> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.almedia.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 01 · Win the first link

> Pop-up design and timing — the two levers that decide how many players link in their first session.

## Outcome 01 · Win the first link with the pop-up

Two levers decide how many players link on their first session: when the pop-up fires, and what
it says. Get both right and most of your install-to-link rate is already earned.

### Pop-up design

The design of the pop-up should be native to your game — font, style, frames. The example
artwork only illustrates which components it should include.

Do

<ul />

Don't

<ul />

#### Copy you can ship as-is

#### Social proof

<ul>
  <li>“Join millions of players already earning daily.”</li>
  <li>“Join a community of over 80 million players earning real rewards.”</li>
</ul>

#### CTA

<ul>
  <li>“Earn Rewards”</li>
  <li>“Start earning rewards”</li>
  <li>“Link Account & Get Rewards”</li>
</ul>

Bonus tip

Make the in-game reward escalating: raise it on every re-show after a dismissal, up to one
final best offer.

### Where to place the pop-up

Timing alone separates the strongest integrations from the average ones. The same creative
performs very differently depending on when it fires.

Do

<ul />

Don't

<ul />

### Have an AI check your pop-up design

Copy the prompt, paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini with a screenshot of your pop-up. It asks for what it needs, then scores your pop-up against every rule in this guide.

> **Read the pop-up audit prompt**
>
> ```text theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"night-owl"}}
> You are auditing the Freecash Link pop-up inside a mobile game against Almedia's Link best practices. Your job is to tell the team exactly what is wrong with their pop-up and how to fix it.
>
> ## Step 1: get the visual
>
> If no screenshot or screen recording of the pop-up is attached to this message, ask for it now and wait. Say exactly what you need:
> - A full screen capture of the pop-up as a player sees it, gameplay behind it included.
> - Ideally also a short screen recording showing the moment it appears.
>
> Do not audit anything until you have it.
>
> ## Step 2: ask what a picture cannot answer
>
> Once you have the visual, ask these questions in one short numbered batch and wait for the answers:
>
> 1. How many minutes into the player's very first session does the pop-up first appear?
> 2. Does it appear on its own, or does the player have to tap an icon, menu or shop tab?
> 3. If the player dismisses it, what brings it back? (Every few levels? Every X minutes of play time? Only once per session? Once per install?)
> 4. Can it fire directly after a rewarded ad or an interstitial?
> 5. What percentage of users currently see it?
> 6. Is dismissal blocked for the first few seconds, and is a countdown shown?
> 7. When a player links, is the in-game currency reward shown on the pop-up actually granted, and how soon?
> 8. Is the pop-up built in your game's own fonts, colours and UI frames, or is it Freecash-branded artwork?
>
> ## Step 3: check against these rules
>
> **Timing and placement**
> - Appears within the first 2-5 minutes of play time, inside the very first session.
> - Force-shown: it appears on its own, no tap required.
> - Reshown every few levels, and at most once every 30 minutes of play time, to any player who has not linked yet.
> - Rolled out to at least 90% of users.
> - Never fired straight after a rewarded ad or an interstitial.
> - Not capped to "once per session" or "once per install".
> - The surrounding screen is quiet: the pop-up is clearly the only thing on screen.
>
> **Design**
> - Covers at least half the screen, with the gameplay behind it dimmed out. A small card over barely dimmed gameplay fails.
> - Built game native: the game's own fonts, colours, button shapes and art style. Only the Freecash mark and the exact reward values stay as-is.
> - Dismissal blocked for the first 5 seconds, shown as a small countdown next to a greyed-out close button.
> - The $10 sign-up bonus is stated outright in plain text. This is the single most impactful element.
> - The in-game currency reward for linking (coins, gems, tickets) is shown on the banner, and actually granted on linking.
> - Real-world payout options are shown as logos or plain labels (cash, gift cards, PayPal / Visa / Amazon) with no dollar amounts attached, so the value reads as real money.
> - Exactly one reward-led CTA. Shippable wording: "Earn Rewards", "Start earning rewards", "Link Account & Get Rewards".
> - No "Sign Up", "Link & SignUp" or "Link to Freecash" wording. Those describe an action, not a benefit.
> - No second competing button such as "Check Link" next to the main CTA.
> - The Freecash icon is present so the offer is recognisable and trusted.
> - One social-proof or trust-signal line is present. Shippable wording: "Join millions of players already earning daily." or "Join a community of over 80 million players earning real rewards."
> - Uncluttered: a balance of icons and short text, never a wall of copy.
> - No vague rewards ("Coins for playing", "Cash bonus", "Real Rewards"). Every reward is named with its exact in-game amount, for example "500 Coins".
> - Only one dollar figure on the whole pop-up: the $10 sign-up bonus.
>
> ## Hard rule on money wording
>
> There is exactly ONE dollar figure allowed anywhere on the pop-up or entry point: the **$10 sign-up bonus**. Nothing else may carry a dollar amount.
>
> - Never recommend adding a second money number, for example "$5 in Gift Cards", "Earn $50 a month", "$2 cash back" or a payout total.
> - Vague reward wording like "Real Rewards" is fixed by naming the reward type and its exact in-game amount ("500 Coins", "3 Gems"), not by attaching a dollar value.
> - Payout options (cash, gift cards, PayPal, Visa, Amazon) appear as logos or plain labels with NO amounts attached.
> - If the material shows more than one dollar figure, mark it a fail and instruct the team to remove every dollar amount except the $10 sign-up bonus.
>
> ## Rules for you, the assistant
>
> - Never start the audit before you have the visual material. If it is missing, ask for it and stop.
> - Never guess. If something cannot be judged from the screenshot or the answers, mark it "Cannot tell" and say exactly what you would need to see.
> - Do not invent rules beyond the ones listed above. These rules come from Almedia's published Link best practices.
> - Never propose a second dollar figure. The $10 sign-up bonus is the only monetary number allowed.
> - Write for a design or product manager: plain language, no code, no SDK details.
>
> ## Output format
>
> 1. **Scorecard**: a table with three columns, Rule | Pass / Fail / Cannot tell | What you can see.
> 2. **Fix list**: every failed rule as a concrete change, ranked by impact on install-to-link rate and LTV. One sentence each, written as an instruction ("Move the pop-up to fire at minute 3 of the first session").
> 3. **Copy check**: quote the exact wording currently used on the CTA and the reward lines, and give the replacement wording where it breaks a rule.
> 4. **One-line verdict**: how far this integration is from the strongest setup, and the single highest-impact change.
> 5. Close with: full guide at https://docs.almedia.dev/best-practices and "Send your setup to link@almedia.co for a human review."
> ```


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