People love engaging with each other on the internet, and now they can even engage with their favorite brands. In a world where users are bombarded with countless ads every second, how do you stand out? Playable ads.

Playables are a valuable tool for marketers looking to engage their target audience in a unique and entertaining way. Whether it's a puzzle minigame, a choose-your-own-adventure experience, or a user-generated content concept, playables offer significant benefits. This guide will help you create the perfect playable.

1. Know What Motivates Your Audience

The first step is understanding what motivates your target audience. Playables are an opportunity to showcase standard gameplay or replicate an in-app experience. Focus on concepts that drive user engagement and create joyful moments.

Common motivators to jumpstart your brainstorming:

• Excitement

• Connection

• Challenge

• Success

• Escape

• Creation

• Learning

• Access

• Simplification

• Discovery

For example, if your app schedules tours for travelers, a "Choose Your Own Adventure" playable will tap into the excitement of discovery they are already seeking.

2. Understand Your Environment and Competition

Other businesses are trying to solve the same problems you are. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis and creative trend forecasting to inform your next concept.

Questions to consider about your competitors:

• What kind of ads do they put out?

• Which ads are their highest and lowest performing?

• What do their user reviews say?

• Are they trying anything fresh and different?

3. Skip the Fluff

A playable’s success is often determined in the first 2 seconds. You must grab attention immediately. Keep the first scene simple to maintain engagement.

Tips for a scroll-stopping playable:

• Avoid lengthy tutorials.

• Use emotion—how should the user feel?

• Use concise copy and personable tone.

• Make it intuitive so users can self-guide.

4. Test and Learn… and Test Again

Create A/B tests to understand what resonates. Even small changes like switching a color scheme or CTA can significantly impact performance.

When concepting, try three variations:

• The Safe Bet: Consistent with current brand standards.

• The Expected: Exactly what you think the audience wants.

• The Wildcard: Something totally different from your usual approach.

  
  

5. Tell Them Who You Are and Make the Ask

Maintain brand awareness by keeping your logo visible throughout the experience. Too often, brands forget to include logos, leaving users unsure who the ad was for.

💡 Quick tip: Keep your logo visible during each scene to stay top-of-mind.

Once users interact, make the ask. Add a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) like "DOWNLOAD NOW" to each scene. This makes it easy for users to take the next step whenever they are ready.

6. Deliver Seamless, Simple Mobile Experiences

You never know what device and angle your audience will see your playable from. You want your user experience to be seamless. So, act like a user and look at your playable on different devices and from different angles.

Ask yourself:

• How do assets format across all devices and orientations?

• What happens when I flip the device?

• Does the design resize to fit landscape and portrait?

Make it Easy

Next, make sure users know they can interact with your playable. You don’t want them to mistake them for videos! Consider using pointers, animations, or text to guide the user.

• Pointers - Guide the user to interact with a pointer finger or arrow

• Animations - Make a button feel like a button by adding an animation 

• Text - Add Simple text to guide the user

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You can also extend the hit areas to make interaction more user-friendly. Aim for large hit areas that are larger than the buttons. This will prevent frustration and increase user engagement.

Make Interaction Obvious

Use visual cues so users know they can interact and don't mistake the ad for a video:

• Pointers: Use a finger or arrow icon.

• Animations: Make buttons pulse or move.

• Text: Use simple guiding text like "Tap to Play."

7. Finish Strong with an End Card

The End Card is your final chance to drive acquisition. Remind users who you are and what the next step is.

Elements of a strong End Card:

• A prominent logo.

• An extra-large CTA button.

• A full-screen hit area (so any tap leads to the store).

• Motivating animations.

Let’s get creative. Interested in how CRAFTSMAN+ can help you build winning playable ads? With CRAFTSMAN Studio, you can personalize playables using ready-made templates or custom tools—no coding required!

Request a demo today.