A Guide to Creatives for In-App Native Traffic (2)
Hi guys!
As you may have heard, last week Zeropark entered the world of native advertising by adding in-app ads to our roster. We’ve been getting plenty of questions regarding creatives in this particular ad format.
To answer those questions, our team ran an analysis of creatives to see what impacts the performance the most. As a result, we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to in-app native creatives, including 200 free CTA examples. The guide was created with Zeropark’s native traffic in mind, but most of the tips can definitely be applied to other sources of in-app traffic.
Firstly, let me share 10 tips regarding writing the titles of in-app native ads:
1. Make your content relevant.
If you want your ads to seamlessly blend in with the content of the app you need to get creative. You need to think like the people who are scrolling through an app to buy something specific and make your ads sound and look relevant. Think of your local marketplace apps and style your ads to look like a part of the inventory!
2. Make your theme relatable.
We all like hearing relatable stories… or the ones we can compare ourselves to. Make your titles sound relatable in max. 25 characters because relatability makes the ads feel more personal and direct to the audience, and therefore more engaging.
3. Make your captions short but sharp.
Yes, 25 characters is not much, but it doesn’t mean advertisers shouldn’t get creative. Think of the best advertising slogans and you’ll see that although quite short, they’re also sharp. That’s exactly what you should be aiming for.
4. Create a sense of urgency.
The fear of missing out causes people to act on the spur of the moment, it’s just how our brains work. Hint at how the deal finishes soon, plant the idea of users missing out if they don’t act quickly… and watch your CTR grow.
5. Evoke emotions.
Shock, horror, surprise, shame, disbelief, curiosity work as great monetization tools for your ads. This is because in-app native ads feel personal and tailored and if there’s anything users need, but they’ve always been afraid to openly ask for, the in-app ads are there to serve it.
6. Present a problem and a solution.
A problem and a solution scenario is the perfect technique to draw attention and prompt users to engage with your ads. People either realize the issue and would be keen on finding a solution, or they haven’t been aware of the problem and you’ve just made them.
7. Use numbers and statistics.
Numbers are generally believed to increase interest rates and draw attention to the ad. Put some statistics in your ad titles and add credibility to whatever product is being promoted.
8. Use power words.
JUST DO IT! Using power words in your ads copy has been proven to increase ad CTR and propel conversions.
9. Tell people what to do.
People actually like being told what to do - be the expert and share some advice!
10. Tell people what not to do.
Also, people like to be told what not to do - save their time by sharing your own experience.
Let’s not forget about the power of images. Here are the top 10 tips for in-app native ad icons and images.
1. Obey the rules.
If you want to make money online running native in-app ad campaigns, you need to obey the rules. Otherwise your images might never see the light of day as ad images that do not comply with traffic source or publisher policies are blocked right away.
2. Use high quality images.
Images that look blurred, badly cropped, automatically resized and reshaped do not sell. Even if they don’t get banned they will not encourage users to engage. Regardless of the quality of the product users tend to shy away from shady-looking ads.
3. Use photos for the image part...
We would suggest using actual photographs over cartoon-like illustrations. They’re simply more relatable and more authentic, and that’s why they seem more trustworthy and hence more clickable.
4. ...and illustrations for icons.
Illustrations tend to work best for the icon part. They’re small, work on the same premises as emojis and should definitely resemble the promoted product. It helps to send an instant and silent message to customers about what the ad is actually promoting.
5. Show me, don’t tell me.
Images are there to show users the promoted product, its benefits, emotions it evokes… and that’s why text shouldn’t be used in ad images. Adding text to the image may actually hinder your ad’s performance and make it look obscure to users.
6. Use believable images only.
Users can instantly sense if they’re being tricked, and while a little psychological trick can give your ad creatives a tiny boost, full reality-detached images are not a way to go. Keep your images reliable, believable and relatable to your audience so they can fully trust what they see and read.
7. Less is more.
That’s why you should keep the number of objects in the photo you’d like to use for your native in-app ad creatives to a minimum. Scattered items in the picture can be distracting and confusing. Images need to be easy to look at and easy to understand.
8. Use close-up and focus.
Images focusing on one item or one main idea tend to convert better. At the same time, close-ups might draw attention to the items you want users to focus on. Instead of presenting a broad picture, pay attention to the details, just like some of the best Instagram photos do!
9. Give people what they want.
In general, people like watching other people, food and pets. Also, anything that seems luxurious. The Internet is full of the latest news and trends, just check your Instagram and see what images are trending at the moment. It’s actually a great place to get your inspiration from!
10. Use psychological tricks.
Analysis paralysis, anchoring, availability heuristic, bandwagon effect, cognitive bias, decoy effect, FOMO, ROMO, the herd instinct… the list of psychological tricks widely used in the advertising industry can go on and on. The truth is you’ve been using those for quite some time now — creating a sense of urgency, showing fabulous results of using a product, focusing on one item only, before and after effects, a problem and a solution scenario? Yes, all these tricks are based on the same premises, so it might be well worth investigating before running your next ad campaign!
If you wanna up your in-app native creative game even more - click here to head to our blog and read the full article!
Enjoy!
Magda
Thank you very much for the post.
The 200 CTAs on your blog are also very nice and probably they can be a good inspiration for many people who struggle to come with one ones apart from "Click here" and "Read more" 
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