Choosing the right offerwall provider is an important part of your overall mobile monetization strategy. Engineering time isn’t cheap, and every integration needs to be tied back to a clear ROI. So how do you know which offerwall provider is worth your time? In this article, we’ll outline the questions every developer needs to ask before committing to an offerwall provider.
1. What level of support will I receive?
The most effective integrations take a holistic approach to where, when and how offerwalls fit into your game or app. Having an experienced ad monetization professional on your side makes all the difference. Before committing to an integration, be sure to find out who will be supporting your team during the process and what sort of experience they’re drawing from. Ask things like:
- Who will be helping me navigate the integration and what is their experience with mobile app monetization?
- Have they managed integrations for games or apps from the same category as mine?
- Based on their experience within the category, what do they consider the most effective placement options and why?
- How should I determine the ideal currency exchange rate?
If you’re not confident in any of the answers provided, proceed with caution. An experienced offerwall professional should be able to steer you in the right direction when it comes to category specifics, placements, exchange rates, and more.
2. What kind of branding options are available?
Offerwalls perform best when they look and feel like any other part of your game or app. The more smooth and intuitive your integration, the better it will perform. The best offerwall providers give you the freedom to customize every part of your offerwall’s appearance, including:
- Colour Palette
- Offerwall Header Imagery
- Currency Icons
When offerwalls match your brand, it’s easier for players to recognize the role they play in your virtual economy. As a result, offerwall engagement (and ad revenue!) increase. Once you’ve confirmed that you’ll be able to customize your offerwall’s appearance, the next step is knowing what offers players will see.
3. Which other developers do you work with?
While you should always take the time to form your own opinions of providers, having a stable of successful partners can be a helpful early indicator as to which ones are worth investigating. Ask around in your professional communities, but also free feel to ask potential providers direct questions like:
- What other publishers in my category have you worked with in the past, and what results have they seen?
- What publishers outside of my category do you work with?
- What sorts of case studies do you have available demonstrating the potential value of your product?
Don’t be afraid to ask for specific references, either. An experienced provider should have no shortage of satisfied clients that they can connect you with. This will help you not only verify the value of their product, but can also help you get a jump start on any best-practices that will help you get the most out of the implementation.
4. What advertisers do you work with?
Find out who will be competing to place offers in your offerwall and what sort of control you have over what gets shown to your players. Get into specifics and ask questions like:
- What sort of balance in demand between brands and other apps can I expect?
- What sort of requirements do you have in place for deciding which advertisers to work with?
- What are some examples of brands you currently work with?
- Do you support offer/advertiser blacklisting? And if so, how is that process handled?
If control over offers is limited, or if advertisers aren’t advertising with your potential provider, it could be a red flag that they might not be what you’re looking for. For example, we work with a diverse combination of brands and app developers to ensure that we’re always able to provide your players with offers that will be relevant to their interests and encourage engagement.
5. How much control do I have over rewards?
Well-balanced virtual economies are the key to successful freemium games. They keep players progressing through your games and promote regular engagement through a delicate balance of supply and demand. Any major changes to that balance could have drastic consequences, which is why monetization managers need to stay in full control of their offerwalls and the rewards they provide. That means having a firm grasp on the size and variety of offers being made available. Be sure to find out the following:
- What kind of visibility do I have into how much virtual currency is being paid out?
- Once live, can I adjust the amount of virtual currency entering my virtual economy?
- What sort of promotional options do I have for driving more revenue at strategic times?
- Can I customize how much currency is being paid out to different user segments?
Developers should be skeptical of any black-box solutions that don’t offer a transparent look into offerwall engagement levels and how they’re affecting player behavior. Make sure you’re given full visibility into how your offerwall is performing, as well as control over key variables like virtual currency exchange rates. Extra points if you’re able to introduce greater value through the offerwall at key times throughout the year (with a Currency Sale, for example).
6. What sort of eCPMs can I expect?
Your offerwall provider should be able to give you a reliable and accurate estimate as to how much money an offerwall will generate for your business. Every game or app is different, and so much depends on where your audience is located in the world, so don’t be afraid to drill down into specifics like these:
- What sort of difference should I expect in eCPMs between iOS and Android?
- What range of eCPMs can I expect in key markets like the US?
- How do eCPMs change across other strategic regions like Asia Pacific?
- How are offerwall ad impressions counted? Note: Some providers only count a maximum of one impression per session, rather than one impression every time the offerwall is opened. The latter method is ideal for accurately measuring eCPMs.
Getting answers to questions like these will give you the information you need to weigh a commitment to any potential offerwall provider against its potential benefit to your business overall. We’re not shy about the fact that our publishing partners typically see twice as much revenue or more when they monetize their games and apps with rewarded video placements and offerwalls compared to rewarded video alone.
