Of the 2,270,083 available apps on Google Play alone, 2,71,950 are gaming apps. With an average person spending 4 hours and 38 minutes on their phone daily, game publishers now have multiple options to monetize this huge user engagement. However, not all monetization avenues are suitable for all apps.
While many game publishers use ads as their primary monetization channel, they face multiple challenges, such as ad fatigue, user experience concerns, and unfavorable ratings. However, we’ve observed that certain ad formats work better than others when it comes to improving ad revenues without hampering game flow or user experience. Interstitial Ads is one such ad format that has a high in-app conversion rate of 20% on Android and close to 15% on iOS. Let’s dive deep and understand this ad format.
What Are Interstitial Ads?
Interstitial ads are full-screen ad formats that cover the entire interface of a mobile game or app. They typically appear between content transitions, such as app activities or at game-level changes.
Users have the option to voluntarily engage with these ads. They can also choose to close or skip them. If you watch the ads till the end, a call-to-action usually follows.
Interstitial ads come in multiple formats:
- Rich media
- Static images,
- Interactive ads.
Publishers can choose the format that best suits their app environment and user experience. Unlike banner or popup ads, which are smaller and often overlooked, Interstitial ads capture full attention primarily due to their size and strategic placement. These attention-grabbing ads increase user engagement and visibility, making them more effective for advertisers trying to steal their audience’s attention.
Rich Media support allows advertisers to use more engaging mediums, such as video or playable interactive ads, which makes the ad more memorable.
How Do Interstitial Ads Work in Mobile Games?
Mobile games have one of the highest user engagements among apps. Naturally, users don’t want to be interrupted too often. As a result, Interstitial ad placements are important. Too many ads and it can frustrate gamers. It could also cause app uninstalls, which isn’t desirable. So placing them at strategic points is crucial, here is what you can do.
Strategic breakpoints for ad placement:
- The transition between game levels or stages
- Moving to a new game chapter
- When significant events occur, such as wins and losses, and
- Pauses between a game.
You can use rewarded interstitial ads where you link ads to in-game incentives, such as an extra life, so players don’t get cranky when they emerge. These in-game incentives encourage smooth gameplay and better user engagement.
How Do You Benefit From an Interstitial Ad?
Finding a balance between a player’s gaming experience and profitability is essential for game publishers. Different ad formats are available to game developers, but interstitial ads are a favorite because of their features. Here’s why interstitial ads should be your top choice.
High Engagement and Viewability
With their screen-filling presence, interstitial ads make a strong impression on viewers. This is the kind of impact game developers aim for. When these ads are interactive, they can lead to high engagement, offering a promising avenue for developers and marketers.
Creating these interactive interstitial ads involves a thoughtful design process and the integration of game elements. Still, the potential benefits of user engagement, viewability, and retention make it a worthwhile investment.
For example, an interstitial advertisement appears after you lose midway in Temple Run. To continue the same game session, they require that you view an interstitial ad. It encourages Temple Run players to stay involved in the game by allowing them to pick up where they lost. Gamers are likely to watch the advertisement because it is a part of the gameplay due to a significant event—in this case, a lost game.
Supports Monetization in Free Apps
For developers, especially those offering free apps, interstitial ads are vital to generating income without charging users upfront. Many players prefer ad-supported games over premium ones, and advertisements enable publishers to keep their games free while still generating money.
If you, too, are looking to boost your ad income, YieldMonk can help you maximize it for your gaming app.
Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR)
CTR, or click-through rates, reflects how often a user clicks on links, or in this case, ads. If a gamer is engaged with the ad, they are more likely to click on it, which results in higher revenue.
According to the report from PropellerAds, interstitial ads perform differently across platforms. On Android, CTR averages 4-5%, while on the desktop web, it’s typically around 3%.
Increased Revenue Potential
When properly timed, interstitial ads can generate significant revenue for game publishers. Learning how to optimize them could be a game changer.
Brighthouse, a Shanghai-based game developer, used AdMob interstitial advertising to monetize its popular mobile game, White Tiles 4. The team cleverly placed video interstitial advertising at critical moments throughout gameplay, giving players natural yet much-needed pauses.
After introducing AdMob video interstitial advertisements in White Tiles 4, app traffic grew by 20%, and revenue climbed by 130%. AdMob interstitials currently provide 60% of app revenue.
Flexibility in Multiple Ad Formats
Interstitial advertising provides versatility with various forms to meet different demands. You have image interstitials that employ static graphics to attract attention. These static interstitials, for example, showcase a new product.
You also have video interstitials, which are commonly employed for brand storytelling. For example, when a product debuts, a video advertisement that you see while the game loads.
Also Read: Game Ad Formats Explained.
Cross Promotion and Branding for Other Games
Cross promotions are now becoming common. You might have found yourself playing a game and spotting an ad for a new game that pops up as you clear a level. Yes, that’s your game developer promoting their new game to users of their existing game by showing an interstitial ad.
It’s an effective strategy for cross-promotion in games that guarantees that the featured game or brand is visible and exciting to the players. The full-screen format allows for captivating visuals or videos, making it easier to grab players’ attention and encourage them to explore other games or products.
A classic example would be Candy Crush Saga, where you will see a full-screen Farm Heroes Saga promotion.
What are the Challenges in Interstitial Ads?
Risk of User Frustration
Interstitial ads, with their full-screen coverage, are perceived as intrusive and poorly executed. You cannot overuse interstitial ads because the risk of disrupting the user experience is too high. This frustration could lead app users to uninstall the app, which you don’t want.
Google AdMob disallows placing ads after every user action, such as clicks or swipes. Consecutive interstitial ads can also overwhelm users and diminish the app experience.
Remember, their intrusive nature, especially in gaming apps, can slow down gameplay, result in user dissatisfaction and eventually lead to the app’s abandonment.
Google Penalties for Intrusiveness
Google penalizes apps and games that use intrusive interstitial ads as they disrupt user experience. To avoid this, interstitial advertising should only display at natural transitions instead of random gameplay moments.
You must be mindful of common violations, including:
- Popups covering the main content,
- Standalone ads that must be dismissed before accessing content.
If you’re experiencing low ad fill rates and low revenue, YieldMonk may help you increase revenues with high-quality advertising.
Impact on Game Performance
If interstitial ads are not correctly preloaded, they may appear at unsuitable times. We don’t want this because it disrupts the game’s flow and annoys gamers. Preloading ads ensures they’re ready to go when needed, keeping the gameplay smooth and uninterrupted.
Lower Retention Rates
Gamers will not like it if they play a game or perform an important task and an ad crops up. If this interruption occurs regularly, they may give up on the app, and could uninstall it..
Overexposure to the same ad can cause players to get bored with the content and stop the game entirely.
Limited Suitability for Some Game Types
Interstitial ads aren’t ideal for every game, especially in fast-paced, real-time games.
Imagine playing a fast-paced game, and an interstitial ad takes up the entire screen. This completely disrupts the flow and spoils the gameplay experience. Even in real-time games, players expect constant action, and these advertisements cause them to lose sight of the game.
Also Read: Interstitial Ads Best Practices
Final Thoughts
Interstitial ads can certainly boost impressions, clicks, and revenue, but overuse or poor placement strategy can also hurt user experience.
If you’re a game or app publisher looking for ways to maximize your revenue with ads, Yieldmonk can help.
