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Advertising
What to Fix Before Spending Another Robux on Ads
Ads amplify the experience that already exists. They do not repair it.
Advertising is a multiplier. Put a good first session behind it and you gain players. Put a confusing, slow or broken one behind it and you pay for a larger number of people to leave. This checklist is for the period before spending, or before spending more.
1. Onboarding
- Can a new player say what to do within the first thirty seconds, without help?
- Is the first goal visible on screen?
- Is there a reward early, before explanation ends?
- Have you watched at least a few people who never played, in silence?
2. First-session experience
- Are you logging the steps in the first session?
- Do most players reach the core loop once?
- Which step has the largest drop, and do you know why?
- Does the game open quickly, without long menus before play?
3. Retention
- Do you know D1 and D7 for recent cohorts, and how they have moved?
- Do you know what returners do that others do not?
- Is there a visible reason to come back at the end of a session?
4. Crashes and errors
- Are errors logged and reviewed?
- Do crashes cluster on certain devices or actions?
- Are known bugs in the first session fixed?
5. Performance
- Does it run acceptably on lower-end phones, which ad traffic often uses?
- How long does it take to load and become playable?
- Does it hold up when the server is full?
6. Monetisation
- Do you know what players can buy and when they first see it?
- Does the first purchase feel fair, not forced?
- Do you have a rough view of what a player is worth, so you can judge a cost per player?
7. Analytics
- Can you split results by traffic source and creative?
- Can you compare paid and organic players?
- Have you written down what result means continue and what means stop?
8. Ad and game match
- Does the creative show something a new player can reach quickly?
- Is the first minute consistent with what was promised?
- If the ad shows a rare or late item, does the game say how to get it?
Reading the result
| If these fail | Then |
|---|---|
| Onboarding, first session, crashes | Fix before any spend |
| Retention, performance | Fix or at least test with a small budget first |
| Analytics | Fix before spend, otherwise results cannot be read |
| Monetisation | Can often be improved alongside small spend |
| Ad and game match | Change the creative or the game, then retest |
Then start small
Begin with a modest, controlled test. Compare qualified plays, retention and playtime. Scale only when the post-click numbers are sound.
More on weak campaigns in Your Ads Are Working. Your Game Isn’t. and on when to pause in How to Know When to Stop Advertising a Roblox Game.