Unlike skinny jeans, in-app advertising is rapidly gaining popularity with a projected market volume of $569.95 billion by 2030, according to Statista. It’s the perfect time to jump on this trend if your goal in this life is to boost your earnings and that’s why today our in-house AdTech Manager, Alex Pombo, has spilled some of the best practices for in-app advertising to help you make the most out of your ad monetization strategy!
What is app monetization?
As you can probably guess from the title, app monetization is the process of making revenue from your app. There are many ways to turn your app into a money-making machine, from in-app purchases to subscriptions to in-app-advertising.
Today, we are going to be discussing in-app advertising, which is basically selling your app’s ad space to advertisers through programmatic advertising methods. If you’ve ever played a mobile game and encountered an advertisement while you were in the middle of moving up to the next level, then you know exactly what type of monetization method we mean!
Best practices for in-app advertising
Prioritize User Experience and Ad Quality
- Use frequency caps, session depth rules, and balanced ad placements (e.g., rewarded or native ads) to prevent users from getting frustrated.
- Tailor ad formats to fit your app’s flow. For instance, a well-placed rewarded video or native ad can enhance engagement rather than disrupt it.
- Continuously track ad performance and monitor creatives to avoid intrusive or low-quality ads that harm retention.
If you want to know more on how to create the perfect user experience for your users, take a look at these tips by our very own UX lead, Itziar Gil Hernando!
Choose the auction system that best fits your App and your audience: Real-Time Bidding vs. Mediation
- Real-time bidding (RTB or “in-app header bidding”) has all demand sources compete on each impression simultaneously, often boosting eCPMs and fill rates.
- Mediation typically relies on a sequential “waterfall” approach. With RTB, you remove the need for preset priorities or floors and let the market determine the highest bid in real time.
That’s just scratching the surface! We recommend you take a look at this article where we do a full breakdown of these auction systems!
Use a Single RTB monetization SDK instead of multiple mediation SDKs
- Relying on multiple network-specific SDKs can bloat your app, increase latency, and complicate maintenance.
- A unified RTB-based SDK streamlines integrations, reduces technical overhead, and can offer centralized reporting and quality controls.
- Fewer SDKs also help minimize potential conflicts, making it simpler to keep your app updated and stable.
Use data responsibly and continuously test bidding strategies
- Respect privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, Apple’s ATT) and establish a clear consent management process. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as it looks like! You can always count on Refinery89 hosted CMP to help you out!
- Incorporate first-party or contextual data where possible; test how these signals affect eCPMs, fill rates, and user satisfaction.
- Experiment (A/B testing) with bidding floors, ad placements, and frequency capping to find the best balance between revenue and user retention.
Monetize your app in a few steps!
Now that you know the best practices for in-app advertising, it’s time to drive your ad revenue to the max!
Our team here at Refinery89 understands that coding your app for in-app advertising can be a total pain in the butt, especially if you are brave enough to do it from scratch. That’s why our team of developers took matter into their hands to create a developer-friendly solution to save you from this nightmare.
With our SDK you can forget about the hassle of monetizing an app on your own and get it done in a flash! The Monetize App SDK is our easy to implement, All-In-One app monetization solution that will take your ad strategy to a whole new league! With this update-free solution, you’ll be equipped with access to our header bidding technology, flexible ad positioning, deep data insights, and an included Consent Manager™ CMP setup to elevate your in-app advertising!
Try it out for yourself! Get in touch with our team to find out how to get started as soon as possible!
