Your game is ready for release, and it looks great. Now you need to find ways to attract users to download and play it, so you are planning your marketing campaigns. With games as with anything else, it’s all about the visuals you provide, so how can you create your best, most engaging content? Here are our top tips to making your creatives more engaging.

Set a clear goal. When you know what you want to achieve with your creatives, you have a great place to start. Define the engagement you want, who you want to engage with, and where, and the rest of the detail will fall into place.

Show, don’t tell. Some wise person once said ‘a picture tells a thousand words’, and that was never more true than today. Images engage far more than words, so in order to engage users with your campaign, make sure that your images tell the story first, and your words back it up for the more curious.

Think mobile-first. People spend 70% of their internet time browsing from their phones. They browse when they are waiting for the bus, standing in line for food, or even when they want a break during the workday. This is a great time to catch their eye with a creative that is perfectly formatted to mobile.

Videos perform better than still images. The movement catches the eye and keeps it there. The video itself gives you more time to convey a message or story. Consider using videos whenever you can. Even if you don’t want to create a video, you can add movement to your images to engage with your audience.

Be clear with your call to action (“CTA”). All your creatives will lead up to that final button which you want people to press, and you want to make it very very clear to people what you want them to do from the very start.

Tell a story. Whether you have one image, a carousel, or a video, make each of your creatives tell a story that will engage your users in whichever way you want. Make them laugh or cry, pique their interest, or remind them of something they used to really like.

Finally, have fun with your creatives. Passion shows through, and will engage users simply because it is fun.

Images are arguably the most important part of every creative. Far more people will engage with the image than the copy on or around it. So your task is to design images that pop and make people stop and engage with it.

With this in mind, we pulled together some basic tips for each and every creative you design.

Keep it simple. You want to get the message across in the time it takes the eyes and the brain to take one look. Too much detail and the average viewer will miss most of your message. Simplicity also gives you scope to do much more with color, line, or style.<//li>
Use color wisely. You want to grab attention, but not in a bad way. You don’t need me to tell you that color is an essential part of every design and that your color choices will influence how people engage with your creatives. But I said it anyway because it can never be said enough.
Choose high-quality images. Nothing will ruin your campaign more than an image that is of poor quality, doesn’t scale well to different size screens, or is clearly not fit for purpose.
Keep it recognizable/ relatable. You only have a second or two to get your message across, so make sure that the content of the image immediately spells out your message. Keep it relevant to what it is you are trying to promote – for example, a person running might not deliver the message you are looking for in a creative about a puzzle game.
Use clean fonts. You have the power to transform the words written on the ad into something that catches people’s eye and encourages them to act, so use that power carefully. Clear, easy to read fonts rule, but you should also use fonts that stand out, make a statement as much as the words it spells out.

When it comes to that first moment of engaging someone with your product, make sure your words are relevant, to the point, short, friendly

When it comes to copy, there is really one rule that matters – less is more.

Seriously. Keep your texts short and simple, friendly, direct, and to the point.

Given the lack of space you have to show off your vocabulary, remember to stick to these rules to create copy that adds to the overall impact of your creative.

Talk like a real person. In recent times I have not had the fortune to converse with an associate who recently perused an entire dictionary and wishes to demonstrate their expanded vocabulary. Have you?

Tl;dr: Write your copy as you would chat in real life.

Make it easy to read. You want people to read it, so make it easy for them.

Be precise. You don’t have a lot of space, so don’t use unnecessary words.

Be grammatically correct. Lack of space does not mean that grammar doesn’t matter. It always matters. Poor grammar can make it difficult for users to understand the message you are trying to convey.

Getting the right creative is a science, not an art.

At Liniad we are dedicated to creating visuals that engage with your core audience – whoever that audience may be. Our creative whizz kids work alongside our UA experts to design strategic creatives that are optimized for the best possible performance. Our work is never done as we design, test, analyze, and repeat.

So there we have it. If your app is already pulling in the results on a small scale, then there’s no reason why it cannot explode… you just need the tips, tricks, and know-how to do so- the above 4 tips should set you on your way. Remember though, the key to any successful campaign whether you are scaling or not, is strategy. Planning ahead, armed with the right data, is a strong best practice.

Be in touch to discover more about how Liniad can help you make engaging creatives time and time again.