Chartboost results

Player_E

My app has been up and this is the 2nd day now that I have had results on chartboost vs revmob. I have done considerably better on chartboost than revmob.

you can download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/color-collapse!/id1001843361?ls=1&mt=8

I was wondering if anyone has decided to start their own ad campaign on chartboost and pay for their game to be advertised in other games. How well has this worked out for you, if you have done so? (how many downloads did you get and how did that translate into revenue for your app).

Thanks guys

Hopscotch

@Player_E, whatever experiences developers will share with you here (good or bad), will not ever correlate with what your results will be.

Advertising success is entirely dependent on your particular app.

An Install will cost you around $1.50 to $3.00 (and up, it is seasonal).

You need to ask yourself if you can make that back from an install, through the app price, ads or IAPs. Usually not!

However, advertising should not be seen as a 1:1 relationship. It really is branding and awareness. Also, you need to balance the Cost per Install against the Lifetime value of an acquired user.

If your CPI is less than your estimated LTV, then it can be profitable.

Things that make up LTV:

• App price

• Your game is great and the acquired user will spread the word to friends, bringing more installs.

• Your game is sticky enough that users either play often and see many ads, or even spend on IAPs.

This said, your top priority as an indie developer should be a killer marketing plan.

Dan_Chartboost

@Hopscotch is generally right. The main people who are advertising are those having success with the combination of ad revenue AND IAP revenue which generally makes advertising ROI positive. Others do it for growth reasons because they're trying to raise a round of capital, etc.

Only thing to correct is that our mimimum CPI bid tends to be $.50 (not $1.50 to $3 and up) but it does vary by country. We also offer CPC as well as Cost Per Completed View on video.

You can learn a lot by checking out our blog and our insights page (chartboost.com/insights) where we share Average bids by platform.

Thanks,
Dan

Hopscotch

@Dan_Chartboost said:
Hopscotch is generally right.

Thank you @Dan_Chartboost

On your point of correction I will contradict you though, as I am approaching this from the point of an indie developer -

@Dan_Chartboost said:
Only thing to correct is that our mimimum CPI bid tends to be $.50 (not $1.50 to $3 and up) but it does vary by country.

If you are paying for users, then you also want your game to grow as quickly as possible for the greatest effect (possible virality and maximum popularity over a specific period of time).

If you bid only $.50 then your exposure rate will be very low, if any, so no chance of a controlled growth.

You need a serious bid for your ads to compete with the big publishers to ever be seen.

And @Dan_Chartboost, as you called me out on the figures I had to go double check of course :

$0.50 is the average bid (giving you average exposure) if you plan to launch on the Cook Islands.

https://www.chartboost.com/insights/

Now who is buying the beer?

p.s. Let me add that the high cost of user acquisition is market driven, not a plot by Chartboost.

Player_E

Great insight! (sorry I didnt respond sooner, I was at work)

I've been trying to figure out the whole marketing thing, admittedly I'm pretty bad at it. I've been reading up on ASO and how to help my app climb.

I know I don't have anything spectacular like clash of clans or angry birds, but when I look at my app and see the other "top" apps in my target audience (family/young children) I believe that it is one of the better apps.

I know it's all about marketing and getting up there in the rankings, but that's the tricky part to this whole app dev thing