The Ultimate Guide to In-App Events

In-App Events: A Game-Changer for User Engagement

Creating an exceptional product is just the first step in a crowded app market. The real challenge lies in maintaining user engagement after the initial download.

Successful in-app events start with a well-designed app that encourages ongoing interaction and adapts to user behavior. The goal is to sustain interest, improve retention, and turn brief interactions into lasting value.

This guide explores in-app events, their benefits for user engagement and visibility, and provides strategies for implementing them effectively while avoiding common pitfalls. With the right approach, your app can thrive long after launch.

What Are In-App Events?

In-app events are time-sensitive, interactive experiences such as limited-time offers, live content drops, seasonal campaigns, or feature spotlights. They are designed to re-engage users and drive measurable outcomes.

Delivered directly within your app and promoted through the App Store, they serve as a dynamic way to boost visibility, encourage repeat usage, and convert passive users into loyal customers.

These events are displayed on your product page, in search results, and within the Today, Games, and Apps tabs. They act as a marketing channel embedded in the App Store itself, allowing you to highlight important moments without releasing a new app version.

How In-App Events Drive Real Business Results

From flash sales to exclusive content releases, in-app events are versatile tools that help you meet users where they are—at the right time, with the right message.

They’re used to:

• Increase session frequency
• Promote new features
• Support product launches
• Drive seasonal engagement

Critically, they also play a role in App Store Optimisation (ASO), helping your app surface in search results and editorial placements.

High Impact, Low Lift: The Strategic Advantage of In-App Events

When implemented with purpose, in-app events offer a strong return on effort. They don’t require a significant product overhaul or a full app update. But they can deliver high visibility and engagement when aligned with user behaviour and market moments.

That balance of minimal lift, measurable results, and strategic relevance makes them a powerful growth lever.

However, poorly executed events can have the opposite effect. They can lead to wasted spending, user frustration, and churn. That’s why success with in-app events is about more than just implementation. It’s about relevance, timing, and alignment with your users and business goals.

Understanding In-App Events in the App Store

In-app events are promotional features in the Apple App Store that allow you to highlight timely and impactful experiences without needing to release a new version.

Think of them as a real-time extension of your app marketing strategy:

• Prominently displayed across the App Store experience
• Indexed for search and discovery
• Ideal for new user acquisition and lapsed user reactivation
• Designed to increase exposure, engagement, and conversions

Common Use Cases for In-App Events

• New Feature Highlights: Promote newly released functionality to increase adoption and drive app reopens.
• Seasonal Campaigns: Align with key dates or holidays to stay relevant and engage users around timely themes.
• Community Events or Competitions: Spotlight recurring in-app challenges to boost user participation and retention.
• Content Drops: Promote new content releases, such as courses, stories, or media, to encourage re-engagement.
• Time-Limited Offers: Highlight exclusive promotions or rewards encouraging users to return to the app.

In every instance, the in-app event is a promotional tool, linking the appropriate users to the right in-app experience at the right moment.

However, none of this is effective without a solid foundation.

Your product should be designed to support in-app events. This means creating a scalable, content-ready, and flexible app to deliver these experiences seamlessly.

At Sonin, we focus on developing digital products that are not only built to last but also built to grow. With the proper structure in place, your app becomes a platform for ongoing engagement, and in-app events become a strategic lever for visibility, acquisition, and retention.

Why In-App Events Are a Valuable Tool for Growth

Mobile app success is no longer just about downloads. It’s about engagement, retention, and monetisation.

The reality is that most users abandon apps within the first 30 days, making retention one of the biggest challenges in mobile app growth. In-app events directly solve this problem by keeping users engaged beyond their initial download. Here’s how they create impact:

• Increase User Retention: Apps that regularly update with fresh content and events see retention rates up to 60% higher than those that remain static. (Source: Business of Apps)
• Improve Session Duration & Frequency: When users have a reason to check back frequently, they develop habitual app usage.
• Boost Conversion Rates: Events integrating FOMO (fear of missing out) and exclusivity can drive conversion rates 30–50% higher than standard promotions. (Source: Statista)

Using In-App Events to Boost App Store Optimisation (ASO)

Apple’s iOS 15 update introduced in-app event cards, allowing businesses to feature events directly in search results and app listings. This creates a powerful opportunity to drive organic downloads and attract new users.

When properly optimised, in-app events can:

• Improve App Store ranking by signalling high engagement and fresh content
• Increase discoverability through featured event listings and keyword-rich descriptions
• Encourage re-engagement from inactive users by offering timely, relevant experiences

At Sonin, we go beyond simply launching events. We ensure they are optimised for maximum visibility. Our ASO and metadata optimisation expertise ensures that every event enhances app discoverability, attracting new users while reactivating existing ones.

Getting Started with In-App Events

To unlock the full potential of in-app events, businesses must prioritise three key elements: design, execution, and promotion. At Sonin, we partner with companies to strategise, refine, and implement in-app events that deliver meaningful results. Through close collaboration, we help brands navigate the complexities of event planning, ensuring each activation is optimised for success.

Ready to unlock the full value of in-app events? Start with these five expert tips:

1. Align Events with Business Goals
Every in-app event should have a clear purpose. Whether the goal is increasing revenue, improving retention, or driving user acquisition, defining key objectives ensures the event delivers tangible results.

2. Prioritise User Experience & Accessibility
Engagement will suffer if users can’t easily find or understand the event. We help businesses design intuitive, visually appealing event experiences that seamlessly integrate into the user journey, ensuring frictionless participation and an optimal user experience.

3. Leverage Data-Driven Personalisation
Generic experiences don’t drive engagement. By working with businesses to apply AI-driven insights and user analytics, we help ensure that events are tailored to individual user preferences and behaviours, making them more relevant, engaging, and effective.

4. Drive Awareness Through Multi-Channel Promotion
For an in-app event to succeed, it must be seen. We support businesses in crafting multi-channel promotional strategies that maximise event visibility, incorporating push notifications, email campaigns, social media, and influencer collaborations to drive participation.

5. Measure, Analyse, and Optimise
The work doesn’t end when an event goes live. By tracking key performance metrics including participation rates, conversion data, and user feedback, we help businesses identify areas for refinement and improvement, ensuring that each event is more effective than the last.

Why Sonin is Your Partner in In-App Event Success

In-app events have evolved from a simple engagement tactic to a core business strategy for driving user retention, increasing revenue, and enhancing brand loyalty.

However, their success relies on thoughtful planning, strategic execution, and continuous iteration.

At Sonin, we partner with businesses to ensure their success. Through expert guidance, hands-on collaboration, and a deep understanding of user behaviour, we help you optimise your in-app events for maximum impact.

Whether it’s event design, ASO optimisation, cross-channel promotion, or performance tracking, we provide the expertise and strategic support you need to help your business succeed in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

TL;DR

In-app events are a low-effort, high-impact strategy for increasing retention, improving user engagement, and boosting App Store visibility.

They don’t require major app updates but can deliver measurable business results when aligned with user needs and business goals.

At Sonin, we help businesses plan, promote, and optimise in-app events that deliver long-term value.