How to Turn Users into Loyal Fans

Is your current user acquisition approach the right one? With CPIs rising and ROAS stagnating being the reality of UA marketing in 2025, many UA leaders are exploring alternative approaches.

In truth, UA marketing is changing quickly and consistently, and the right method isn’t what you might be used to. It’s not enough to get new users anymore. You have to deliver strategies that turn those users into loyal fans.

Why are users becoming less valuable?

Complaints of users driving less value aren’t isolated. We hear them every day — in our survey of over 500 mobile game developers, 64% said today’s UA environment feels challenging.

Through deep discussions with our advertisers and UA colleagues, we can break down these challenges into three key realities UA marketers are facing today:

1. Ad costs are up, both on iOS and Android, meaning CPI is no longer a reliable metric for efficient user acquisition.

2. Performance isn’t what it used to be. ROAS is becoming harder to achieve, and predicting LTV is more difficult than ever.

3. Targeting has become a major issue with IDFA changes making it harder to understand user intent and interests. In our survey of over 500 mobile developers, 37% said the key UA challenge was performance measurement due to these new privacy regulations.

In the face of these realities, it’s clear: it’s time to rethink how we approach UA altogether. The kind of experience you offer matters more than who you show your ad to.

The shift to intent-driven advertising

A single ad isn’t enough to drive action. It takes more than impressions to drive engagement, and we need smarter, more strategic approaches to UA.

When we looked at the clients consistently achieving strong UA performance, we found three key patterns in common:

1. Diversified acquisition channels rather than relying on a single source. A mix of various formats, especially rewarded channels, broadens reach and impact.

2. The entire user funnel is optimised. From ad click to store landing pages and in-app events, every step is designed to minimise drop-off and improve conversion.

3. They adopt intent-driven strategies that focus on user motivation. Ask, “why should this user install the app?” The goal isn’t just an install though, it’s real, meaningful action.

Bringing in users is great, but what matters is what those users do next. UA is no longer about driving traffic, it’s about acquiring users who take action, engage, convert, and deliver value.

So how can you shift from a focus on merely acquiring users to developing a loyal community of fans?

Using rewarded UA to turn users into fans

You can drive the conversion of users into fans through rewarded UA, but not the old version of it!

Previously, users were told to install a certain app to earn points. This worked to an extent, but it had limitations for deep user engagement.

Now, things have changed. Today, the best rewarded UA only pays out when users take meaningful in-app actions that correlate with value driving metrics like completing a tutorial, logging in 3 days in a row, reaching level 25, or summoning a new hero.

This shift is driving stronger, action-based engagement, as well as higher value users. This benefits both sides. Users want rewards, and advertisers want results. Users engaging for rewards deliver higher value results for advertisers. 

So now, instead of casting a wide net, showing tons of ads, and driving up installs without clear targeting, we can create a mutual value exchange where users opt in, take intentional actions, and receive rewards in return.

This model creates a consensual interaction that feels natural to users and trackable for advertisers. Because every action is deliberate, you know exactly who engaged, how, and what outcome it drove.

This isn’t just speculation either. Rewarded UA actually works. In our survey of advertisers, 95% said they saw positive results from rewarded campaigns, and in our survey of players, high-value users ($500+ a month IAP) prefer rewarded as an acquisition method.

It’s not optional anymore. Rewarded is a performance-driven strategy that actually delivers. 

Key Takeaways

1. Rewarded UA is a proven growth engine. It isn’t an experiment anymore, it’s driving real, scalable growth across the industry.

2. Intent-driven UA converts user motivation into measurable performance and lasting value.

3. FOMO is real. Your competitors are already scaling. If you’re not in, you’re falling behind.

Deeply understanding rewarded UA and user intent is so much more important than simply acquiring users. It’s all about how well you reach high-intent users and design experiences that move them to act.

At the centre of that is rewarded UA, and the question is no longer whether you should use it, but how to leverage rewarded UA effectively to turn your game’s users into loyal fans.

If you’re interested in gaining a true fanbase for your app or game, get in contact with Almedia. Our best-in-class data platform allows us to truly and deeply understand user intent, meaning we can deliver you loyal, high-value fans.