You’ve invested time, money, and energy into building your app — but what happens after the download?
If users aren’t sticking around, your growth is stalling.
Truth is: acquiring users is only half the battle. If they churn after one session, your growth flatlines.
We’ve helped companies across mobility, shopping, health, and fintech transform app installs into loyal, high-LTV users — not with gimmicks, but with strategies that actually work inside the app.
This guide breaks down 17 proven in-app marketing strategies, with examples, data, and real-world results.
We’re REPLUG, a Berlin-based app marketing agency specializing in OEM marketing, paid user acquisition, ASO, tracking and analytics, and more.
Contact us today if you’re looking for expert solutions to promote your app and scale through mobile marketing.
What Is In-App Marketing?
In-app marketing refers to targeted marketing activities that happen inside the app environment to engage users, guide them through key features, and improve user retention.
Unlike mobile app marketing, which focuses on user acquisition through external channels like social media, paid ads, or influencer marketing, in-app efforts begin after the download.
They achieve the same objective — driving growth — but the approach differs due to platform constraints.
For example, mobile messaging (like push notifications) must be concise, or users may perceive it as spam. In contrast, web-based messaging can be more elaborate.
Additionally, the app marketing funnel is usually faster — going from awareness to acquisition and conversion — while the web funnel focuses more on nurturing and gradually guiding the user to retention.
The goal of in-app marketing? Keep active users engaged, improve the user experience, and ultimately boost conversion rates.
Whereas a typical mobile app marketing strategy might include ASO, email marketing, or landing pages, in-app marketing is more focused on real-time, contextual messages, prompts, and interactive elements that support the user journey.
How In-App Marketing Differs from Mobile App Marketing
While both aim to grow your app, they operate at different stages of the user journey:
Mobile App Marketing
In-App Marketing
Focuses on acquisition
Focuses on retention and engagement
Happens outside the app (ads, ASO, etc.)
Happens inside the app
Includes tactics like paid UA, influencers, ASO
Includes walkthroughs, tooltips, and prompts
Targets new users and awareness
Targets active users and usage patterns
Funnel stage: Awareness & Acquisition
Funnel stage: Activation, Retention, Referral
These two work hand in hand — but in-app marketing is often the missing link between user acquisition and long-term growth.
Why You Need an In-App Marketing Strategy in 2025
With the app market more saturated than ever, grabbing a user’s attention isn’t enough. You need to keep it. An effective in-app marketing strategy helps bridge the gap between app installs and long-term retention.
In-app marketing tactics can reduce churn and increase lifetime value.
Given the increasing cost of mobile user acquisition, in-app retention efforts are no longer optional — they’re essential.
According to REPLUG, after just three months, only 1.7% of users remain active. That’s why modern customer relationship management (CRM) plays a central role in app growth strategies.
The aim is to engage users wherever they are — with real-time, personalized messaging — to forge stronger bonds and drive higher retention.
How In-App Marketing Fits into the Mobile App Marketing Funnel
Awareness (e.g., through social media marketing or paid campaigns)
Acquisition (via ASO, landing pages, or referral incentives)
Activation (first key actions inside the app)
Retention (ongoing engagement and value delivery)
Revenue & Referral (monetization + growth loops)
In-app marketing sits squarely in the Activation, Retention, and Referral stages, helping move users deeper into the funnel.
17 In-App Marketing Strategies That Work (Backed by Experience)
These aren’t theoretical — they’re based on campaigns REPLUG has run across industries like fitness, finance, mobility, and shopping apps.
1. Optimize Your Landing Page to Drive User Acquisition
Before in-app tactics can work, users need to get inside the app. Optimize your landing page with:
Social proof (testimonials, ratings, logos)
Clear benefits over features
Trust signals and concise copy
2. Personalize the User Journey for Different Personas
Use welcome screens and in-app data to understand user personas and demographics. Then customize experiences with relevant walkthroughs, messages, and CTAs based on their goals.
3. Drive Feature Discovery with Checklists
Guide users through high-value actions using contextual checklists. Bonus: gamify them with progress bars or badges.
4. Replace Product Tours with Interactive Walkthroughs
Long, linear tours overwhelm. Contextual, step-by-step walkthroughs help users discover your app’s features while staying engaged.
5. Use Tooltips and Hotspots to Increase Daily Active Users
Like Grammarly, use UI patterns that nudge users toward sticky features. Help them find repeated value.
6. Implement Growth Loops to Attract Potential Users
Create viral loops with referral programs, social sharing, or user-generated content that brings in new traffic organically.
7. Gamify the Experience to Boost Retention
Celebrate user progress with animations, achievements, and visual feedback. Apps like Asana do this effectively to retain loyal users.
8. Announce New Features with In-App Modals
Use full-screen modals to combat feature blindness. Keep the copy benefit-focused with a clear call to action.
9. Prompt Upgrades with Contextual Tooltips
Show upgrade nudges when users hit limits or explore premium features. Context is key.
10. Improve In-App Messaging with an AI Assistant
Use tools to optimize copy for clarity, tone, and engagement. Keep in-app messages concise but impactful.
11. Trigger Review Requests to Drive Word-of-Mouth
Target promoters (via NPS) and use modals to request reviews. These organic endorsements build trust.
12. Educate Users with Embedded Micro Videos
Don’t send users elsewhere. Embed short, action-focused videos inside the app to support learning and reduce friction.
13. Create an In-App Resource Center
Offer searchable, categorized help content directly inside the app. Improve customer experience and reduce support load.
14. Give Limited-Time Access to Premium Features
Let users experience value before asking for commitment. This increases perceived ownership and upsell potential.
15. Collect Feedback with In-App Surveys
Use CSAT, NPS, and quick polls to gather insights. Act on the data to refine your marketing plan and improve functionality.
16. Publish Helpful, Educational Content
Use content marketing (like guides and thought leadership pieces) to build credibility and retain users.
17. Integrate In-App with Other Marketing Channels
Coordinate email marketing, push notifications, and CRM tools for unified messaging.
Action: CRM strategy with focused, multichannel messaging per user action
Result: Up to 150% increase in step-by-step conversions
How to Build a Winning In-App Marketing Plan
Audit your funnel and define KPIs
Segment users by behavior, demographics, and goals
Choose the right messaging channels: push, in-app, email, inbox
Personalize content using user data and A/B testing
Coordinate across devices and integrate with desktop if relevant
Measure campaign effectiveness and incremental value
Continuously optimize based on metrics, market changes, and user feedback
“A winning in-app marketing strategy starts with understanding the user journey—not guessing it. You can’t fix what you haven’t measured. That’s why we always start by analyzing the funnel, segmenting real behaviors, and testing what actually moves the needle.”
Lorenzo Rossi, co-founder at REPLUG
Conclusion
The most successful apps in 2025? Not the ones with millions of downloads — but the ones users keep coming back to.
In-app marketing is no longer a “nice-to-have” — it’s your edge. It bridges the gap between user acquisition and long-term retention, between curiosity and loyalty.
Whether it’s personalized walkthroughs, contextual nudges, or multichannel CRM strategies, what matters most is timing, relevance, and execution.
Need Help Driving Growth from Within Your App?
At REPLUG, we help brands turn their apps into marketing machines. From smart onboarding flows to high-performing in-app messages, our team knows how to engage, retain, and convert users — even in saturated markets.
Let’s talk about turning your app into a retention machine. Contact us.
FAQs
How to do in-app marketing?
Start by mapping your user journey and identifying drop-offs. Then implement contextual messages, walkthroughs, or gamified prompts to keep them engaged.
What are the benefits of in-app marketing?
It increases retention, supports upsells, boosts conversions, and improves the overall user experience.
What’s the difference between in-app and mobile app marketing?
Mobile app marketing includes acquisition tactics (e.g., ASO, ads), while in-app marketing focuses on engaging users after the download.
How can in-app marketing increase user engagement?
By surfacing the right messages at the right time, based on user actions or segments — increasing interactivity and stickiness.
What are effective in-app strategies for iOS and Android?
Personalization, contextual nudges, gamification, and education work well on both — with compliance to Google Play and Apple App Store guidelines.
