How To Make Money By Publishing Ads On Your Mobile Apps

August 1, 2014

No matter how you spin it, your users will dislike (or sometimes hate) the ads that you put in front of them. And if users hate your ads, the reviews they will give your app will be a little worse than if your app did not have those ads. That is just a reality of monetizing your apps.

If you decide to use ads, you can use banner ads, interstitial ads, ads to download other apps, or in-content ads that don’t look like ads, but rather look like your own content. The ladder two are my favorite strategies, and ones that I recommend if you decide to publish ads on your app.

The effectiveness of an ad’s monetization is measured in CPM which is the money you earn per 1,000 impressions of that ad. When you hear different vendors talk about the effectiveness of their ads, they will most often refer to the CPM.

Let’s explore the different ads you can use to monetize your app. While I discuss different ad types, I specifically do not mention any companies or vendors.

Banner Display Ads

The simplest and most familiar type of mobile add is the rectangular banner ad that appears on the screen while users use your app. Web and mobile users are well trained to avoid that ad, and develop a certain ad blindness to this kind of an advertisement. Almost no one clicks on such ads, and when they do, a large part of those clicks are mistake clicks where the user meant to tap on something else, but hit the app instead due to the small screen sizes of mobile phones. These ads are usually disliked by users, earn low CPMs, and result in decreased engagement and reviews for your app.

Interstitial Ads

Interstitial ads are ads that pop up when you are in the middle of doing something like going from one screen to the next. They monetize a little better because they are more “in your face” to your users, but that is also why most of the time, users hate those ads with a passion. A very large part of mobile users scramble to find how to close that ad as soon as it appears. I personally do not recommend using such ads as I had very poor results when I experimented with putting them on my apps. Nevertheless, many app developers use them because they can be more effective than basic display ads.

Ads To Download Other Apps

One potentially effective way to use ads on your app is to advertise other apps on a pay per install basis. A typical install, depending on the kind of app it is, can earn payouts of a few pennies to a few dollars. If you can promote the more lucrative apps, this can be an effective monetization strategy. To find such offers, just search for “Pay Per Install” or CPA mobile advertising firms.

In-Content Ads

Another kind of ad that I like doesn’t look like an ad at all. It looks just like the rest of your content. You can promote anything you want with that kind of an ad. It can be in-app purchases, your other products, or affiliate offers. The key is to make the text explaining the offer, and the button that links to the offer to look like it naturally belongs in your app, and is a part of your content.

For example, one of the products I offer on my apps is for people to create a website. Most people starting a business need a website. So in my apps, I made a tutorial for how to set up your website for free and without needing technical help. My users like this article because it is truly helpful. A part of that tutorial focuses on web hosting, which is something all website owners need. There, I suggest a particular hosting company, and link to it. It is helpful to my app users, and it is a natural thing to promote in my apps. My users appreciate it, and I get to make money. That is the ideal way to create an in-content ad.

Check Out My Mobile App Book And Online Course

If you’d like to learn about how to create a great business out of your mobile app, check out my mobile app marketing book, and my mobile app marketing course.