How Ads Helped Earn $180+ Per Day and Boost User Retention for A Mini App? [Case Study]

So you’re skeptical about monetization because you think ads drive users away? Not in this case – it’s a perfect example of how Telegram Mini App ads actually helped developers boost user retention and LTV.

Let’s see what the Billion Zombies team did to make it work.

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About the Project

Billion Zombies is a mini game on Telegram built on the TON blockchain. The gameplay is simple enough: a user defends their base from zombie waves, upgrades weapons, and hires heroes.

As most Telegram mini apps, it has specific earning mechanics: you earn in-game currency – $Zombie coins, get access to exclusive digital assets, and an airdrop pool.

The team is actively promoting the game through its official Telegram channel and Twitter. They attract new players and keep the community engaged with regular updates and challenges – including real prize contests:

And, of course, they monetize it with various kinds of ads.

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How to Earn from Zombies (No Shovels Needed)

Billion Zombies uses a hybrid monetization model that mixes ads and in-game rewards.

• Ad placements inside the interface: small pinned icons that promote other apps or games.

• Monetag Rewarded Interstitials and Popups: players can watch ads inside the game shop to grab a few extra coins and diamonds. See these ‘Free’ buttons? When a user taps one, they either see an interstitial ad or jump straight to an offer, depending on the ad format behind it:

Check out this post to get the difference between a Rewarded Interstitial and a Rewarded Popup:

• Monetag In-App Interstitials: short full-screen ads that appear naturally between levels or during loading screens.
• In-game purchases: diamonds, coins, and extra weapons can be purchased for real money, too.

So yes, as you see, it may seem like a lot of ads. Does it ruin the user experience, though? After testing the game, we can share a subjective take: not really. The ads appear naturally, don’t take too much time, and sometimes show pretty interesting offers. But that’s a kind of a personal look, but what do the numbers say? 

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How Ads Made Everything Better…

…And helped app owners earn, and at the same time, retain new players. 

This became possible thanks to the wise strategy:

• The team purchased traffic exclusively from the GEOs where Monetag CPM is the highest
• The same goes for paying users: they targeted regions where people are more likely to spend money
• They didn’t overwhelm players with ads. The game showed up to 30 impressions per day, and only at natural and logical moments: during revival, when giving rewards, or when rare items appeared

As a result, ads didn’t interfere with in-app purchases; instead, both models (In-App Purchases and In-App Advertising) grew in parallel. Players also didn’t mind much: the complaint rate was under 0.3%.

And here are the earnings themselves — straight from the Monetag stats:

Total earnings for 4 months:

And detailed statistics per day:

What else happened?

• Player retention rates grew. Before, players were leaving quickly: only 28% stayed on day 1, 10% on day 7, and just 3% by day 30.  After adding the ‘watch an ad to get a rare item’ mechanic, the numbers improved — 39% stayed the next day, 15% on day 7, and 6% after a month.

• The LTV of free users expanded. About 80% of users never make purchases, but thanks to ads, they can keep playing longer — earning free items simply by watching short ads. In the mid and late stages of the game, they’re gradually offered paid features: time-limited skins, monthly passes, and growth funds. So, ads gently guide free players toward spending.

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To Sum It All Up

As the app owners said – 

So, it’s not just about showing ads — it’s about how you show them.

When ads feel natural and don’t disturb players, they actually make the game better. That’s exactly what Billion Zombies proved — and what you can try too with Monetag.