🥁How to balance appealing to algorithms vs. humans ⛳️

Our guest today is Bastian Bergmann, Co-founder and COO of Solsten. In this episode, he shares how psychology can revolutionize game marketing and creative advertising. Bastian discusses the power of understanding player motivations to craft ads that deeply resonate, driving better engagement and results. He explores real-world examples, like how a simple change in ad copy transformed performance for a Solitaire game, and highlights the role of AI in creating personalized experiences for players. I’m excited to share this deep dive into the intersection of psychology, AI, and marketing, and how these insights can reshape the way we approach creative strategy in the gaming industry.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/player-psychology-ad-creatives/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, John Gargiulo, founder of Airpost.ai, explores how AI is revolutionizing creative advertising. From transforming raw footage into high-quality, scalable ads to balancing human oversight with automation, John shares strategies for maintaining ad quality that rivals traditional production methods. We also dive into the future of AI-driven creative solutions and their potential to reshape performance marketing. Whether you're a marketer, creator, or tech enthusiast, this conversation offers valuable insights into the intersection of AI and advertising.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/ai-creative-production/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we dive into the elusive goal of achieving a 10% Day 365 retention rate in mobile apps. With so few apps reaching this milestone, I’ll outline the three proven paths to boost long-term retention: harnessing daily habits, fostering social connections, and delivering deep content. Tune in to discover how these strategies can drive not only retention but also LTV and ROAS, helping your app stand out in a competitive market.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/3-paths-day-365-retention-10-percent/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we explore the limitations of contextual targeting in mobile advertising. While matching ads with relevant content sounds promising, only past purchase behavior truly predicts conversions. I’ll break down why self-attributing networks that leverage purchasing data perform better and how to prioritize these networks over context-based DSPs.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/contextual-targeting-why/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we explore why early-stage founders should resist the temptation to diversify their ad spend across too many channels. While it may seem like a good strategy, spreading your budget thin can hinder growth. I’ll walk you through the mechanics of ad algorithms, explaining why fewer channels can lead to better results. We’ll dive into the importance of focusing on self-attributing networks and how driving more conversions in one or two places can accelerate learning and performance. Tune in to understand how optimizing your ad strategy early on sets the foundation for scaling successfully across multiple platforms.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/early-stage-diversify/ **Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we dive into the complexities of incrementality testing in digital marketing. While measuring incrementality is widely recommended, it’s not a cure-all solution. I’ll break down the four key challenges you need to be aware of, from isolating the impact of multiple sources to dealing with inconclusive results.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/incrementality-4-challenges/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, Anton Bernstein unpacks the strategies behind building thriving virtual communities and empowering creators on platforms like HighRise. Anton explains how user-generated content and immersive social experiences drive engagement and shares insights on monetizing through cosmetics and in-game purchases. He also breaks down the development of creator tools that allow users to build and monetize their own games and experiences. Additionally, Anton discusses the balance between early monetization and fostering long-term social connections. This conversation is packed with actionable insights for anyone interested in virtual worlds, creator economies, and platform growth.KEY HIGHLIGHTS🔑 The development of Highrise as a virtual world platform was driven by the desire to connect users through immersive social experiences.📊 User-generated content (UGC) plays a central role in the growth and engagement of the Highrise community, enabling users to create and monetize their own content.💵 Highrise Studio, a tool for creators, allows users to build games and experiences within the platform, providing monetization opportunities through creator-driven economies.🔮 The platform’s monetization strategy primarily focuses on cosmetic items, which users purchase to express their identity and enhance their social presence.🎁 Weekly events and mini-games are run on Highrise to offer top-tier cosmetic rewards, incentivizing user participation and driving engagement.🧨 A key challenge for the platform has been balancing early monetization with fostering long-term social connections among users.💈 Virtual worlds and social platforms are evolving to include more cooperative gameplay elements to facilitate social connections between users.📍The platform is working to reduce the barriers for users to become creators by offering accessible tools and running regular game jams.🕹 The transition from speculative NFT-driven models to a focus on creating virtual goods and communities that hold real, sustained value within the platform has been a significant learning point.📟 The creative flywheel at Highrise revolves around attracting users, converting them into creators, and having those creators build experiences that attract more users, thereby reinforcing growth.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/ugc-creator-economies-anton-bernstein/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, Marcus Burke unpacks the strategies behind optimizing Meta ads for subscription apps. Marcus explains how creative types like UGC and static ads influence placements across Meta platforms and shares insights on scaling ad accounts through creative diversification. He also breaks down the importance of Web2App funnels for faster iterations and better performance while addressing how to avoid pitfalls in Meta’s algorithm. This conversation is packed with actionable insights on scaling subscription apps.KEY HIGHLIGHTS🗒 Setting up automated placement-level reporting to track ad spending on Meta platforms effectively is crucial for optimizing campaigns.👍 Different creative types directly influence ad placements, with static creatives performing well on Facebook feeds and UGC excelling on Instagram Reels.🛑 Avoiding restrictive ad campaigns for placements helps prevent higher CPMs due to Meta’s algorithmic penalties for limiting targeting.🧢 Meta’s algorithm tends to skew toward younger audiences in subscription apps, even though older audiences often deliver higher conversion rates.💵 Scaling ad accounts requires diversifying creatives and placements rather than relying solely on top-performing ads.💲 Web2App funnels offer flexibility, enabling quicker iterations and experimentation with pricing structures compared to in-app funnels.🌐 Web-based advertising is gaining momentum as brands bypass App Store fees and optimize web traffic for efficient user acquisition.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/subscription-apps-facebook-ads/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

Join us on the Mobile User Acquisition Show's Mobile Spotlight segment as we welcome  Rashad Häsänli,  game lead at DieNo Games.In this episode, Rashad delves into the art of identifying underserved yet reachable audiences using tried-and-tested game mechanics. He describes how his team navigated the competitive landscape, experimented with merge mechanics, and found progress and success.KEY HIGHLIGHTS🗒 DieNo Games’ strategy for identifying underserved audiences and matching them with proven game mechanics.📈 The company conducted A/B tests to compare traditional car game mechanics with merge mechanics, revealing a surprising preference for the merge variant.🔐 Data from Sensor Tower guided the decision to focus on the car fantasy, identifying a market without dominant players.✂️ DieNo Games used Solsthen to compare merge and car audiences, gaining insights into preferences, pain points, and spending habits.🔍 Insights were documented and continuously used to guide feature development and modifications, ensuring alignment with the target audience’s preferences.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/merge-audience-rashad-hasanli/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog

In this episode, we welcome Mike Taylor, an AI and prompt engineering expert. Mike shares his insights on the five key principles of prompt engineering, illustrating how these strategies can optimize AI performance and transform your projects. From practical tips to real-world applications, discover how to make AI work smarter for you. Don't miss this deep dive into the future of AI and its potential to revolutionize the industry.KEY HIGHLIGHTS⚖️ Early AI prompting requires arranging words in specific ways to get desired results.⏱ Dividing labor among AI tasks helps avoid conflicting instructions and improves outcomes.💎 Prompt engineering is likened to early growth hacking, emphasizing scalable solutions.🧷 Running multiple prompts and comparing results can optimize AI performance.✂️ Using AI as a brainstorming partner is beneficial for generating creative ideas.🔍 The accessibility of coding and AI tools has increased, making it easier for non-programmers.🗝 AI tools can automate repetitive and tedious tasks, freeing up time for more creative work.📚 Using Dreambooth for training AI models with client-specific data improves consistency in outputs.🛒 AI-generated scripts can improve significantly with the addition of training examples.📐 Techniques like chain of thought and giving AI thinking space enhance task performance.Check out the show notes here: https://mobileuseracquisitionshow.com/episode/prompt-engineering-mike-taylor/**Get more mobile user acquisition goodies here:http://RocketShipHQ.comhttp://RocketShipHQ.com/blog