With over a million apps on iOS and Android, the biggest problem that developers face is User Acquisition. A quick guide to help indi developers on user acquisition and the most cost-effective ways to do it

1. User Acquisition
for Mobile Apps
Rohit Nair, Head –Knowledge Gaming, Games2win

2. Why should an app acquire users?

3. 1) Visibility!!

4. Great Launch + Sustained downloads for a longer period

5. 2) Stability of downloads
Download numbers are relatively consistent after a particular rank is established .
(-10% to +10% )

6. 3) Generate Revenue
User acquisition is most important after LTV (Life time value) of a game has been determined.
More downloads = More Money

7. How many downloads are ‘Valuable’?

8. Free downloads required

9. Paid downloads required

10. Free downloads per category

11. How do we acquire users??

12. Three Parts of User Acquisition
• Install Volume
• Conversion Rate %
• User Quality

13. Jargons explained
1) Conversion Rate (CR)(X axis): Clicks/Installs
2) User Quality(Y axis): User Quality scores are calculated by
analyzing the number of sessions, in-app events, purchases
and retention
3) Volume(Bubble size): New users’ volume

15. 1) Search

16. Search
Search here means mobile web search and not appstore search.
Pros
• Best Quality of users (as they are looking for a game)
Cons
• Low Quantity
• Low Conversion Rates
Comments:
• Use Adsense for Mobile to advertise on Google Search
(Highly untapped. Low volume but great Quality users)
• User CPC campaigns

17. Search (Appstore search)
Pros
• High Conversion Rates
• High Quality of users
Comments
• Dependent on Download volume (+velocity) + Ratings :
nothing else! 
• Appstore SEO like web search depends heavily on
download traffic as much as hygiene
Must use: appcod.es , straply.com, searchman to compare
and name apps and keywords

18. 2) Ad Networks

19. Ad Network
Buying
CPC
CPI

20. Ad Networks
Pros
• Deliver strong volume
Cons
• Conversion rates lower
• Quality of users lower
Comments:
• Best suited for Mass market apps and Games
• Always use CPI against CPC

21. Available Networks
(listed in the following slides)

26. LTV Optimizers
LTV Optimizers help you to get the best return out of multiple ad networks by
splitting total spend and analyzing the returns.
LTV-Optimizers are easy to use and just need an SDK installed into your app

27. What apps should try
CPC (Cost per Click)
Facebook
MoPub
Mmedia
Admob

28. What we should try
CPI (Cost per install)
Flurry

29. Facebook Advertising
Believed to be the most cost effective Install mechanism
Average CPI in the US around $2

30. Flurry’s Appcircle allows you to target specific type of users
$0.50 - $3.00 seem to be the standard CPIs across industries
and Ad networks!

31. 3) Incentivized
Traffic

32. Incentivized Traffic
Pros
• Highest Conversion rates
Cons
• Conversion rates lower
• Quality of users lower
Comments:
Best suited for Mass market apps and Games

34. Incentivized + Non Incentivized
Due to the Low quality of users acquired from
Incentivized , these companies are now moving
to Non Incentivized user acquisition (like any
other ad network)
NativeX and Tapjoy now function as normal ad
networks + provide acquisition depending upon
the level of activity in the app

35. 4) App
Discovery
Platforms

36. App discovery Platforms

37. App Discovery Platform
Success Stories

42. Final Comments
1) User acquisition is not a science, it’s an art
2) User acquisition cannot be mastered with a
single campaign, this is an iterative process till
you figure what works best for YOUR app
3) App discovery platforms are expensive but a
great start to any app launch
4) Talk to agents of different networks to get
the best deal and figure what will work for
YOU