Where to place a cross-promotion widget in your app

A cross-promotion widget only works if people see it, and only keeps working if they don't mind seeing it. Those pull in opposite directions. The trick is to place it where your users have just finished something, not where they're about to start.

The rule of thumb

Show it after the task, never in the way of it. If removing the card wouldn't make the screen harder to use, it's in the right place.

Seven places that work

1. Settings or account page. Visited often, by people who already use you. Nobody is mid-task there, so a card doesn't get in the way.
2. Empty states. A blank list or a finished queue is a natural pause. A small card fills the space without hiding anything.
3. After onboarding. Right after someone finishes setup, they're pleased and open to a suggestion. Don't show it during setup.
4. Docs and help-centre footers. Readers scroll to the end of a page they found useful. That's a good moment for a related tool.
5. Success screens. "Export done", "Invoice sent", "Order placed". The task is over and attention is free.
6. 404 and error pages. A friendly card turns a dead end into somewhere to go. It costs your users nothing.
7. Newsletters. A plain link in the footer of your email works where a script can't run.

Three places to avoid

• During checkout or signup. Anything that might pull someone away before they finish costs you more than it earns.
• In a modal or popup. Interrupting people to show them other apps is the fastest way to make them resent both.
• Stacked with other widgets. Two cards on one screen split attention and each does worse. One is enough.

Pick the format for the spot

• A card suits roomy pages: settings, empty states, dashboards.
• An inline row sits well at the end of an article or a docs page.
• A banner fits along the top or bottom of a success screen.
• A small badge works in tight spaces, like a sidebar or a footer.

Whatever you pick, match your app's colours and corner radius. A card that looks like part of your product gets read; one that looks like an ad gets ignored.

Measure, then move it

Give a placement a week or two, then look at views and clicks per page. If a spot gets plenty of views and almost no clicks, people are seeing it at the wrong moment. Move it rather than adding another one.

Still choosing a network? See the comparison of cross-promotion networks.