ironSource and Unity Ads are often ignored when scaling. But what if they can provide additional volume and stable profit?
There will be no sky-high numbers and fictitious statistics in this case. Here is the real experience of one team who shared with us their experience working with Unity Ads and ironSource. They managed to buy back additional traffic and launch a profitable business. No illusions about a "fast start" and no magic algorithms from day one.
In the case study, we will analyze:

what geos and links were used to access sources.
why the first 2-4 weeks were zero or minus;
how Unity Ads and ironSource optimization works and why it's not enabled from day one;
how mass blacklisting and whitelist formation affected the result;
which creative formats showed the best performance;
what figures were reached after two months of work.

This case isn't about "turning on the campaign and getting a plus". This is about system work, accumulating statistics, and scaling through alternative In-App sources.

Log in to the source

- hello! Let's start from the beginning: please tell us which geos you worked with before enabling ironSource and Unity Ads?
Hi! We launched Moloco for a long time, the main focus was on Europe, primarily on BEL and POL. For these markets, we have already built a stable economy and clear scaling logic.

– What was already working stably and at what point did it become clear that one source was not enough?
In Moloco, we had working bundles: the same geo, creatives, and apps that showed predictable results. The campaigns were kept in the black and steadily scaled.
In order to grow in a more balanced way and reduce dependence on a single channel, we decided to connect additional In-App sources.

– Why did you decide to try ironSource and Unity?
We decided to try other In-App networks and, based on the recommendation of your support team, drew attention to Unity Ads and ironSource. These are fairly well-known sources on the market, and ironSource is also a closed source that can only be run by you.
We were told by your support team that you can take the same bundles and geos that already worked well in Moloco and test them in these sources. We did not consider them as a replacement for Moloco, the task was simply to expand the volume without breaking the already working bundles. These sources were immediately perceived as an additional scaling tool.

– Were there any expectations and if so, were they fulfilled?
At the start, we expected a relatively easy entry: that optimization would work quickly enough and there would be more targeting opportunities. Some of these expectations were not met. Event optimization was not immediately available, and it quickly became clear that you would have to do a lot of manual work, primarily managing publishers and bids.
This was an important step in understanding how these sources actually work.

– Which GEO have you decided to scale through Unity Ads and ironSource?
We have tested several European geos, but in this case we will analyze Poland in detail, and we will show the figures, approach, and results for this particular market.

First weeks: Honest pain

– What did the economy look like in the first 2-4 weeks after launch?
The first few weeks were more like zero or a small minus. The economy was unstable, and the indicators jumped a lot. Below we will attach screenshots of expenses for the first two weeks on Unity Ads and ironSource. They clearly show that this stage was about collecting statistics and training algorithms, and not about getting a quick profit.

– Did the creatives and bundles that showed good results in Moloco work right away?
Partly yes, partly no. The bundle as a whole was working, but probably not so strong creos that they could log in equally well in any source without additional configuration. In Moloco, it showed stable results, but in Unity Ads and ironSource, it took more work.
At the start, a very wide pool of GEO publishers is bought out, and without filtering the inventory, it is difficult to get an even economy. That's why we focused on optimizing publishers and managing bids.

– What was the most unpleasant surprise at the start?
We wanted to test new creatives in parallel, but some of them didn't go in: visually, IPM was falling, and the source simply didn't allow us to unscrew properly. As a result, it was difficult to objectively evaluate creatives, because they were not allowed to collect expenses and statistics.

– Was there a feeling that "the source is not going" and you want to stop the tests?
But probably not, because we were prepared that the source needed time. But I want to say right away that at the start you will have to devote a lot of time to the source. It can be seen that there are normal publishers, but there are also a lot of weak ones, and it often seems that there are more of them than good ones. Plus, because of the volatility, metrics could be normal today, and tomorrow they would drop sharply, and this added to the nerves.
Especially when you see that the buyout goes on a large number of weak publishers, and there is still no stability. At such moments, of course, I wanted to return to a place where everything is already predictable.
We initially understood that Unity and ironSource do not bring profit immediately. These are sources that need time and statistics. In the first few weeks, you essentially buy data: you collect which publishers work, which formats give quality, and where you need to clean your inventory. We didn't expect a quick result in a week and pre-planned a zero/minus period at the start, because only then it starts to pay off.
Moreover, you warned us right away that it's worth waiting, and we trust our partners:)

– What is important to understand about optimization in Unity and ironSource at the start?
Algorithmic optimization does not open there from the first day. In ironSource, for example, you need the source to see events via MMP, then collect sufficient statistics on installations and events of about 5,000 installations and about 100 events, and only after that you can enable event optimization through support. It is enabled for a specific campaign within a specific geo.
Unity has a similar story with ROAS: you need to accumulate purchases (with the amount and currency) so that the algorithm starts learning normally. These sources cannot be “fed " with data from the outside — statistics must be collected internally. Therefore, the first weeks are not about profit, but about training and preparing the base for further optimization.

Second month: first results

– At what point did you feel that the statistics started to take shape?
By about the second month. By this point, enough data has already accumulated, and it has become clear how the source behaves: which publishers give quality, which formats work, and where traffic can be immediately filtered out.

– How did you start the first real optimization: creatives, publishers, formats?
According to your suggestions, first of all, they started to rigidly clean publishers. The downside was that the apps were obviously weak: they were simply charged a bid of $ 0.01, which actually blocks the purchase of impressions.

– When and how did the whitelist start forming?
Whitelist began to develop closer to the second month, also gradually. If they saw that the publisher was giving a normal result, they raised the bid on it by about 20-30 % in order to win impressions more often. By this time, we have formed a whitelist of about 140 applications. The volumes there are not as large as in Moloco, but the economy is stable. For the third month, we plan to pour mainly on this list and continue to increase the volume due to stability.

– Have you used the results of one campaign to optimize others?
Yes, the publisher ID is the same regardless of GEO, so the result of one campaign could be used to optimize another. Campaigns for different countries essentially helped filter each other.

— In the second month, stable results have already begun to appear. Why, in fact, was it worth going through this stage? What advantages of Unity Ads and ironSource did you see in the end?
By the second month, it became noticeably calmer. There was an understanding of publishers, the economy leveled off, and it became easier to manage volume. The most important thing is that an additional source of traffic has appeared, which can be scaled without putting pressure on the current bundle.
We saw that these sources give you access to a different inventory pool and allow you to accurately increase the volume. Plus, due to working with the blacklist and whitelist, there is less random traffic and more manageability.

Results and numbers

– Let's move on to the results: which creatives worked best?
The main focus was on Video and Full Screen, while Playable performed well. Video + Carousel also worked, but slightly weaker. Unfortunately, we can't show the creatives themselves, but we believe that describing the approach and testing logic will be enough to understand the strategy.

– What app designs have you used and what are the best ones?
We tested different versions, but the Zeus, Joker, and Bonanza designs were the best, but don't forget that everything depends on the bundle.

– What figures have you reached so far?
During the testing period, the total spinoff for the two sources was $99,801. 99. According to the results, 3,485 leads and 1,071 deposits were received, and the ROI reached 27.78%. Screenshots of statistics are provided below.

Conclusions and strategy

– Who do you think Unity Ads and ironSource will definitely not work for?
Those who are not ready for manual work and are waiting for a quick result. If you want to turn on the campaign and see a stable plus in a week, then this is not about these sources. This requires time, patience and a systematic approach.

– What is your future strategy for working with Unity Ads and ironSource?
We continue to expand the whitelist and carefully increase volumes due to stable publishers. We use blacklist campaigns to find new traffic sources and further expand our database. Growth is gradual, but without sharp drawdowns in the economy.

– What would you recommend to those who are just going to visit these sources?
Do not wait for quick results and immediately lay down time for learning algorithms. Log in with an already working bundle, be prepared for manual optimization, and take the first few weeks as an investment in statistics. Then Unity Ads and ironSource start working as a growth tool, not as an experiment.

Conclusion

Moloco is still a priority In-App source, and this is absolutely logical. It provides volumes, a predictable economy, and convenient optimization that makes it easier to get into the big picture and scale.

But the market is not limited to one source. At the moment when Moloco hits the volume ceiling, when individual geos start to behave erratically, or when growth within a single channel starts to "break" the economy, Unity Ads and ironSource stop being an experiment and become a working tool.

This is not a replacement for Moloco, but additional growth points and new sources of income that it is important to be able to work with. With the right approach, Unity and ironSource provide additional volume, expand coverage, and reduce dependence on a single traffic channel.

If you want to correctly access alternative In-App sources and avoid draining your budget at the start — text to our Telegram bot, we will help you with the launch and configuration.

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