It’s an oft-cited stat that 80% of apps languish unused and unloved just three months after download. That’s why it’s crucial for marketers to try to make sure their app becomes a steady, helpful habit in the lives of their customers.

One great way to encourage this is with push notifications. Of course, this requires users to opt-in and there’s no guarantee they’ll do so. Part of the problem lies with the default opt-in screen itself. It’s bland, it’s easy to ignore, and it doesn’t give users any sense of why they should agree to receive notifications.

Luckily, there is plenty that the savvy marketer — and his or her design team — can do to fix this. A pre-prompter that makes a clear case for opting in, while reflecting a bit of the brand’s personality, will do much more persuasive than a generic gray box.

Here, we’ll look at different variations of push pre-prompters, from the generic to the increasingly unique, to show how even small changes can boost opt-ins for your brand.

Generic Push Prompt

This is dreadful. It doesn’t explain why the user should accept push notifications. It’s also bland and doesn’t reflect anything of the app that users see it in. This may be an app’s only chance to ask a user to opt-in to notifications. Don’t let this happen to you.

Generic pre-prompter

Hell Pizza: Simple Customized Pre-Prompt

Here’s the first step toward a more effective opt-in strategy. This example from Hell Pizza shows that just a bit of customization can go a long way. Even though it’s nearly identical to the actual prompter, it tells users why they should opt-in. Plus, it’s funny. So why not?

pre-prompters: Hell Pizza

StreetEasy: Just a Little Nudge

StreetEasy keeps their pre-prompter simple and to the point. But StreetEasy adds a pointer, nudging the user to click OK. Yes, this is a very simple change. But little tweaks, even as seemingly trivial as a pointer, can play a big role in convincing more users to opt-in.

pre-prompters: StreetEasy

Trulia: Beginning to Theme

Trulia’s pre-prompter is fairly similar to that of StreetEasy, with the exception of a slight change in color. By maintaining a single color scheme in both their app and pre-prompter, Trulia introduces a bit more brand identity and improves the user experience.

pre-prompters: Trulia

Placester: Completely Themed

Placester takes this idea one step further by creating an entirely new, completely themed pre-prompter.

Here’s where things get interesting. This message doesn’t look like it’s coming from the user’s phone. It looks like it’s coming from Placester, which is exactly what a brand should be aiming for. It’s clean and simple, but it’s different enough to make an impression. And it makes a strong case for why, exactly, the user should opt-in.

pre-prompters: Placester

Onboarding Flow Pre-Prompters

The final and most impressive pre-prompters come from Gilt, Target, and Boxed. Target takes the pre-permission screen even further by integrating it into their onboarding flow, customizing the entire experience so that it’s a seamless part of the app’s user experience and user interface.

pre-prompters: Gilt Boxed Target

These apps follow all of the best practices for push pre-prompting. They make a clear case for why the user should opt-in. By theming the screens to match the rest of the app, they make the push pre-prompters part of the user journey. The ability to send push notifications is key to user retention and to the success of your app. It’s worth a little bit of extra time and thought to get it right!