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Global·66d ago
Startup Guides
Free
When to Add Ads to Your App (And When Not To)
What you'll learn The 3 criteria that make ad revenue viable, why 90% of founders shouldn't touch ads, and the alternatives that make more money. Why it matters Ads look easy but destroy user experience and rarely earn enough. Understanding when they work saves you from a bad decision. The playbook 1) Ads work if — You have >100K DAU, users spend >5 min/session, and content is casual (games, memes, news). 2) Ads fail if — You have <10K DAU (too little to matter), users are B2B/professional (ads look cheap), or your value = ad-free experience. 3) Realistic revenue — ₹0.30-₹2 per 1000 impressions in India (way lower than US). 100K DAU × 5 impressions/day × ₹1 CPM = ₹15,000/day = ₹4.5L/month. 4) Better alternatives — Pro subscription (Ideas Mine model), one-time unlocks, in-app purchases, affiliate revenue, sponsored content. 5) If you must — Google AdMob (mobile), Google AdSense (web). Avoid ad networks that don't pay in India (many). 6) Rule — Add ads AFTER Pro conversion, never before. Ad revenue should be <30% of total revenue for healthy business. Common mistakes Adding ads to boost bad revenue (bandaid). Full-screen interstitials (users uninstall). Ads on paid users (they feel cheated). Next action Calculate your realistic ad revenue with the CPM math above. If it's <₹50K/month, skip ads and focus on paid tier.