Low Rewarded Video Engagement? Key Metrics Every IAA Game Developer Should Track

Many IAA game developers focus only on total ad revenue. But when your rewarded video CTR or completion rate starts dropping, that one number won’t help you find the cause.

This guide walks you through 8 essential metrics you should monitor to understand and optimize your ad performance—and keep your monetization strategy on the right track.

1. Key Metrics for Rewarded Ads (3)

1. Rewarded Impressions per DAU

Definition: How many daily active users actually watched an ad.
Use: Indicates ad exposure rate.
Optimization: Improve placement, visibility, and timing.

2. Ad Completion Rate

Definition: The percentage of users who watched the entire ad.
Use: Reflects ad relevance, reward appeal, and playback quality.
Optimization: Check ad content, reward clarity, and technical issues.

3. Rewarded Ad CTR

Definition: The % of users who clicked the ad trigger button.
Use: Measures how appealing and visible the ad trigger is.
Optimization: Improve CTA text, color, position.

2. Monetization Efficiency Metrics (3)

4. eCPM

Definition: Effective revenue per 1,000 impressions.
Use: Directly reflects ad value per view.
Optimization: Use high-eCPM networks (AdMob, Mintegral), set floor prices.

5. Fill Rate

Definition: % of ad requests that successfully return an ad.
Use: Indicates supply quality from ad networks.
Optimization: Use mediation to combine sources and increase fill.

6. ARPU

Definition: Average revenue per user per day.
Use: A holistic view of monetization performance.
Optimization: Improve user segmentation and tailor ad strategy.

3. Behavior & Churn Risk Metrics (2)

7. Day-1 Retention

Definition: % of users who return the day after their first session.
Use: Reflects initial gameplay appeal, which underpins monetization.
Optimization: Improve onboarding and first-session experience.

8. Ad Churn Rate

Definition: % of users who leave the app or uninstall after watching an ad.
Use: Identifies negative impact from ad experience.
Optimization: Avoid forced/accidental triggers, use exit confirmation.

4. Build Your Own Metric Dashboard

You don’t need enterprise-level BI tools. A small studio can track this combo:

📌 Tools like Firebase, AppsFlyer, or SolarEngine can help collect and visualize this data efficiently.

SolarEngine offers lightweight dashboards and monetization alerts, helping small teams monitor critical KPIs and detect revenue issues early—without heavy engineering investment.

Conclusion: Don’t Just Look at the Numbers—Act on Them

IAA games are like machines—and metrics are your dashboard. These numbers don’t just describe where you are; they tell you when to speed up, when to fix issues, and when to adjust strategy.

If your rewarded video performance drops, or ad revenue shrinks, don’t panic—go back to your key metrics and listen to what they’re telling you.