Ways to Boost Your Pay-Per-Install Strategy & Full Definition

What is pay-per-install? Pay-per-install is a software monetization solution utilized by developers all around the world. And it’s popular because it works.

Here’s how:

Why Pay-Per-Install is Big Money for Developers

Pay-per-install programs work by presenting third-party offers and advertisements during the installation process. Users are given the option to install – or not to install – these programs. If a user chooses to install the third-party program, the developer earns money.

Each download represents an opportunity, and each conversion means money. It’s no wonder this monetization method has become so common: big downloads means big money. If you earn just $1 (and you can earn more) per conversion, then imagine how many downloads and conversions you need to bring in a decent stream of income each month.

How to Use Pay-Per-Install Software to Promote

Developers don’t just use the pay-per-install programs to monetize their software, they also use them to promote. The reason is simple: these pay-per-install networks offer up a qualified, targeted user base that gives developers a rich supply of conversions.

When you sign up as an advertiser, you give other developers the option to promote your software for you. This way, you pay the advertising costs, your software earns more exposure, and your business grows.

How to Grow with Pay-Per-Install Programs

When people convert on ads during the download and installation of your software, you earn money. But pay-per-install programs that are top-of-the-line – such as CodeFuel’s InstallFuel – give you full control over the installation process.

You have the ability to customize the installation funnel as you see fit. You can change everything from the advertisements to your logo to the text and the color scheme.

And a robust analytics platform gives you the ability to monitor your changes. What works stays, and what doesn’t goes. Optimizing your installation process as a conversion funnel allows you not only to boost your bottom line, but gives you insight into your customers’ minds.

The more you know about them and what they want, the better the user experience you can create for them, and the more money you can make.

Also, each time your program runs an upgrade, you have the option of requesting that users download the newest version. This, of course, means that they will go through the installation process again, which gives you more opportunity to monetize.

But why stop there?

One Income Stream among Many

Pay-per-install software is an excellent way to monetize a download and installation, but it doesn’t have to be your only monetization strategy. You probably want a way to capture and monetize users who don’t convert during the installation or upgrade process.

There are a few other monetization strategies that can be combined with pay-per-install programs.

To monetize users who are engaged with your software, consider in-app advertisements. These are ads that appear while people use your app. Banner ads, display ads, text ads, interstitial ads, and video ads are examples of in-app advertisements. The more relevant they are and the better they blend with your app’s environment, the better they’ll convert. You want users to stay engaged with your app, however, so strike a balance between an engaging app and engaging ads.

In-app purchases work…sometimes. Not all monetization methods work as well as others, and in-app purchases don’t have the greatest track record. Also called the freemium model, in-app purchases have a low conversion rate. But when they do work, they can work well, since you can dictate the prices of the in-app purchases.

Charging for your app. This method isn’t very popular, and it probably won’t go over very well if you charge people for your app and then present them with pay-per-install offers. Then again, rules are made to be broken, and there is a first time for everything.

Which brings us to the last point…

Test and Optimize

The analytics mentioned earlier are the best source of information you have on how you can improve your conversion funnel.

Here is what you should test and optimize in your conversion funnel:

Offers – The offers you present to your users are important. Switch out one offer at a time and see how the results fare.

Presentation – Though the offers are important, the presentation is equally as important. Change the wording of each offer, what images you use, and whether or not you use the opt-in or opt-out method.

Brand – Your brand also impacts conversion rates and the customers’ feelings about your company. A simple color change or logo switch can have a big impact on your results.

Keep track not only of your total revenue and your total completed downloads, but watch where people abandon your funnel so you can see what you did wrong.

Pay-per-install software presents a fantastic monetization opportunity for any developer. And since programs such as InstallFuel are so easy to use, you can get started making money in just a few hours. 

Simplify Your Software Distribution with These 4 Tips

Developing software that your business clients can use is one of the best ways to provide value for them and to establish yourself as a valuable resource or authority in your industry. The software doesn’t have to be a huge, comprehensive suite. It just needs to provide a specific solution to a specific problem in order to be successful.

Developing your software is just stage one of the process. You also need to develop a marketing and distribution plan to drive sales and ensure your success. Here are a few tips for how to make software distribution easier and help meet your sales goals:

Use an Installer

Downloading software can be a laborious process – more so the larger the software package is. Clients may lose their patience with the process if the download takes too long or uses up too many resources on their computers. This can lead to a bad reputation for your software, which can hurt sales and hurt your overall business.

Using an installer can help you make the process easier and speed up the pace of the download. In doing so, the installer will increase the completion rates for your downloads. Tools like InstallFuel provide these benefits and also allow you to monetize your software.

You can display special offers during the installation process, either for your other products or for products and services from advertisers. The installer is customizable so you can get the look you want for it and can make it display what you like during the download process.

Sign Up for a Browser Extension

Browser extensions can be powerful advertising tools. People download them to make searching the Internet a bit easier while they are online.

However, they can also display special offers during the installation process or during regular use. If you sign up as an advertiser, you can get more exposure for your software. If your software can be downloaded online, the browser extension can also encourage more downloads.

Explore the available options to sign up with a browser extension that will reach your target clients.

Signing up for the right extension can make all the difference to your success. Research thoroughly and read reviews from other businesses.

Check the stats on users and their demographic information.

Create a Bundle Deal

A great way to increase downloads of your software is to bundle it with other programs or apps. You can do this by creating a partnership with another company. It’s best not to approach your direct competitors for this partnership. Instead, focus on those that offer complementary services.

For example, if your software helps businesses handle project management, you might approach a company who offers software for record keeping or payroll (if that’s not included already in your software package).

By partnering with another company, you get more traffic and customers thanks to the exposure and reputation that the company already gets.

By creating the bundle, you also encourage more downloads by making the software available at a discount. Just be sure that you’re using an installer to make the download process fast and efficient.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a great way to increase software distribution. By offering affiliates a commission for software sales, you gain access to a large network of promoters. The better the commission you offer, the more advertisers will agree to promote your product.

Find the sweet spot where you can offer the largest commission while also retaining the margin you need to stay profitable.

Sign up for large affiliate marketing sites to gain access to the largest number of advertisers.

Create professional marketing materials for those advertisers to create brand consistency and to make it easier for them to get the results you need.

Make sure your site is optimized for sales so that you can convert the traffic that is sent your way. The better the affiliate marketing program you create, the more downloads you will get and the more successful you will be.

Software development and distribution can be a successful branch of your business.

With the right software, you can raise your business profile and generate significant revenue.

Creating the right marketing strategy is essential if you want to maximize the potential for your software. In addition to the usual methods – such as content marketing, e-mail campaigns, search engine optimization and social media marketing – you can take advantage of these tools to drive downloads and make the distribution process a little easier.

An installer can help speed the download process and increase completion rates, and browser extensions, bundle deals and affiliate marketing programs can help you increase download rates. Don’t limit your efforts to only one of these.

Take advantage of all the tools available to you to create a multi-pronged strategy and maximize your results.

5 Ways to Monetize Your Software

Creating your own software isn’t just a great challenge. It can also be a super way to grow your revenue stream. This is true whether your business is to create software for other businesses, or if you’ve just created a single software package to complement other services. While much of your revenue may come from sales of that software, why not increase your profits by monetizing your software.

Think of it as the cherry on the cake, the whipped cream on your hot chocolate, or the
Much like monetizing your website or app, there are many ways to make money from software. Here are just a few ideas on how you can monetize your software:

Customizable Installer

You’d be surprised. The software installation process presents several opportunities for monetization. For example, you can create or purchase a custom installer that will show your customers different offers during the installation process. These offers could include other software products or special discounts on related products or services.

The installer you create or customize could promote your own products or services, helping you to boost your overall revenue. The installer could also promote other products and services for which you earn a flat fee or commission when customers click on the links or purchase items through the links.

Your customers are just staring at their screens while they’re waiting for the software to download.

Why not take advantage of this opportunity to show them products that might benefit them and earn profit for you? Think of it as a win-win situation, one in which you earn money while your users stave off boredom.

Browser Extensions

One of the things that people can include when they download your software is a browser extension. You have likely such offers yourself many times when downloading new software. In many cases, you have to uncheck a box in order to prevent the download of the browser extension with the software.

You can actually make money with these types of browser extensions, and there are a couple of ways of doing so. Some people will pay you to include their browser extension because it allows them to gain tracking data that they can use for advertising.

Others will simply pay you for the number of clicks the extension generates. Explore your options to find out which makes the most sense for you.

Search Boxes

You can include search boxes right in your software, or you can make them part of a browser extension. Like browser extensions, search boxes can be used to track data for advertising insights, or they can pay you out based on the number of clicks or purchases that they generate.

You can create your own search boxes then install the advertiser’s tracking code, or you can use a box provided by a company that puts you in touch with advertisers. The latter option takes care of all the heavy lifting for you.

Bundle Deals

Including your software in a bundle package creates a better deal for your customers and makes more money for you. Partner with other businesses who offer complementary products, and include your software and theirs in a package deal. Customers will likely save money by downloading both at once. This will encourage more people to buy the bundle, increasing your revenues. Just think of it as a 2-for-1 stall on your installs.

Earn two bundle incomes with one install.

You may also be able to make money from the other business using this strategy. If your site or your business is popular enough, other businesses may pay you for the opportunity to partner with them. They will get more exposure for their product, and you will make money on the bundle deal.

In-Software Advertising

There are plenty of places you can include advertising in your software. And though these ads may not generate as much interest as the annual Super Bowl commercials, they can still boost your bottom line. And really, that’s what we’re looking for here.

Ads can appear during transitions. They can show up when the software is started. They can be placed on a sidebar, a header or a footer. They can even appear in text in the software. Where you place the advertising just depends on the functionality of your software. The ads should be unobtrusive, and they should be relevant to the user.

You can sell ads during the development phase of your software, or you can include code that allows you to update the ads continually. When you update the software, you can update the ads being displayed. This gives you opportunities to continue to present users with relevant ads, no matter how long they have had your software.

Most people focus on sales of their software when they are thinking about the revenue they can make from it. However, this is short-sighted. While software sales can surely bring in a lot of money, there are many other ways to make money from software. You can include browser extensions, search boxes or in-software advertising.

You can create bundles or custom installers. You could even take advantage of all of these opportunities. The only limit, really, is your own creativity. Think about the types of partnerships you can develop and what kind of audience you are targeting. Explore the full range of options to discover which strategies work best for your business and your software.