Incentivized media, using formats like rewarded videos, offerwalls, and in-app rewards, has become a key driver for mobile growth. Initially popular in gaming, incentivized media is now widely used across e-commerce, fintech, lifestyle apps, and more. According to Unity Ads, non-gaming rewarded ads can reach opt-in rates up to 67%, showing their broad appeal. In this article, we’ll cover how mobile marketers can use incentivized media successfully across their campaigns.

What is Incentivized Media?

Incentivized media rewards users for specific actions, such as:

• Offerwalls: Users complete offers like app installs or sign-ups to earn rewards, driving installs and actions like account creation.
• Incentivized App Installs: Users receive points or virtual currency for downloading apps, promoting app discovery.
• Pay-to-Play: Users earn rewards for making in-app purchases, particularly effective in games offering virtual goods.
• Cashback Offers: Users get a percentage back after purchases, fostering loyalty.
• Time-Based Rewards: Users are rewarded for spending time in-app, increasing engagement and session length.

Advantages

• Rapid Growth: Quickly scales installs or sign-ups, ideal for new app launches or seasonal promotions.
• Guaranteed Engagement: Users engage with ads to receive rewards, increasing brand recall compared to banners.
• Higher Install Rates: Incentivized media boosts installs, improves app store rankings, and encourages deeper actions like purchases.
• Cost Efficiency: High engagement and scalability make it cost-effective, maximizing ROI while supporting broader growth strategies.

Challenges

• Low User Quality: Some users engage just for rewards, requiring advertisers to target high-intent users. To address this, advertisers can target high-intent users and environments that encourage meaningful actions.
• Lack of Down-Funnel Actions: Users might not engage beyond basic actions, but tiered rewards can drive deeper behaviors. To combat this, advertisers can align incentives with valuable milestones, such as completing a purchase or subscribing. A tiered reward system can also sustain interest, offering smaller rewards for initial actions and larger rewards for more valuable behaviors.
• Fraud Risks: Fraudulent activity, such as fake installs, can skew metrics, making anti-fraud measures essential. Working with trusted partners who employ anti-fraud measures is crucial to ensure campaigns reach real, engaged users.
• Attribution Challenges: Measuring long-term user value requires advanced attribution tools to track post-install events; a collaboration with technical partners skilled in tracking these metrics.

Tips for Success

Incentivized media, when strategically managed, can drive significant growth. By understanding its strengths and challenges, advertisers can leverage it to meet their goals effectively. Some of the tips we usually share with our clients include:

• Offering appealing rewards like cash back or discounts.
• Integrating incentivized media with other channels for balance.
• Leveraging advanced analytics and post-install tracking to measure results.
• Ensuring they partner with experts to optimize campaigns and ensure success.

For advertisers looking to incorporate incentivized media into their mobile growth strategy, partnering with a performance marketing expert like FeedMob can make all the difference. FeedMob has extensive experience in scaling incentivized campaigns for some of the world’s largest apps. With a clear understanding of both the strengths and challenges of this advertising format, advertisers can use incentivized media as part of a holistic mobile growth strategy to achieve meaningful results. Talk to us today for a complimentary consultation on how incentivized media can help drive your next campaign.