How can you incentivize players to spend more and invite friends?

If you are a game developer, you know how challenging it is to make your game profitable and popular. You need to attract and retain players, encourage them to spend money on your game, and spread the word to their friends. How can you do that without being too pushy or annoying? In this article, we will share some tips and strategies on how to incentivize players to spend more and invite friends, based on game design, psychology, and marketing principles.

1 Offer value and variety

One of the most important factors that influence players' spending and sharing behavior is the perceived value and variety of your game. You want to offer players something that they feel is worth paying for, whether it is a premium feature, an exclusive item, a cosmetic upgrade, or a time-saving boost. You also want to offer players something that they feel is different from other games, whether it is a unique theme, a compelling story, a innovative mechanic, or a diverse content. By creating value and variety, you can increase players' satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth.

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2 Use rewards and incentives

Another way to motivate players to spend more and invite friends is to use rewards and incentives that are aligned with your game goals and mechanics. You can use rewards and incentives to create a sense of progress, achievement, competition, or socialization. For example, you can reward players for completing certain tasks, reaching certain levels, beating certain opponents, or joining certain events. You can also incentivize players to invite friends by offering them bonuses, discounts, referrals, or collaborations. By using rewards and incentives, you can stimulate players' curiosity, challenge, and cooperation.

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Abhilasha J.

All things dogs & social media | Community Manager | Digital
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To drive spending and referrals in gaming platforms, prioritize player engagement and community-building. Offer exclusive rewards, facilitate social interactions, host events for friendly competition, and actively listen to player feedback. These strategies are versatile and applicable across various game types, fostering a dedicated and enthusiastic player base.

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3 Balance scarcity and urgency

A third technique to persuade players to spend more and invite friends is to balance scarcity and urgency in your game design and marketing. You can use scarcity and urgency to create a sense of exclusivity, importance, or fear of missing out. For example, you can limit the availability of certain items, features, or offers to a specific time, quantity, or condition. You can also create urgency by adding countdowns, deadlines, or reminders to your game or communication channels. By balancing scarcity and urgency, you can influence players' decision-making, emotions, and actions.

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4 Provide feedback and recognition

A fourth method to inspire players to spend more and invite friends is to provide feedback and recognition that are relevant and meaningful. You can use feedback and recognition to create a sense of validation, appreciation, or belonging. For example, you can provide feedback on players' performance, progress, or preferences. You can also recognize players' achievements, contributions, or opinions. By providing feedback and recognition, you can enhance players' self-esteem, engagement, and advocacy.

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5 Test and optimize

A fifth and final tip to optimize your game monetization and marketing is to test and optimize your game design and communication strategies. You can use data and analytics to measure and evaluate your game performance, player behavior, and user feedback. You can also use experiments and surveys to test and optimize your game features, prices, offers, messages, and channels. By testing and optimizing, you can improve your game quality, user experience, and business results.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Scott Fine

Top Game Design Voice | Senior Game Systems Designer @ Skydance Int 🎮 Game Balance & Economy
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It’s easy to get hyper focused on incentivizing spend or inviting player’s friends to join. But rewards will not affect player spend or grow your player base unless your game is intrinsically rewarding and your core game is strong. 👯♀️Think of it this way, if your friend says lets sit down and have some cake, you’ll be more than happy to 🍰 You wouldn’t mind introducing them to your other friends 🚫 If someone you don’t like does the same, you’re not going to take them up on it 🍩 it’s important for players to have a good experience/opinion of your game 🍻 Once your core is strong, you can use referral bonuses, login bonuses, upsells, rotating stores, bundles, liveops events, etc to incentivize spenders and expand to their friends

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How can you incentivize players to spend more and invite friends?

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1 Offer value and variety

2 Use rewards and incentives

3 Balance scarcity and urgency

4 Provide feedback and recognition

5 Test and optimize

6 Here’s what else to consider

Game Development

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How can you incentivize players to spend more and invite friends?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Offer value and variety

2 Use rewards and incentives

3 Balance scarcity and urgency

4 Provide feedback and recognition

5 Test and optimize

6 Here’s what else to consider

Game Development

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