Mastering Paid User Acquisition: A Game Developer's Guide

In the competitive world of mobile gaming, paid user acquisition stands as a cornerstone for success, especially for indie developers and small studios. Mike, the CEO of Iron Horse Games, shares his scrappy and practical guide to navigating the intricate landscape of user acquisition, boasting an impressive 11 million installs across 19 titles predominantly on Google Play. This article delves into Mike's strategies, focusing on different phases of marketing on Google Play and Apple, alongside tips and tricks for effective marketing with Facebook and Unity.

Google Play Marketing: Open Beta, Launch, and Live Phases

Open Beta

Mike emphasizes the critical importance of the open beta phase on Google Play. Unlike the past, where open beta was treated as merely a test market, today, it represents a golden opportunity to attract valuable users. He advises against wasting this phase on unstable games or untested monetization strategies. Instead, he suggests conducting thorough testing in a larger closed beta to ensure stability.

Key Points for Open Beta:

• Don't Treat as a Test Market: Ensure your game is stable and monetization strategies are tested before open beta.
• Keywords Matter: Utilize keywords strategically to enhance visibility and organic installs.

Launch Phase

Moving from open beta to launch, Mike outlines a strategy focused on maximizing user acquisition through paid and organic channels. He highlights the importance of spending aggressively during the first 30 days post-launch to capitalize on the inflated organic to paid install ratios.

Launch Strategy Highlights:

• Spend Aggressively: Utilize the 30-day window post-launch to maximize organic installs through paid acquisition.
• Monitor Organic to Paid Ratios: Aim for high organic install ratios to maximize ROI.

Live Phase

In the live phase, the focus shifts to sustaining and growing the user base through continuous marketing efforts and leveraging data from the launch phase for feature pitches to Google Play.

Live Phase Strategies:

• Leverage Launch Data: Use data from the launch phase to pitch your game for features on Google Play.
• Continuous Marketing: Keep marketing efforts consistent to sustain user growth.

Marketing on Apple

Mike describes marketing on Apple as more straightforward but emphasizes the importance of focusing on the live phase due to the lower volume of organic installs compared to Google Play. He shares insights on effectively using Facebook for marketing, given its high-quality traffic and control.

Marketing Tips for Apple:

• Focus on Live Phase: Concentrate marketing efforts on the live phase for better ROI.
• Utilize Facebook and Unity: Leverage these platforms for their high-quality traffic and ease of use.

Marketing Without Money

For developers with tight budgets, Mike offers innovative strategies for marketing without upfront capital. He suggests negotiating integration bonuses with ad partners and securing lines of credit for marketing purposes.

Innovative Budget Strategies:

• Integration Bonuses: Negotiate bonuses with ad partners for integrating their SDKs.
• Lines of Credit: Secure lines of credit from marketing partners to fund user acquisition efforts.

Conclusion

Mike’s guide to paid user acquisition offers a comprehensive blueprint for game developers aiming to navigate the complexities of marketing on Google Play and Apple. By focusing on strategic phases, leveraging keywords, and employing creative budgeting strategies, developers can significantly enhance their game’s visibility and user base.

For more insights and detailed strategies from Mike, watch the full video here.