When we added an offerwall, skeptics predicted it would cannibalize IAP. The opposite happened. Users who earned currency through offers got hooked on premium features and started buying. Our offerwall users converted to payers at 3x the rate of non-offerwall users. Sometimes giving value away creates more value.
What Is an Offerwall?
An offerwall is a screen within your app showing various offers—usually other apps to install, surveys to complete, or actions to take—in exchange for your app's virtual currency. Users choose which offers interest them.
Common Offer Types
- Cost-per-install (CPI): Install and open another app
- Cost-per-engagement (CPE): Reach a level or milestone
- Surveys: Complete market research
- Sign-ups: Register for services
- Trials: Start free trials
Placement Strategy
Where you put the offerwall dramatically affects engagement:
Best Placements
- Currency store: Natural place to "earn" vs buy
- Out-of-currency moment: When user can't progress
- Daily bonus section: Part of daily engagement loop
- Settings/menu: Always accessible, never intrusive
Avoid These Placements
- Forcing users to offerwall before gameplay
- Interrupting core loops
- Showing before value is established
The Soft Currency Sweet Spot
Offerwalls work best when currency is valuable but earnable. If premium currency is too rare, users feel manipulated. If it's too common, they won't bother with offers. Find the balance.
Offer Curation
Not all offers belong in your app:
Quality Factors
- Relevance: Gaming offerwalls should show games
- Legitimacy: Avoid scammy or misleading offers
- Completion rate: Offers users can actually complete
- Payout fairness: Reasonable currency for effort
App Store Compliance
Both Apple and Google have offerwall guidelines. Don't incentivize App Store actions (reviews, ratings). Don't mislead about reward amounts. Violations can get your app removed.
Exchange Rate Strategy
How much currency should offers pay?
- Calculate your currency's USD value based on IAP pricing
- Offers should pay slightly more than IAP (incentive to engage)
- But not so much that IAP feels wasteful
- Typical: 1.2-1.5x the IAP value per dollar
Multi-Provider Strategy
Don't rely on one offerwall SDK:
- Different providers have different offer inventories
- Competition improves fill rates
- Use mediation to show best offers
- A/B test provider performance
Measuring Offerwall Success
Key Metrics
- Offerwall opens: How many users visit
- Offer starts: How many begin offers
- Completions: How many finish
- Revenue per DAU: Total offerwall contribution
- IAP impact: Does offerwall help or hurt purchases?
Track Every Conversion
ClicksFlyer helps you understand how offerwall engagement affects long-term user value and overall monetization mix.