Field note
Where rewarded video earns without cutting sessions
· rewarded video, placement
Rewarded video works when the player chooses the interruption. Forced interstitials after every level create fill, then churn. In our placement sessions we ask teams to mark natural pause points: after a failed attempt, before a cosmetic unlock, or at the end of a daily quest.
Count impressions per session against median session length. If rewarded starts appear more than twice in a short casual loop, ARPDAU may rise while day-seven retention softens. Publishers often notice the retention dip a month later and blame the creative set instead of the gate frequency.
Offer a clear reward copy on the button. Vague “watch for a bonus” labels underperform specific rewards like an extra life or a temporary boost. Specificity also helps you measure which reward types users actually claim.
Keep one control cohort without the new placement for at least one release cycle. Without that, you cannot tell whether a revenue bump came from the ad unit or from a coinciding UA push.
When in doubt, start with a single optional rewarded surface and measure claim rate before adding a second. Density is easier to raise carefully than to walk back after a store review wave.