1. Don’t Ask Right Away

This is widely disputed on whether an app should ask for push notification opt-in on the first open prior to the user experiencing the app. Take a step back as a developer or marketer and look at the user experience this is initially creating. It screams “Hey! You have no idea what this app does or why you should opt-in to receive all these notifications to your phone that interrupt your busy lives but please say yes!!!!!!!!!!!!”

By adding push notification opt-in into the flow of the first user experience (FUE) you start to create value for the user and develop the answer of why they should opt-in. RetailMeNot has a great non-intrusive way of doing this in their FUE that explains the benefits of opting in without an intrusive pop-up. 

2. Provide an Incentive

We’ve all experienced a pop-up on a website that has some great offer we can’t resist like a coupon or a great piece of content. Why shouldn’t this translate to push notifications on mobile?

Zynga’s Wizard of Oz Slots offers free in-game currency to prompt users to receive notifications.

By giving a user a reason to opt-in to receiving notifications you’re priming them that they’ll continue to receive great offers.

It might be harder to think of incentives for non-gaming apps but when push notifications are known to increase app engagement by 88% companies should dig deep. TheSkimm lets users tailor the notifications they want to receive with playful wording and Rent The Runway offers to notify customers when their order has shipped. Just like landing page pop-ups, incentives to opt-in don’t have to give away discounts or free product – they just need to open the door.

3. Ask Again!

There are countless reasons a user can decline to receive push notifications in the first user experience. Re-targeting engaged users who declined the initial push opt-in is a great way to increase conversion rates. Ask users who are over some milestone (D7 is a good one!) at a key moment within the app. What’s the key moment? This depends on your app’s category but asking after a daily bonus collection in a game, after making a purchase, or after a critical event are all great options.

Remember the user experience when designing these flows and to never stop testing.