Push Notifications: Best Practices & Tips from 2023

Push notifications are a way to get your message in front of customers when they might be most receptive. Because of the high quality of traffic that marketers receive from this ad format, it has grown to become a favorite of many affiliates.

There is an art and science behind getting people to click on a notification from your app or platform within a few seconds of receiving it and to take action when they do.

So to start 2023 with a bang, we’ve put together a list of push notification tips and examples to help you craft the perfect push notification ads for your affiliate offers. Let’s get started!

1. Utilize User-Generated Images

One of the easiest ways to boost click-through rates for your push notification ads is by using user-generated images. Instead of using a generic image, why not employ an image that seems like it’s been taken by an amateur? It gives the impression that the message came from a real person.

People like to see images they can relate to, and not sterile images that seem like something out of a stock photo gallery.

Although you may think an image of a person with two thumbs up will do (for example), don’t be afraid to try something that’s more controversial or edgy. This way, you’ll know which works better and which doesn’t work at all.

2. Avoid Complicated Images

If you’re using user-generated (or stock photos, if you can’t help it) make sure these are not overly polished or edited. Avoid adding text to the image. It’s going to be too small after all, your audience will have difficulty reading it!

Also, use images that don’t look too complicated or have multiple subjects. After all, the image size in push notification ads is just 192 by 192 pixels. An image that contains too many details will only confuse. The simpler the image, the better.

Making these changes with the images you use will not only help to increase click-through rates but will also help to improve your conversion rates.

3. Test Icons

One of the best practices for push notifications is to test various images. But aside from the usual, why not try simple images such as icons. Icons are a great way to catch your users’ attention and can be very effective in increasing click-through rates.

They are simple enough and deliver the message across immediately, especially if the icon you use is familiar. If you’re using a familiar icon in your ad, users will be able to associate it with the product or service you offer.

One of the most common icons used are the following:

• android robot,
• a message notification icon,
• a danger icon,
• the bitcoin icon,
• the 18+ logo (indicating ad for grown ups, in the ad networks where they allowed),
• missed call icon.

4. Use Emojis in Your Ad Heading

Adding an emoji in your ad heading can also increase click-through rates. Why not try adding an emoji that’s relevant to your product or service?

For example, if you’re promoting a dating offer, you could use the kisses and hearts emoji 😘💖. You can also use money-related emojis 🤑 💲 💰 for offers such as casinos, cryptocurrency, sweepstakes, and loans.

You can do anything with emojis as they convey subtle messages. If people can easily understand what your emoji means, even better! The point is, try to use relevant emojis that are widely used by your target audience. Or try to make sure the emoji can easily be related to the promotion.

Just make sure to keep it simple and relevant to your product or service. You don’t want to take the focus away from the offer and confuse your audience too much.

You don’t also have to rely on emojis to send a meaning — they can just be there to add a personality to the ad.

Evaluate your push notification scenarios and see whether an emoji can help or not. Better yet, split test your creatives (as is always a big part of push notification best practices). If you have 10 creatives, use emojis on two or three of them to better evaluate whether they can work for your campaign or not.

5. Use Power Words in Your Ad Title and Description

Using power words is another one of our best practices for publishers to get users to click on your push notification ad. These are words that have a lot of emotion and can easily persuade people to take action. Plus, they immediately deliver the intent of the ad.

Power words are often persuasive and can help to increase click-through rates. Instead of using ordinary words, why not choose ones that are more compelling?

For example, instead of saying “click on this ad” or “now available,” you could use something like “urgent offer” or “limited time only.” The first words will make it less interesting while the latter will immediately catch people’s attention.

Here are some power words you might want to try when learning how to write a push notification that performs well:

You can also use words such as “start,” “join,” and “download” to get users to start or join your offer.

However, a good notification ad should have words that are related to the landing page to ensure consistency. If you don’t make your own pre-lander and the advertiser has its own, check the landing page and see the power words used there.

6. Add a Sense of Urgency in Your Ad Title and Description

Adding a sense of urgency is another way to get users to click on your push notification ad. People don’t like to feel like they’re missing out on something, so adding a sense of urgency can help encourage them to take action.

The goal is to make people feel that they’re missing out on something great if they don’t do something right now.

Another way to create a sense of urgency is by adding a time limit. This will show users how much time is left before the offer expires. You won’t need an actual timer in your image since push notification ads don’t allow the use of videos and GIFs. You can simply state the amount of time remaining for the user to take advantage of the offer. You can add the timer on the landing page.

One of the best push notification examples for urgency is this ad below:

Just make sure that you’re not being too pushy with your urgency tactics and that you’re still providing value. You don’t want to just send annoying notifications that will only piss users off.

7. Mind Your CTR and Win Rate

When it comes to push ads, it’s not all about the creatives and content. Sometimes, you need to look behind the scenes, too, such as data.

The Click-thru Rate and the Win Rate are two of the most important metrics in push notification marketing. The Win Rate tells you how much of the available traffic or impressions you are getting based on your bid. If you want to win more ad spots, you need to increase your bid to get a better Win Rate. To get clicks, you need to get your ads out there!

Now, CTR works hand in hand with the Win Rate. If you work with an ad network that charges on a CPC basis, then the network will only earn from you once a user clicks on your ad. If you have a low CTR, chances are the network will reroute the traffic to someone else whose ads perform better. This will then affect your Win Rate, which means fewer people will see your ads.

If you want to be able to get more traffic and earn more, you need a competitive bid, better targeting, and of course, a variety of ad creatives to test!

8. Check the Days of the Week

To get the most out of your notification campaigns, you need to start off by thinking long-term, not just short-term. Remember that push notifications are a powerful marketing channel that works best in the context of providing value and solving problems for people at specific times in their day or week. 

Generally speaking, people are more likely to take action on push notifications on weekdays than on weekends. However, there are always exceptions to this rule. For example, entertainment-related ads perform best from Thursdays to Sundays because of the weekend.

Again, you will have to run tests to find the best converting days and set your dayparting.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level with less effort or want help implementing these principles into your current campaign, let us know! With our team of experts on board, we’ll be able to create the perfect marketing plan that is tailored specifically towards driving sales and subscriptions.

And if you’re running ads on your own, use these push notification guide to level up your conversions in 2023.

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