4 Signs Your New Ad Network Just Isn’t That Into You

💅Four signs that the new ad network might not be that into you…💅

Why are the two strongest mobile networks not taking on new publisher partners?

Two of the strongest new mobile networks are Amazon Publisher Services and Moloco. So why are neither of these two networks accepting new publisher partners🤔?

Much of my last year was spent praising Moloco and APS and their quick rise on the mobile ad monetization scene. APS is now a larger Banner partner for publishers in the EU and USA than Google. I also saw countless times how Moloco’s foray into SDK direct traffic pushed up AdARPDAUs by more than 10% on video inventory for publishers. But for the last 6-12 months, I haven’t been able to onboard a new publisher for either of these two networks. Why is that?

If you’re monetizing with ads on mobile, the best way to improve your eCPM is to have a wide array of demand partners that bid into your mediation platform. That, in turn, drives competition and increases the eCPM of your impressions. Adding new demand sources is one of the few things you, as a publisher, can do to increase demand. Surely, ad networks only benefit from having more supply to choose from, right? No, not really…

💅Here are four signs why the new ad network might not be that into you…💅

👀Size matters 👀

It’s a hard realization, but it’s true. Network algorithms prefer apps with larger user bases. Why? A larger user base means more data for the algorithms to learn from. The more data, the more accurately algorithms can target users for UA campaigns. A Publisher might have a high-quality user base, but if it’s small, the network won’t be able to ramp up spending. As a result, apps with large user bases see better performance and go to the front of the line for new networks.

Easier to Manage the Top 300 Publishers 🐇

The 70/30 rule is very true in the mobile ad monetization market. Roughly 30% of Publishers drive 70% of the impressions. That means if you onboard the top 300 publishers, you can access most impressions on mobile without needing the overhead to onboard the other publishers. It’s unfair, but it’s true. I heard rumors that Moloco plans to add a self-serve tier for publishers to onboard later this year to increase the supply on their network.

Publisher Reputation

Sometimes, your reputation as a publisher can proceed you. I can’t tell you how many times Grindr has made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Yes, your reputation can impact onboarding decisions to networks. If networks think advertisers will not want to show ads in your app for whatever reason, you will not be approved.

Quality of Traffic

When a new or old network examines the traffic it gets from sources, it judges the quality of the traffic. If the performance of your traffic has been bad or below average, ROAS targets your traffic, which will be throttled. It is not easy to get unthrottled. Some networks do this via algorithm, and some do it with your AM. The usual reasons for getting unthrottled are if you open up a new ad unit for ads or show ads to a bigger portion of your user base. Don’t forget to tell your AM these things, as sometimes it can drive demand meaningfully.

💰Great Content 💰

What game has been downloaded nearly 10 million times in the last 30 days and boasts a daily active userbase of 4.1 million users? Why, it’s Vita Mahjong, of course! We do a deep dive into how the game has managed to scale to what I estimate to be about $150k/day in ad revenue. Want a hint? It’s all about adjusting the difficulty and claiming the game is ad-free in your UA creatives.

🎯The Cinderella of the Week🎯

Miracles still happen! Despite the uber-competitive landscape in mobile, solo developers can still scale their IAA monetized games to crazy levels. This section is to salute you. Why? Because everyone loves a Cinderella story… that’s why.

Ok, this week the spotlight is not on a solo developer, but I really like Estoty, so I always want to highlight a raging success. What’s the success? You know how everyone fears rejection, which is most often manifested when you go to a night club queue. But what if you could be the one who rejects instead? That’s exactly what you get to do in I Am Security. The game has already been downloaded nearly 10 million times and spawned nearly as many copycat games trying to capitalize on its success. I estimate that right now, this title is making between $33-45k/day in ad revenue.

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