Monetizing a European tap-to-earn clicker game (1.5M MAU) inside Telegram Mini Apps — $18,357 in revenue over a 20-day test, 3.5x the initial $5,000 target.
The task
By the start, the advertiser had confirmed demand but no controllable volume. The task was to monetize a European tap-to-earn clicker (1.5M MAU) inside Telegram Mini Apps, initially targeting $5,000 in revenue over the test.
We worked the "Publisher Monetization" vertical in the Multi-geo (Europe) market. Payment model — RevShare from ad network, main sources — Telegram Mini Apps.
How we did it
The setup was built sequentially, testing hypotheses on small budgets.
- Chose a rewarded, push-like format from the network's four supported native formats — one built into the game's existing UX rather than glued on top of it.
- Placed banners in the rewards section and centered on screen, never blocking gameplay, with creative rotation every 8 seconds.
- Fully matched the ad visuals to the game's color and typography system.
- Integrated the format with a single script, no backend rework needed.
What went wrong
Not everything went according to plan. The initial $5,000 test target assumed that even a simple clicker is hard to monetize well if the ad experience feels forced on top of the game.
A rewarded, opt-in format customized for a native game feel (placement, rotation, visual match) consistently outperformed anything that felt forced, driving revenue far past the initial target.
The result
Here are the final numbers for the buying period. Over the twenty days: revenue — $18,357, test period — 20 дней, vs target — 3.5x.
Over the 20-day test, the campaign generated $18,357 in revenue — 3.5x the initial $5,000 target — with peak daily revenue above $900 and an average RPC of $0.0227.
What we took away
- Even a simple clicker can be monetized well if the ad experience is customized for a native game feel instead of served as generic inventory.
- Rewarded, opt-in formats consistently outperform formats that feel forced on top of gameplay.
- Integrating the ad SDK with a single script, without backend rework, lowers the technical barrier to testing monetization.
These numbers belong to one specific setup, geo, and buying period. Economics will differ on another offer or in another season — we always recalculate them before launch.