5 Ways to Optimize the Performance of Your Playtime UA Campaigns

Recession impacts are palpable across the industry. The number of mobile app downloads is stagnating; global downloads grew annually by a minimal one percent in 2023. 

This has made user acquisition trickier than ever. 

UA campaigns now need to be more strategic. Building a great app is not enough – there needs to be a robust marketing strategy with diversified UA traffic to accompany it. 

Mobile advertisers looking to new channels to elevate their strategy find Playtime – adjoe’s unique time- and event-based rewarded ad unit. 

These advertisers implement these five initiatives to maximize the impact of their Playtime UA campaigns.

1. Employ Demographics Targeting 

Playtime’s power is in its granular targeting possibilities – by age, gender, and device. 

Advertisers who have launched their gaming titles with Playtime have found that by targeting users with more specificity, they can bid more efficiently without compromising on quality. They can then also allocate saved margins to scale further.

Big-time gaming publisher Homa reached its target users more effectively through Playtime’s precise demographic targeting. Its UA team could bid accurately for each audience segment and save its margins – while improving the quality of its users. 

UA teams can tap into the highest-quality audience for their game and protect their profitability through a simple, three-step process:

1. Launch a broad Playtime campaign for a limited time – at least two weeks – targeting elements identified as most relevant to the game’s category.

2. Identify the best-performing segments. Amplify presence within these while maintaining visibility in mid-performing segments to optimize reach and engagement.

3. Let the allocated growth manager refine campaigns to target the right demographics at the right price. This is a continuous process of optimization.

Apps not only scale but also uncover potential trends when they can pinpoint the ideal demographics at the correct price point.  

Being smart with ad spend is especially important now with the cost of marketing continuously rising – and since acquiring users is harder than ever, it’s even more important to find high-quality users.

2. Target Traffic Sources Wisely 

The key to the best results is taking campaign analysis from broad to granular – from data-driven to deep-data-driven. 

That’s why it’s possible with Playtime to advertise your app within specific traffic sources or groups of them. 

adjoe’s dedicated growth managers can help UA teams receive greater traffic from the specific publishers driving the most attractive users to their app. They have the insights to save UA managers the time and energy needed to research. 

For instance, if adjoe’s growth managers see that male users between the ages of 20 and 35 from a certain network are performing well, they can advise you on how to optimize your UA campaigns to reach even more of these valuable users.

UA teams, with these transparent insights into adjoe’s direct traffic, can identify trends and leverage these by adjusting budgets or CPIs. This enables them to enjoy maximum impact for their UA campaigns.

It is important, however, to approach targeting with caution. Overly narrow targeting can decrease campaign performance by reducing volume and lowering its distribution priority, potentially missing out on top audiences. Stick to a thoughtful, iterative process guided by an adjoe growth manager to ensure optimal adjustments without losing traffic.

3. Amplify Your UA with App Targeting 

A one-size-fits-all strategy is rarely – if ever – going to work for your UA campaigns.

That’s why Playtime allows UA teams to get even more granular with their targeting to find users who already engage with similar offers. 

Playtime can target Android users based on their mobile app preferences (also known as “app targeting”). When users opt in, Playtime can gain insights into their mobile behavior based on installed app data and app usage patterns.

UA teams can then prioritize targeting users who are more likely to enjoy their game and can reach high-quality, high-conversion traffic with an optimized budget.

When creating a Playtime campaign, adjoe’s growth managers can create specific lists of apps whose users it will target. They can also exclude users of certain apps from the campaign.

Advertisers, such as Trailmix, have been able to prioritize the interests of their target market and boost installs by up to 30 percent in these markets by targeting with such specificity. 

Remember, while targeting precision is key, avoid overly restricting your campaign scope to maintain a healthy volume and diversity in traffic. Continuous collaboration with Playtime experts at adjoe can help strike the right balance.

4. Expand in Your Geos of Choice

Playtime’s global reach is one of the reasons why multiple advertisers rank it as one of their main UA channels. 

adjoe’s exclusive network covers the entire globe, with a strong presence in Tier 1 regions (US, DE, FR, GB, IT) to bring advertisers the highest-quality users. 

But it doesn’t just stop at the big markets.

Playtime also offers advertisers opportunities to grow in Tier 2 and Tier 3 countries. Entering these markets effectively means apps can connect with new users, face less competition, and save on advertising costs.

Gaming publisher Candivore witnessed the scalability of Playtime’s extensive rewarded ad network within just a few months. The company was able to grow in strategic markets such as the US and Germany and achieve over 200,000 monthly installs from adjoe, with the potential to reach one million moving forward. 

adjoe’s growth managers suggest new markets for advertisers to test based on UA budgets and strategy. It takes two to three weeks to test in new geos – during this testing stage, UA teams gain insights into expected install volumes and can decide on a comprehensive bidding and targeting strategy. Advertisers can also opt for a soft launch – that is, launch their UA campaigns to a specific restricted audience before launching them to the masses. 

Many advertisers have in this way optimized their reach and explored new markets besides growing in current ones. Dragon Plus – one of China’s fastest-growing publishers with 100 million global users – expanded its UA efforts into nearly 30 new countries with Playtime for its puzzle title Makeover Master. 

5. Maximize the Impact of Campaign Creatives

Within Playtime’s rewarded experience, users are already inclined to install your game. When it comes to creatives, a UA team’s primary objective is to accurately and attractively present the game’s content. 

Although driving mobile game downloads is inherent in Playtime’s design – and variations of creatives have a limited impact – Playtime still supports A/B testing for advertisers who wish to explore this. 

They can A/B test up to three creative sets per language, and the minimum test period recommended to deliver valuable findings is two weeks. 

It’s then up to UA teams to make data-driven decisions to drive as much success from their UA campaigns as possible. 

Close in on Your Campaign KPIs with Playtime

Advertisers have shared with us that it’s becoming harder and harder to do marketing profitably, with the cost of marketing rising constantly and its increasingly challenging measurability. 

adjoe partners have acquired their most valuable users and hit their goals by continuously exploring new targeting capabilities and strategies – while remaining within their allocated budgets. 

That’s because the Playtime rewarded ad network is a playground with countless targeting options, campaign types, and solutions to test, discover, and customize how to strategically boost UA efforts for each app.

By following the above-mentioned best practices, advertisers can expect to scale their UA efforts up to fourfold while keeping their performance goals in check.