model. Today, cost per engagement (CPE) and multi-reward CPE campaigns have become the most prominent campaign type due to their ability to generate high and sustained user engagement, delivering significant ROAS for advertisers.

Survey Walls

Survey walls operate similarly to offerwalls but focus on market research. They allow users to access a wall of targeted surveys within publisher apps and websites. As users complete surveys, they are rewarded with in-app currency or gift cards.

Survey wall campaigns typically reward users only for surveys they successfully complete, not those they simply begin. Given the growing demand for market research, this strategy has gained popularity, especially for brand research initiatives.

Rewards Programs

Rewards programs provide advertisers with access to first-party users through loyalty initiatives. These programs work similarly to well-known loyalty systems, such as McDonald’s, but are used to promote other brands. They connect advertisers with targeted users, rewarding them for their time and engagement.

Similar to offerwalls, rewards programs typically employ a performance marketing model like CPE and multi-reward CPE campaigns, aiming to drive ROAS. Since these users are first-party, rewards programs offer more opportunities for customized ad campaigns, allowing for greater personalization and targeting precision.

Rewarded Video

Rewarded video is another type of rewarded ad unit, commonly deployed across mobile gaming platforms. Users watch short video ads, often app trailers, in exchange for small rewards, such as extra lives in a game.

This ad unit works best with a cost per install (CPI) model and is particularly effective for mobile gaming advertisers, where user interest and engagement levels are generally high.

Rewarded and Incentivized Traffic—Two Sides of the Same Coin

While rewarded and incentivized traffic can be segmented by certain types of ad units and performance models, they ultimately serve the same purpose: driving user acquisition through strategic rewards. Both approaches are built on the idea of offering something of value in exchange for user action, whether that’s watching a video, completing a survey, or engaging with a loyalty program. 

The key takeaway is that the real difference between these two lies in the campaign structure, rather than in the traffic type itself. Advertisers seeking high-quality, engaged users can find success with any of these rewarded or incentivized traffic sources by ensuring that their campaign is tailored to their specific goals.

As user acquisition channels continue to evolve, rewarded and incentivized traffic will remain a powerful marketing channel for advertisers across industries. By understanding the nuances of each and aligning them with the right performance-based models, advertisers can acquire loyal users, maximize engagement, and ultimately drive ROAS. 

Interested in learning more about how rewarded user acquisition can help drive ROAS for your brand? Contact us.

The post Rewarded vs. Incentivized Traffic: What’s The Difference? appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

If you’re still learning about offerwall monetization, check out our article on 5 Compelling Reasons to Monetize with an Offerwall to understand why rewarded ads are effective.

Understanding Offerwall Users

Before we dive into the three strategies, it’s important to understand the types of users offerwalls typically monetize. While paying users often generate significant revenue through in-app purchases (IAPs), they usually represent only a small percentage of our user base — typically, around 5% of users account for nearly 48% of IAP earnings.

To monetize the remaining 95% of users, many apps use other ad formats, such as display ads, interstitials, rewarded video, and offerwalls. Display and interstitial ads allow you to monetize freemium users who don’t plan to make purchases, while rewarded video engages users at key moments (e.g. unlocking an extra life in a game) in exchange for 10-30 seconds of their time.

Offerwall users, however, are often non-paying users who are willing to engage more deeply, “paying” with their time by interacting with offers that can provide significant rewards — sometimes even hundreds of dollars’ worth. Many of these users are interested in your premium content but may not yet be ready—or able—to make purchases. By engaging with offerwall ads to access premium content, these non-paying users often become more likely to make purchases later, after experiencing the benefits of your app, thereby increasing both your average revenue per user (ARPU) and lifetime value (LTV). 

According to MY.GAMES, offerwalls generally boost revenue by 10-40% for game publishers, demonstrating their value in monetizing non-paying users. They’ve also shared a visual that captures the value of these users in a pyramid: 

Moreover, offerwall users have higher retention rates when measured over time, as can be seen here in a visual from Unity: 

Maximizing Offerwall Revenue: 3 Key Strategies

Now that we understand how offerwalls engage various types of users, let’s explore three effective strategies to maximize your app’s offerwall revenue: targeted promotions, optimized offerwall placement, and user segmentation. Whether you’re looking to improve user engagement or increase overall revenue, these strategies will help you get the most out of your offerwall.

Targeted Promotions

Why It Matters: Well-timed promotions can drive higher engagement and conversion rates, especially during relevant holidays or events. 

How to Do It: Many apps use promotions during specific holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day to encourage users to make purchases and access premium features. These holiday-specific promotions help convert non-paying users into paying users and motivate existing paying users to make additional purchases.

To further boost revenue from non-paying users, apps with offerwalls can run similar promotions. Let your non-paying users know that they can earn your in-app purchases (IAPs) more quickly during promo periods by completing offerwall tasks. This can significantly increase ad revenue during promotional campaigns.

For an even more aggressive approach, consider setting up an offerwall promotion where users can earn 25-50% more virtual currency for each completed offer. You can easily adjust your settings with your rewarded ad provider to adjust your currency ratio. For instance, if you usually reward users with 100 points for every $1 of ad revenue, offer 125-150 points during the promo period. Often, these promo periods are most effective when they last at least a few days, ideally a week. 

Results: When executed thoughtfully, promotions like these can increase user engagement and drive more ad revenue without diluting the value of your premium content. This approach boosts short-term revenue and can improve your ARPU and LTV over time by converting non-paying users and engaging existing users. 

Optimized Offerwall Placement

Why It Matters: Strategic placement of your offerwall can make a huge difference in user interaction and overall revenue. By making your offerwall more accessible and visible, you ensure that more users engage with it, increasing your ad revenue without disrupting the user experience.

How to Do It: The most common placement for an offerwall is within the in-app purchase (IAP) store. However, its exact positioning in the store is crucial. If the offerwall is located below the fold and out of immediate view, users may not even know it exists. Ensure that the wall is prominently placed, with a clear call-to-action like “Earn Credits”, so users immediately understand its value.

Once your offerwall is visible in the IAP store, you should also consider other high-traffic areas of your app. Here are examples of strategic offerwall placement for both game and non-game apps:

• Game Apps:

  • Earn Credits Features: Place the offerwall entry near the in-game credits balance to encourage engagement with offers as an alternative to direct purchases.
    Low-Credit Situations: When users run out of in-game currency or items, prompt them to “Earn More Credits” or “Refill Credits” by completing offers. This placement encourages engagement when users need a boost that isn’t ideal for a low-value rewarded video reward like a free life to keep playing that round. 

• Non-Game Apps:

  • Streaming Apps: For media or content streaming apps, position the offerwall as a way for users to “Unlock Premium Content” or “Watch Ad-Free.” For instance, if a user runs out of free access to premium content, prompt them to engage with offers to extend their viewing time or access more premium content without paying directly.
  • Health & Fitness Apps: In fitness apps that offer guided sessions or advanced workout plans, allow users to unlock premium features or personalized plans by completing offerwall tasks. You could include an offerwall entry after a user finishes a basic workout plan to encourage them to unlock more advanced training options.
  • News or Reading Apps: In apps offering articles or e-books, users might hit a paywall or premium content section. Allow them to unlock a certain number of additional articles or books by engaging with offers rather than directly subscribing.
  • Educational Apps: For apps offering courses or learning materials, offerwalls can be presented as an alternative way to unlock premium content, such as advanced lessons.
  • Dating Apps: Position the wall as a way for users to “Boost Profile Visibility” or “Get More Likes.” When users run out of likes or super likes, prompt them to complete offers to earn more without paying directly. 

Results: By positioning your offerwall in high-traffic areas where users already engage with your app’s key functions, you can significantly boost visibility and engagement rates. This leads to higher ad revenue, as the offerwall is introduced when users are looking for ways to earn additional value.

User Segmentation 

Why It Matters: Not all users are the same, and segmenting your users allows you to create tailored experiences for different user cohorts, which can significantly boost your in-app ad and IAP revenue. By understanding your users’ behaviors — whether they’re paying or non-paying — you can adjust how often you show offerwalls, making them more relevant to different segments.

How to Do It: User segmentation can be as simple as dividing users into two groups: non-paying users and paying users. However, as your app grows, more advanced segmentation can be done based on factors like engagement, time spent in the app, or frequency of purchases.

• Non-Paying Users: For non-paying users, offerwalls can be shown more frequently as a way to unlock premium content or features without making direct purchases. This group is more likely seeking ways to engage with your app for free. Consider promoting the offerwall when they reach content they can’t access without paying, or when they run out of free credits or features.

• Paying Users: Paying users, on the other hand, may prefer a more subtle approach. Since they’ve already demonstrated a willingness to pay for content or features, show the offerwall less frequently. Instead, use it strategically—such as during special promotions—so it feels like an added value. 

• Targeted Notifications: With user segmentation, you can also send targeted push notifications to different cohorts. For example, send a reminder about offerwall promotions to non-paying users, while sending exclusive IAP discounts to paying users. Tailoring these notifications makes them more relevant and likely to convert.

Advanced Segmentation: As you gather more data, you can refine your segments even further. For instance, you might target highly engaged non-paying users with more aggressive offerwall promotions, or create segments based on user location, app usage frequency, or the types of features they interact with most. This level of personalization can further optimize rewarded ad revenue by delivering the right ad unit to the right users at the right time.

Results: By strategically segmenting users and personalizing how you present offerwalls, you can increase engagement and maximize ad revenue. Non-paying users see the wall more often and are more likely to engage with it, while paying users are guided toward more IAPs, with the option to earn from a wall if they choose.

Maximizing Offerwall Revenue with Strategic Approaches

By leveraging targeted promotions, optimized placements, and user segmentation, you can enhance your app’s overall ad revenues. Each of these strategies provides a unique way to engage different segments of your users, improve the user experience, and drive both in-app purchases (IAPs) and ad revenue.

When implemented thoughtfully, these three strategies not only increase engagement and revenue but also enhance overall user satisfaction. As you continue refining these approaches, remember to track user data, test different placements, and adjust your tactics to keep optimizing for success.

Whether your app focuses on gaming, streaming, fitness, or another category, applying these advanced techniques can significantly improve your monetization efforts. Start exploring these strategies today and unlock the full potential of your offerwall revenue.

Adscend Media’s industry leading offerwall allows you to monetize non-paying users while providing a positive, non-intrusive user experience. Whether you’re looking to monetize an app, website, or both, our rewarded ad solutions can help to boost revenue, engagement, retention, and ultimately ARPU and LTV. Sign up to get started or contact us to learn more! 

The post Increase In-App Offerwall Earnings: 3 Must-Know Strategies appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

Welcome to Part 2 of the Rewarded User Acquisition series! If you missed Part 1, where we covered Winning Rewarded UA Strategies for 2024 and Beyond, we encourage you to check it out for a comprehensive introduction to rewarded user acquisition. In this article, we dive into effective rewarded user acquisition strategies designed to drive loyal players and maximize ROAS for mobile gaming advertisers. Whether you’re looking to engage high-value users or scale your mobile game campaigns, this guide provides actionable insights to help you succeed in 2024 and beyond.

Evolution of Rewarded User Acquisition Campaigns

As mobile app marketing gained widespread popularity, rewarded user acquisition campaigns via Offerwalls and rewards programs were often focused on cost per install (CPI) campaigns. These campaigns aimed to drive high volumes of app installs, improving App Store rankings, install metrics, and other basic performance indicators. However, this focus on high volume often led to higher churn rates since return on ad spend (ROAS) was not a key consideration.

Today, ROAS has become the primary focus of rewarded user acquisition campaigns. This shift first emerged with the rise of the cost per engagement (CPE) model, where users are rewarded for completing deeper in-app actions, such as reaching a particular level in a game. Over time, rewarded UA strategies have further evolved, with multi-reward CPE campaigns becoming the norm. Multi-reward CPE campaigns incentivize users with increasing rewards as they achieve milestones, promoting longer-term engagement, increasing the likelihood that a user becomes a loyal player, and ultimately delivering strong ROAS. 

Types of Rewarded Traffic 

Before diving into specific rewarded user acquisition strategies and considerations for mobile games, it’s essential to understand the three primary types of rewarded traffic today:

• Offerwalls: Offerwalls are among the most popular rewarded ad units in the industry, integrated into thousands of platforms across various verticals, including gaming, utility, entertainment, shopping, social media, and more. Offerwalls enable advertisers to capture the attention of highly engaged users across numerous apps and websites, driving Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) with a performance marketing model.
• Rewards Programs: Rewards programs work similarly to well-known loyalty programs like Starbucks’ loyalty program. However, the key difference is that these programs are used to promote other brands, connecting them to targeted users and rewarding those users in exchange for their time. Like Offerwalls, rewards programs typically focus on driving ROAS through a performance marketing model. 
• Rewarded Video: Rewarded video is another widely used rewarded ad unit, especially in the gaming vertical. Rewarded video provides an effective solution by rewarding users for watching a short app trailer, after which advertisers can track installs and measure ongoing performance. 

For the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on rewarded UA strategies for Offerwalls and rewards programs. 

Why Rewarded User Acquisition? 

Rewarded UA is a key strategy for gaming companies in the growth or maturity stages. Unlike traditional paid ad strategies, such as those using Google or Facebook, rewarded UA provides access to untapped audiences and offers deep engagement through campaigns like multi-reward CPE. These campaigns drive high ROAS by fostering player loyalty and sustaining engagement over extended periods. With multi-reward CPE campaigns, gaming companies can reward players for continued engagement, leading to higher lifetime value (LTV) and long-term success. 

In addition, as CPI prices continue to rise on traditional paid ad formats, rewarded UA has become an increasingly complementary marketing strategy. According to MY.GAMES, creator of popular mobile games like War Robots, rewarded UA through offerwalls can account for 10-15% of their marketing budget — measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — delivering positive ROI with a relatively short pay back period. 

Is Your Game Ready For Rewarded User Acquisition? 

Not all games are a fit for rewarded user acquisition campaigns. As mentioned, rewarded UA campaigns are best suited for gaming companies that are in the growth or maturity stages. In the early stages of a game, it’s essential to establish and optimize baseline metrics across the funnel through organic user acquisition strategies and close-to-organic methods, such as search or social ad campaigns. 

To ensure campaign success, it’s crucial to track key metrics like Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30 retention/ROAS. With an optimized funnel and target ROAS metrics established from these organic efforts, your game will be ready for promotion through rewarded user acquisition. 

For games that have reached the growth or maturity stage, rewarded UA becomes a powerful strategy to drive loyal players and grow your revenues. By tying together retention data and ROAS goals, you can leverage rewarded UA to fuel sustained growth and long-term success. 

ROAS & Payback Period: How Your Game Monetizes Matters

Before we dive deeper into constructing a multi-reward CPE campaign, it’s essential to understand how your game’s monetization model impacts both ROAS and payback periods.

For games that rely solely on in-app purchases (IAPs), the payback period is typically longer, ranging from 6 to 12 months, due to the time it takes for players to make significant purchases. In contrast, games that monetize through in-app ads often experience a much shorter payback period of around 1-2 months, as ad impressions generate quicker revenue streams.

However, games that utilize a hybrid monetization strategy, combining both IAPs and in-app ads, often see the shortest payback periods and the highest ROAS. The combination of immediate ad revenue and longer-term IAP engagement allows for a more balanced and sustainable monetization approach, enabling games to recoup costs faster while maximizing revenue potential. 

Thinking Through Long-Term ROAS

Assuming that you have established some D1, D7, and D30 retention and ROAS from organic and close-to-organic traffic sources, you can project similar ROAS goals with a multi-reward CPE campaign. Rewarded traffic can potentially accelerate ROAS due to the deeper, immediate user engagement it provides. 

Additionally, rewarded campaigns offer a unique opportunity to boost long-term ROAS through sustained user interaction. By leveraging Offerwalls or rewards programs, you can foster continued engagement, driving higher lifetime value (LTV) and maximizing your returns over a longer period of time, such as 6+ months. 

How to Structure Your Multi-Reward CPE Campaign

Multi-reward CPE campaigns should be structured based on your existing user data to maximize results. Identify when players become loyal, how they engage with your game and monetization features over time, and how long they remain engaged. 

Using this data, you can define key milestones for your rewarded UA campaign. Ideally, a rewarded UA campaign should take a user through an engaging progression, with rewards increasing as they reach milestones, such as level 5, 10, 20, 50, and beyond. Start with easier events that motivate players to play your game, leading them towards more valuable, long-term events that result in player loyalty. 

For apps with IAPs, offer rewards or cashback for initial IAPs. Once users make their first purchases, they’re more likely to continue spending as they progress through your game. 

Multi-reward CPE campaigns also allow you to set specific criteria, like rewarding users who achieve milestones within a certain amount of time, such as reaching a milestone within 5 days of starting the game. This can help accelerate payback periods and boost initial ROAS. 

Finally, focus on long-term player engagement by offering increasingly higher rewards for more challenging events. This approach funnels down to the most dedicated players, maximizing revenue from those who are deeply invested in your game. 

Determining Payouts For Multi-Reward CPE Campaigns

It’s important to price your multi-reward CPE campaigns competitively. If your overall payout is too low, the campaign may deliver minimal results. On the other hand, if your payouts are too high, your ROAS and payback period will be impacted. It’s important to balance your events against the total payout to ensure a successful rewarded campaign.

Here is an example campaign, based on live campaigns, that helps visualize how a successful multi-reward campaign could look with a total payout of $250:

Of course, this is just an example, and payouts can vary dramatically based on each individual game and its key metrics. It’s not uncommon for multiple games from the same studio to have significantly different payout structures. By working closely with your Offerwall provider or rewards program, you can find an ideal pricing model that suits the specific goals of your game(s). 

Optimize Your Multi-Reward CPE Campaigns

Once you’ve launched your campaign, it’s essential to closely monitor your key metrics and make adjustments as needed.

First, fraud is a major issue that can impact your campaign’s success. To combat fraud effectively, start with the right tools and a trusted mobile measurement partner (MMP). Solutions like AppFlyer’s Protect360 offer sophisticated fraud detection to help advertisers identify and block fraudulent activity.

Next, ensure that you’re attracting enough volume to your campaigns. If your campaign events are too difficult for users to achieve early on, they may disengage, leading to low spend and ultimately poor campaign results.

On the other hand, if you’ve selected events that are too easy, your ROAS, retention, or payback metrics may suffer, requiring further adjustments. Finding the right balance of event difficulty and total number of events often requires some initial testing to attract loyal players. It’s common for player progression in multi-reward gaming campaigns to follow an exponential decay pattern, with fewer players reaching each subsequent event.

By working closely with your Offerwall partner or rewards program, you can continuously optimize your campaign to achieve ROAS at scale.

Challenges To Keep in Mind With Rewarded UA 

When executed successfully, rewarded UA campaigns can drive significant return on ad spend over an extended period. However, there are some common pitfalls to keep in mind:

1. Fraudulent Users: Like other ad formats, rewarded campaigns can attract fraudulent users, which can negatively impact your ROAS metrics. When working with an Offerwall or rewards program, it’s crucial to understand how they combat fraud. Additionally, using a third-party fraud detection solution offered through your Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) can further help protect your campaign.

2. User Churn After Rewards: Once rewards run out, some users may inevitably churn. To mitigate this, keep a close eye on Lifetime Value (LTV) and other key metrics to convert as many users as possible into loyal players. This way, you can evaluate ROAS on a longer-term timeframe, aiming for 200-300% or more over several months of gameplay.

3. Attracting Low-Quality Users: Rewarded campaigns can sometimes attract users who are only interested in the rewards. It’s essential to understand how each Offerwall or rewards program addresses user quality to ensure you’re attracting high-value, engaged players.

Wrapping Up Your Rewarded UA Strategy

When executed correctly, rewarded user acquisition offers a powerful way to drive Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and foster long-term player engagement for mobile games. By structuring your multi-reward Cost Per Engagement (CPE) campaigns based on existing user data, you can create an event progression that encourages users to become long-term players.

Balancing payouts, optimizing events, and closely monitoring payback periods are essential to ensuring your campaigns remain profitable. While continual optimization is crucial in the early stages, ongoing adjustments will help maintain volume and profitability.

Finally, work closely with your Offerwall partners or rewards programs to track key metrics and scale your campaigns over time. With the right approach, rewarded UA campaigns can become a major driver of growth and long-term revenue for your game.

Stay tuned for the next part of our rewarded UA series! 

If you’re interested in learning more about how Adscend Media can help your mobile game with multi-reward CPE campaigns through a combination of our Offerwalls and first party rewards program, contact us.

The post Rewarded UA: Strategies to Achieve Mobile Gaming ROAS appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

But what exactly is an Offerwall? Let’s dive deeper. Offerwall monetization has been around for over a decade. It’s a proven ad strategy that helps a wide range of publishers boost revenue and enhance user engagement. With this unique rewarded ad unit, your users receive the option to earn your virtual currency or other rewards (like in-app purchases) in exchange for completing advertiser-sponsored offers. For that reason, the user experience is very positive and has benefits that go beyond typical ad monetization, such as increased user engagement and satisfaction. 

Here are five compelling reasons why integrating an offerwall can complement your existing website or app monetization strategy: 

1. Offerwalls Work Across Multiple Publisher Niches 

Historically, rewarded ad monetization has been associated with mobile games, particularly broad-audience categories like hybrid casual games. However, offerwalls have evolved into a transformative ad monetization solution that unlocks a new revenue stream across various industries.

Offerwall ad units are a game-changing addition for any app or website offering premium content like virtual currency, in-app purchases (IAPs), or other exclusive rewards. They’re not limited to a specific type of app or website—in fact, they deliver exceptional results across a diverse range of publisher niches, including utility, shopping, social media, entertainment, and news platforms.

Here’s how offerwalls can supercharge different types of apps and websites:

• Entertainment, Lifestyle, News, and Utility Apps/Websites:
  • Unlock Additional Features: Offerwalls allow your users to earn extra features or enjoy an ad-free experience by participating in advertiser-sponsored offers.
• Shopping Apps/Websites:
  • Incentivize Purchases with Discounts: Offerwalls give users a way to earn discounts or promotional codes toward your products, encouraging them to make purchases.
• Social Media Apps/Websites:
  • Enhance Social Experience: Offerwalls enable your users to unlock premium features or exclusive content, enriching their interaction on your platform.

By integrating an offerwall, you tap into an ad monetization strategy that not only increases your revenue but also enhances the user experience across various niches. The flexibility and effectiveness of the rewarded ad unit makes them an excellent addition to a publisher’s existing monetization strategy. 

2. Monetize Non-Paying Users

Did you know that while in-app purchases account for over 48% of mobile app earnings, only about 5% of app users actually make these purchases? This means a staggering 95% of your user base remains an untapped revenue source! While the typical publisher uses banners, interstitials, and video ads to monetize non-paying users, offerwalls can increase revenue even more significantly. Moreover, unlike traditional ads that can be viewed as intrusive by your users, offerwalls offer users valuable rewards, making the monetization experience positive rather than disruptive. 

Offerwalls create a win-win scenario where users gain access to premium content without direct spending, and publishers unlock new revenue streams from a previously untapped user segment. They are a perfect complement to your monetization strategy, allowing you to unlock revenue from non-paying users. By integrating this powerful rewarded ad unit, you empower users who might not spend money directly to earn your in-app purchases or premium content by completing advertiser-sponsored offers. This not only supercharges your revenue but also reduces churn.

Additionally, offerwalls have been shown to increase engagement and boost retention by 15–20% among users who participate. By monetizing non-paying users, you’re not just increasing your revenue — you’re enhancing the overall user experience and fostering loyalty. 

3. Boost IAPs 

Offerwalls don’t just monetize non-paying users — they also boost your in-app purchase revenue by encouraging users to spend more over time.

How does this work?

• Enhanced engagement fosters loyalty: With the boost in engagement and retention that offerwalls typically drive, users develop a stronger loyalty to your app or website. This increased loyalty encourages them to continue using your platform and makes them more open to exploring additional features. 
• Positive experiences encourage future in-app purchases: As users earn your virtual currency or in-app purchases, they experience the value of your premium content firsthand. This positive experience serves as a stepping stone, transforming users who might not have considered spending money into paying users. Once they see the clear benefits and deeper features of your app or website, they’re more inclined to make direct purchases to enhance their experience further. 

By integrating offerwalls, you’re not just increasing revenue — you’re cultivating a loyal user base that is more likely to turn into paying customers over time. 

4. Drive Higher ARPU & LTV

Ultimately, by boosting user loyalty, engagement, retention, and revenue through an offerwall integration, your app or website is likely to experience a higher Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and Lifetime Value (LTV). 

How does this happen? 

• Offerwalls deliver exceptional eCPMs: Unlike other ad units, offerwalls deliver exceptionally high eCPMs — often reaching hundreds of dollars per 1,000 impressions. This is significantly higher than traditional ad formats like banners or interstitials. With offers available globally, high payouts, and new opportunities daily, users are incentivized to return frequently, driving consistent and substantial revenue over time. 
• Increased user engagement & retention extends user lifespan: Offerwalls increase user engagement and retention by 15–20%, leading to longer user lifecycles. As users stay active on your app or website, their lifetime value grows further. The more they engage, the more opportunities you have to monetize them through additional ad interactions or in-app purchases. 
• Compounding growth effect: Ultimately, the combination of higher ARPU and LTV creates a compounding effect on your overall revenue. As users engage more and for longer, not only does each user generate more revenue individually, but the cumulative effect across your entire user base leads to serious revenue growth. 

5. Easy Integration 

Integrating an offerwall into your app, website, or both is remarkably straightforward. You have multiple integration options available to suit your needs:

• Webview/URL Integration: The simplest method involves integrating the offerwall via a Webview or URL. This approach is quick to set up and doesn’t require complex coding, allowing you to activate your offerwall in no time. Additionally, Webview/URL integration does not require periodic updates like most SDK integrations. As rewarded ad providers roll out updates and new features regularly, you can take benefit from these enhancements instantly without any additional effort.

• SDK Integration: Alternatively, you can integrate using a Software Development Kit (SDK). While SDKs can offer a more native experience within your app, they will require periodic updates to stay current with new features and improvements. For that reason, webview integrations are easier, function just as well, and don’t require regular updates to take advantage of new monetization features and improvements. The choice between Webview and SDK integration often comes down to developer preference. 

• API Integration: For those seeking the ultimate flexibility and control, API integration allows you to build a fully customized offerwall experience. This option is ideal for publishers who want to deeply integrate rewarded ad functionalities into their platform.

With either Webview or SDK integration, most providers offer significant and easy-to-use customization options to ensure your offerwall matches your platform’s aesthetics and monetization preferences. You can adjust the design, select the types of offers displayed, and configure reward settings to create a cohesive user experience.

Furthermore, most offerwall providers supply comprehensive documentation and support, ensuring that your integration process is quick and efficient. With technical assistance available, you can overcome potential hurdles and ensure a smooth launch.

Try Offerwall Monetization

Interested in trying an offerwall on your app or website? 

Adscend Media’s industry leading offerwall allows you to monetize non-paying users while providing a positive, non-intrusive user experience. Whether you’re looking to monetize an app, website, or both, our rewarded ad solutions can help to boost revenue, engagement, retention, and ultimately ARPU and LTV. Sign up to get started! 

The post Maximize Your Revenue: 5 Compelling Reasons to Monetize with an Offerwall appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

Rewarded advertising, a subcategory of performance marketing, has come a long way since the days when users would complete subscription offers like Netflix, freebies, and other types of offers which are now antiquated, and refer friends to get a free iPod. Back then, rewarded advertising and broadly performance marketing was still in its infancy. Since then, rewarded advertising has exploded with countless apps/websites that utilize Offerwalls, market research surveys, and rewarded video ad units to monetize and acquire users. These properties can vary from the most popular games, to rewards programs like LootUp, to utility apps and more.

With the expansion of rewarded user supply has of course come new challenges for advertisers looking to drive return on ad spend (ROAS) at scale. However, when utilizing the right strategies, it’s possible to not only meet but exceed these challenges. 

In this series, we’ll provide in-depth insights on what works for rewarded user acquisition campaigns on Offerwalls. We’ll share strategies tailored to different advertiser types drawing on nearly two decades of industry expertise.

ROAS with Rewarded Advertising

To begin, we’ll focus on the elephant in the room: how can an advertiser achieve ROAS in an environment where the user is most interested in the reward? 

• Rewarded ad units operate differently from traditional ad formats like display, video, or even affiliate ads. As a result, campaigns built around rewarded ad units must be tailored to this unique environment. They require a specialized approach to achieve scalable success. 
• Beyond traditional performance marketing, advertisers can build deeper engagement campaigns that reward users who genuinely align with their brand. By focusing on these high-quality users, advertisers can enhance engagement and ultimately lifetime value (LTV). For example, instead of offering a one time reward, advertisers can utilize multi-event cost per engagement (CPE) campaigns, where users are rewarded for consistent interactions over time, fostering long-term engagement. 
• Rewarded ad units like the Offerwall provide a positive user experience because users voluntarily choose to engage with ads in exchange for a reward. This opt-in experience places the advertiser at the center of a positive interaction, which can foster strong brand loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat engagement. Instead of an interruption, the advertiser is part of the value exchange. 

Once advertisers understand how rewarded user acquisition works differently, the next step is to clearly define their campaign objectives. Rewarded user acquisition through the Offerwall offers unique opportunities to drive deeper engagement by targeting the right users with the right rewards.

Focus On The Outcome 

Each advertiser’s objective will depend heavily on the nature of their unique product or service. Whether the goal is to drive user deposits, long-term game play, or app installs, rewarded advertising provides unique flexibility. The key to success is focusing on the outcome and choosing the right reward structure based on your industry and users.

For a financial technology company like Robinhood, the ultimate goal is likely to grow the active user base that utilizes Robinhood as their primary investment platform. In this case, a cost per engagement (CPE) campaign focused on user deposits is likely to lead to the highest quality user. However, to boost engagement further and increase user lifetime value (LTV), Robinhood may also decide to reward users additionally for becoming a Robinhood Gold member and activating a Robinhood Cash Card.

For a mobile game like Monopoly GO, a registered user is simply not enough. The go-to strategy here is to deploy a multi-event CPE campaign where the player is rewarded an increasing sum for reaching milestones that become more difficult and time-consuming. In addition, there may be some additional multi-events like making an in-app purchase (IAP) that can further increase engagement. These multi-event CPE campaigns are a proven effective strategy for driving long term players that drive significant revenue for mobile games. 

For a major brand like Starbucks, often a cost per install (CPI) campaign can be enough to drive new loyalty users who ultimately place an order again and again. However, to boost engagement further and increase the likelihood of utilizing the rewards program, Starbucks may also decide to reward users additionally for placing their first order and earning loyalty points. This can make it more likely that a user continues to order with Starbucks and becomes an active loyalty user. 

For a gambling brand like DraftKings, the goal is deposits and ultimately user activity after deposit. In this case, a CPE campaign focused on a minimum deposit is likely to lead to the highest quality user. In this case, a multi-event CPE campaign may also be deployed to encourage certain behavior like making a first sports bet and making a second deposit after a period of time can increase LTV. 

Optimizing for LTV means not only driving the initial engagement but finding ways to keep users coming back. This can be achieved through additional rewards for repeat actions or gradual increases in rewards for continued use, ultimately fostering long-term loyalty. For example, some advertisers choose to offer their own rewards to users internally as well, such as a sports betting app offering a deposit bonus. 

With objectives clearly defined, the next focus is ensuring the user experience is as positive as possible. A great user experience is essential to driving deeper engagement and fostering loyalty.

Leverage the Positive Brand Experience 

With rewarded user acquisition, the advertiser is at the center of the positive, value-driven interaction. The opt-in nature of Offerwall ads establishes trust and goodwill, positioning the brand as one that offers value beyond the transaction. 

Rewarded users are often more likely to engage with the advertiser’s loyalty marketing programs, additional perks, and gamification strategies. Gamification techniques like reward tiers or achievement badges can further engage users, making their interaction with your brand feel fun and rewarding. Rewarded users are also more inclined to spread the word through referral programs, helping to grow your user base. Rewarded ad interactions can serve as the first step in a broader user engagement strategy, ultimately driving higher retention rates and a greater return on ad spend.

Test & Optimize

As with other ad formats, it’s important to test and optimize the campaign to achieve return on ad spend. Once a rewarded user acquisition campaign is live, continuous measurement of user activity, identification of challenges, and targeted optimizations are key to driving ongoing success. 

Additionally, rewarded user acquisition stands apart from other paid strategies in several ways, offering distinct advantages that streamline testing and scaling: 

• Performance-Based Focus: Unlike other paid advertising strategies, where you often need to optimize for CPMs, CPCs, or eCPAs at the outset, rewarded user acquisition is performance-based. This means advertisers can focus on user behavior and engagement from day one, rather than constantly adjusting bids or worrying about ad spend inefficiency.
  • For example: For a mobile game utilizing a multi-event CPE campaign, if player activity drops off before reaching level 10, advertisers can adjust the campaign by offering an additional reward earlier or increasing the payout at that level They can also explore what causes player drop off at this stage. Is it because they need to make an IAP to reach the level? If so, a rewarded event that encourages the first IAP can be a powerful way to establish additional future IAP purchases that transform casual players into highly engaged players. 
• Reduced Ad Fatigue: One of the biggest challenges in traditional display, video, or social media ads is ad fatigue—users see the same creatives over and over, leading to reduced engagement. With rewarded ads, this isn’t as common. Users opt into engaging with ads for a reward, which keeps the experience fresh and positive. As a result, you can refresh your creatives less often once you find a set that works well.
  
  
• Fewer Adjustments as Campaigns Scale: Traditional paid campaigns often require more frequent adjustments to maintain performance as they scale—whether that’s adjusting bids, changing audience targeting, or refreshing creative. Rewarded ad campaigns, on the other hand, often require fewer tweaks over time. Once a rewarded campaign is successfully optimized and scaled, advertisers can maintain performance with fewer adjustments, particularly because the ad experience continues to feel positive to the user.
  • For example: In a financial technology company campaign, once you’ve optimized for initial deposits, adding targeted rewards for subsequent actions like making a trade or signing up for a premium account can keep engagement high. These strategic tweaks can maintain scale over time without having to constantly retool the campaign from scratch.
• Easier Integration into a Comprehensive Marketing Plan: Rewarded user acquisition fits seamlessly into a larger marketing strategy, offering a flexible, performance-driven approach that requires less ongoing manual intervention compared to traditional ad formats. Its focus on user engagement, along with reduced ad fatigue and fewer scaling adjustments, makes it a powerful long-term strategy. 

Rewarded user acquisition is a powerful paid ad strategy that delivers long-term results with less manual intervention compared to traditional ad formats. In the next article of this series, we’ll dive deeper into rewarded user acquisition for mobile gaming studios that breaks down how to structure a successful campaign, when/how much to pay out, the benefit of multi-event cost per engagement (CPE) campaigns, and more. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how Adscend Media can help you with rewarded user acquisition via our Offerwall and first party owned & operated brands, contact us.  

The post The Ultimate Rewarded User Acquisition Series: Winning Strategies for 2024 and Beyond appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.

We’re excited to share that Adscend Media has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, earning a spot on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list. This honor is a testament to our commitment to innovation, the hard work of our exceptional team, and the ongoing trust our clients place in us as a leader in the rewarded advertising space.

Since our founding in 2009, Adscend Media has transformed from a budding affiliate network into a tech-driven force in the rewarded advertising industry. Our focus on delivering value through innovation has enabled us to grow and evolve alongside our partners, while staying true to one guiding principle:

Make Every Experience Rewarding 
For our advertisers: Maximizing ROAS with targeted, high-performance campaigns
For our publishers: Offering reliable monetization through our rewarded ad units and flagship Offerwall solution. 
For our users: Delivering engaging earning opportunities that align with their interests
For our team: Creating a thriving work environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth

This recognition isn’t just a reflection of where we’ve been—it’s a launchpad for where we’re headed. Our sights are set on pushing the boundaries of rewarded advertising, expanding our offerings, and delivering even greater value to our partners in the years ahead.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible clients, whose loyalty and feedback have been instrumental to our success, and to our dedicated team, whose hard work and passion continue to drive us forward.

As we look to the future, we invite you to join us on this journey—whether by following our latest updates or partnering with us in the next chapter of growth and innovation in rewarded advertising. Here’s to even bigger milestones ahead! 

The post Adscend Media Named One of America’s Fastest-Growing Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 List appeared first on Adscend Media Blog | Unlocking Insights: Offerwalls and Rewarded Ads.