High ROI of 180% from HilltopAds Popunder Traffic on VPN Offer

Last updated on May 16, 2024

Hello! We're continuing our traffic experiments in Canada. In our previous case targeting this GEO, we tried launching a Dating offer, but in today's scenario, the experiment revolves around one of the popular VPN (Virtual Private Network) verticals.

Let's get down to business!

Key Points

Offer: VPN
GEO: CA (Canada)
Traffic: Mainstream High and Medium Activity
Ad Format: Popunder mobile
Ad campaign period: 2 - 6 May
Revenue: $1,400
ROI: 180%

VPN (Virtual Private Network) programs have existed for a long time, but initially, they were only used by computer geeks. The situation changed after Edward Snowden revealed widespread government surveillance of its citizens in 2013. At that moment, VPN services skyrocketed in popularity.

Lockdowns, remote work, and online shopping have only added to their popularity over the past year.

What is a VPN offer?

This category of offers provides users with software or subscriptions to VPN services. To be precise, a virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The benefits of a VPN include increases in functionality, security, and management of the private network. It provides access to resources that are inaccessible on the public network and is typically used for telecommuting workers. Encryption is common, although not an inherent part of a VPN connection.

Strategy

In the previous case on Canadian traffic, we tested a bid of $1.7. The performance metrics and traffic volume were quite impressive. Therefore, in this case on the VPN vertical, we decided to lower the price and accept the proposed bid of $1.02. We'll provide more details on this in the campaign settings below.

Also, in our case, we decided to stick with the Popunder mobile ad format because we direct traffic to a fairly simple registration process, which we filter out from random users through a high-quality pre-lander.

A good pre-lander can attract more targeted traffic that can meet the advertiser's desires.

It's important to note that we've chosen mobile iOS traffic because VPN services aren't as popular for desktops.

Now, let's move on to a detailed breakdown of the GEOs.

Geography

Do Canadians use VPNs? Yes, quite actively. Canadians use VPNs to access American Netflix and other American video websites (Hulu or Disney Plus).

Furthermore, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada conducted a study in 2020 that found 87% of Canadian citizens worried about online privacy and the protection of their data. Due to antiterrorism laws in Canada, there's a considerable amount of cyber surveillance in the country.

That's why VPN services are in such demand in Canada and are considered an integral part of internet usage. VPN offers here elicit a very positive response.

And if you ever thought that launching VPN offers on Tier-1 and iOS requires exceptional mastery, then leave all doubts behind. Premium GEOs make campaigns riskier but also more profitable. Overall, traffic in Canada shows high conversion rates, and there's also a financially capable audience there.

Now we will show you the campaign settings in more detail ↓

Settings of the ad campaign and its Optimization at HilltopAds

Before launching an advertising campaign on HilltopAds, you need to register as an advertiser. You can register using this link.

Next, to create an advertising campaign, you need to:

Go to the Manage Campaigns section
Click the Add Campaign button
In the campaign creation section, select the Popunder mobile ad format
In the Traffic Channels section, choose Mainstream high and medium activity

Next, it's essential to set up the Postback to track the results of your ad campaign.

For a detailed description of working with Postback and the available placeholders, check out our guide.

In simple terms, for the final URL of the offer, we need to insert parameters to pass conversions and source IDs. The parameter for passing conversions is click_id, and the source ID is zone_id.

As a result, our Final Destination URL should look like this:

https://my_offer.net/?&click_id={{ctoken}}&s1={{zoneid}}

{{ctoken}} - HilltopAds parameter for passing conversions.
{{zoneid}} - HilltopAds parameter for passing source ID.

In general, you can add absolutely any parameter from the available options that is necessary for further campaign analysis. However, remember that it is essential to include the click_id parameter in the final link to pass conversions.

Next, we set the necessary targeting settings:

GEO - CA (Canada)
OS - iOS

You can also configure campaign filters and allow/disallow Proxy and WebView traffic from the campaign. However, in our case, for the VPN offer, we have included webview traffic:

Proxy - disallow
WebView - allow

WebView is software that opens a landing page with an offer within a mobile application. In other words, upon opening the application, users are directed to a single-page website with the offer.

We've made the decision to implement a daily budget limit for our advertising campaign on the HilltopAds platform. This strategic move is aimed at ensuring better financial control and maximizing the efficiency of our advertising spend.

To begin with, we decided to set a daily limit of $100:

Daily limit of the advertising campaign budget

If needed, you can also set campaign limits or display schedules. The final step before launching the ad is to specify the cost per thousand impressions (CPM). Here, we pay attention to the Traffic Volumes graph in the top left corner, which calculates premium, minimum, and recommended CPM rates.

We initiated the ad campaign with a bid of $1.02, based on the provided recommended CPM price.

Our advice: to test a new offer, start with the recommended CPM. This will show whether the offer is effective and whether the campaign needs optimization.

So, the key settings of the advertising campaign are as follows:

Ad format - Popunder mobile
Traffic Channels - Mainstream High and Medium Activity
Geo - CA
OS - iOS
CPM rate - $1.02

Optimization and intermediate results

We tested the campaign for exactly 2 days and were satisfied with the results. However, upon examining the screenshot statistics, we noticed certain areas where the cost per conversion is above $1.5:

Statistics of zones for 2 days from the Voluum tracker

This doesn't align with our objectives, so we decided to implement an Automatic Optimization tool and set the cost per conversion at $1.5, but no higher.

To learn more about the capabilities of automatic optimization with HilltopAds, you can check out the article on the website.

Auto Optimization is a tool for automatically adding non-performing traffic sources. Thanks to this feature, the HilltopAds system removes non-profit sources from your advertising campaign and adds them to the BlackList.

Results

After setting up the automatic optimization tool and for the remaining 3 days, the earnings percentage from the advertising campaign significantly increased. According to the statistics, over 5 days we achieved the following:

Total Costs (Revenue) - $500
Total Earnings (Profit) - $1,400.35
ROI (Return on Investment) - 180%

ROI is one of the key indicators in digital marketing that allows you to assess the profitability of an advertising campaign. In simple terms, ROI shows you the percentage of advertising investments that you have managed to recover through earnings from the ads.

The formula for calculating ROI is:
ROI = (total earnings - total cost) / total cost * 100%

In this case, the return on investment is 180%.

Net Profit

The net profit derived from the VPN offer launched on the HilltopAds platform illustrates compelling return on investment. With a total revenue of $1,400.35 and advertising expenses amounting to $500, the campaign yielded a net profit of $900. This underscores the effectiveness of the HilltopAds advertising network as a valuable platform for promoting offers such as VPN.

This emphasizes the effectiveness of the HilltopAds advertising network as a valuable platform for promoting offers such as VPN in Tier-1 countries.

Wrap-up

Here are some tips and a conclusion for launching VPN offer advertising in Canada:

Understand the audience. Given the rising popularity of VPN services among Canadians, it's essential to understand their motivations and concerns regarding online privacy and security. Tailoring your pre-lander to address these concerns can be highly effective.
Focus on benefits. Highlight the benefits of using a VPN, such as enhanced security, access to geo-blocked content, and privacy protection. Emphasize how VPN services can improve users' online experience and address their needs.
Choose the right ad format. Consider using Popunder mobile ad format, especially if you're directing traffic to a straightforward registration process. This format can effectively capture users' attention without disrupting their browsing experience.
Utilize pre-landers. Develop high-quality pre-landers to filter out random users and attract more targeted traffic. A well-designed pre-lander can increase the chances of conversions by aligning with the advertiser's goals and enhancing user engagement.
Target mobile iOS traffic. Since VPN services are more popular on mobile devices, especially iOS, focus your advertising efforts on this platform. Capitalize on the higher demand for VPN services among mobile users to maximize your campaign's effectiveness.

As always, we're delighted to offer you a promo code: CASEVPN. Just enter it when you make your first deposit of $100 or more at HilltopAds and you'll get an additional +10% bonus.

We hope this case study was helpful to you. If so, why not register with HilltopAds and start earning profits today?

Create a campaign!