Push Traffic in 2021: Main Mistakes, Optimization, and Scaling Hacks

Push ads were a real breakthrough in 2019, but 2020 seriously disrupted this traffic type. Covid-19 pandemic, Chrome updates, and considerable changes in the affiliate marketing sphere challenged even the most experienced affiliate marketers.

What can you expect in 2021? We're not sure, but we'll discuss some tips and tricks to try to help you have the most successful 2021 possible

2021 Top Performing Push Creatives Tips​

Here are 5 tips to apply to your push creatives to have them be as success as possible:

• Be direct and straightforward in wording.
• Use as many emojis as possible.
• Use icons similar to famous messengers and apps.
• Try to use call-to-actions in the main description.
• Find bright and simple images with no small details and long texts.

and here are some good examples from RichAds:

Main Mistakes in 2020: What to Avoid in 2021?​

Here are 5 common mistakes we saw affiliates do with their push campaign sin 2020 that you should avoid in 2021:

Mistake 1. You don’t use landing pages. ​

Of course, some offers work without them, but still, it’s better to prepare users for the offer itself via landing and pre-landing pages.
To prepare a quality landing page, try to follow some simple rules:

• Test different registration forms.
• Include a concise, clear, and pushy call-to-action.
• Use images that will play a role of a “second headline”. They should be bright, relevant, and have a nice quality.
• Bet on short, simple texts with large font size.

Mistake 2. You upload a few creatives with the same approaches.​

It won’t work as the aim is to determine the best approach via testing strategies.

For example, preparing creatives for a dating campaign, you can test the following approaches:

• “You have (1) new message” with a messenger’s icon.

Place a short phrase in the main image to imitate the real message.

• “... left you her phone number. Call now!”

Girls with cell phones are the perfect choice in the main images.

• “This girl sent you a photo. Click to open!”

It’s better to use natural photos, for example, girls’ selfies.

Mistake 3. You check the campaign's results too often.​

Don’t follow your campaign maniacally. Let it run for at least 24 hours. During that time, we recommend not to make any changes. Otherwise, you can spoil the campaign’s results and not collect the necessary data for further optimization.

Mistake 4. Starting with a too big bid or running RON instead of a targeted list.​

For tests, we recommend launching your campaigns on specific sources. Ask for your AM to provide you with them or use premium sources on the ad platform. Also, we advise using a bid a little bit higher than recommended.

Mistake 5. You stick to an incorrect bidding strategy.​

Don’t set up a too high bid. This way, you could just waste too much money even on the testing stage. Moreover, it’s important to check the bid a few times not to misprint in numbers.

Optimization rules: Blacklisting vs. whitelisting​

After launching and avoiding all the mistakes we’ve described above, it’s time to start analyzing collected data to optimize your campaign over time.

What can you optimize while running push campaigns?

• creatives;
• landing pages;
• OS;
• browsers;
• browser language;
• country;
• and other targeting parameters.

Too many options, aren’t there? To make this process less time-consuming and simple, in RichAds, it’s possible to use the built-in flagship Automated rules feature. You don’t need to do these monotonous actions manually.

1. First, while testing, spend at least 5-10х your offer payout. Don’t block any websites until you get 1х payout from it.
2. Remember about separate campaigns for mobile and desktop traffic and strictly follow your optimization strategy. If necessary, the bid and capping may also be different.
3. Choose an open strategy from the start (a few creatives and landing pages, wide targeting options, different approaches, and enough budget for tests).
4. Continue running a particular source if you got at least 3 conversions. After getting more data, you can also apply a 3-day rule. Check out the number of conversions after a few days of running. If you have <8 conversions, it’s reasonable to stop the campaign. If you have 9 conversions, start optimization. 10 conversions mean that it’s time to scale up your profitable campaign.

Speaking about Whitelisting & Blacklisting strategies, the second one definitely wins. Whitelists tend to overburn and require big budgets as well as quite a long testing period. Blacklists allow you not to limit yourself to just a few sources. But if you still prefer whitelisting strategy, try to retain 10% of your budget for testing.

Don’t forget about one more great feature to improve your optimization strategy. It’s Micro bidding. It helps to set up different bids for many parameters in your campaign (creative, publisher, site).

Scaling Strategies: Main Directions​

The most important indicator for scaling is positive ROI.

There are 3 main directions on which you can scale:

• on one ad network;
• on other push ads networks;
• when you switch to push ads format from another traffic type.

Top experts’ tips on scaling:

1. Eliminate low-performing segments of your campaign before scaling.
2. If you see that your daily budget is not spent, increase a bid to capture as much traffic as possible.
3. Try to scale in a prior prepared list of other ad networks. Apply the same creatives and campaign settings.
4. First, try to scale vertically in one network and then add horizontal scaling in other networks.

Top popular verticals for 2021​

RichAds experts have already made predictions on top verticals in 2021.

• Antivirus
• Crypto
• Gambling
• Sweepstakes
• Betting

Register for RichAds Webinar to know even more trends for 2021 ​

Topic: "Gambling for PROs: Make A LOT MORE ROI on push traffic"
Date and Time: March 2, 15:00 GMT