Why Lock Screen Marketing exists
Every brand, creator, and business has the same problem right now, which is that the channels they’ve been relying on to reach their audience are all getting worse at the same time, and none of them offer the combination of guaranteed delivery, permanent presence, and zero friction that a wallet pass notification provides.
Email open rates have been declining for years, and the average marketing email now sits around a 20% open rate that keeps falling as AI gets better at sorting promotional messages into tabs and folders most people never bother to check. You might have 50,000 email subscribers on your list, but if only 10,000 of them are actually seeing what you send, the other 40,000 aren’t really your audience at all.
Social media organic reach has collapsed to roughly 2% to 5% of your followers on most platforms, and the trajectory is only heading in one direction because the platforms want you to pay for the reach you used to get for free.
Building a mobile app sounds like the obvious answer until, of course, you look at the costs. Around 25% of users open an app once and never come back, fewer than 5% of downloads are still active after 30 days, and building a decent app costs anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 before even thinking about maintenance. Even if someone keeps your app installed, they still have to grant notification permissions separately, which most people decline.
Lock Screen Marketing sidesteps all of these problems in one move, because the wallet pass handles both presence and notifications in a single, frictionless action. When someone saves your pass, they’re simultaneously adding your brand to their phone and opting in to receive your lock screen notifications, and there’s no second step, no separate permission prompt, and no app store visit. The moment the pass is in your audience’s wallet, you can reach them whenever you want.
How wallet passes power Lock Screen Marketing
A wallet pass isn’t just a digital card that sits in someone’s phone wallet. It’s the tech that makes lock screen marketing work, because without the pass, there’s no way to send the notification. Our wallet pass platform is what brings everything together in to a complete lock screen marketing platform.The pass connects your brand to the lock screen, and the notification travels through that connection.
Here’s how the system works from the audience’s side and yours.
Your audience saves the pass. They scan a QR code, tap a link, or click a button on your website, and a branded pass created with your logo, your colors, and whatever information matters to your audience is saved to their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet in about 3 seconds. The experience is identical to saving a boarding pass or a loyalty card, which means it feels familiar and trustworthy from the very first interaction.
The pass lives in their wallet permanently. Once it’s saved, the pass sits alongside their other cards, and it stays there until they actively choose to remove it, which almost nobody does. This isn’t a notification that disappears after being swiped away or an email that gets archived and forgotten. It’s a persistent, solid piece of your brand on their phone that they see every time they open their wallet to pay for something, and that permanence is what separates lock screen marketing from every other channel.
The pass is the channel through which you send notifications. This is the connection that makes the whole system work. Because the pass lives inside Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and because those wallet apps have native notification privileges on the phone’s operating system, every update you push to the pass triggers a notification on the lock screen automatically. You write your message, hit send, and it appears on the lock screen of every person who has your pass saved. Not in an inbox, not in a social feed, not behind an algorithm, but on the lock screen itself, with the same visibility as a text message or a calendar reminder.
The open rates on these notifications sit above 90%, and the reason is simple: lock screen notifications from native wallet apps are treated by the operating system with the same priority as a text message. Compare that to email at 20%, or the 3.9% of YouTube subscribers who actually have bell notifications enabled on their device, according to creator analytics reported by Lon Seidman.
The YouTube problem that makes Lock Screen Marketing urgent
If you’re a YouTuber or video podcaster, this section is going to change how you think about your audience, because the numbers are far worse than most creators realize.
YouTube is now the number one streaming platform in the United States, and according to Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge, it captured 12.4% of all U.S. TV viewing time as of April 2025, which is more than Netflix, Disney+, or any other single platform. That number reached 13.4% by July 2025, which was the highest share any single streaming platform has ever recorded.
Over 150 million Americans now watch YouTube on their television every month, and TV screens account for 36% of all YouTube viewing hours. That means more than a third of your audience is watching on a device where they can’t click “link in description,” can’t visit your website, and can’t take any action at all beyond watching your content and then moving on with their day.
There’s also a notification problem on TV that almost nobody talks about. No smart TV platform, whether it’s Apple TV, Samsung, Roku, Fire Stick, or LG, pushes YouTube upload notifications to the television screen. It simply doesn’t happen. If a creator you follow uploads a new video while you’re watching something else on your TV, you won’t see an alert pop up the way you would on your phone, because TVs weren’t built to deliver app notifications while you’re watching content. The bell icon and YouTube’s notification system only work through the phone, which means that the 36% of your audience watching on a TV is completely unreachable through YouTube’s own tools.
And this is where the TV and phone problems collide. For the subscribers who do have bell notifications turned on, if they happen to be watching YouTube on their television at the time, the notification goes to their phone, which is sitting face down on the sofa, charging in another room, or buried in a pocket. They’re not looking at it. When they eventually pick it up, they might see the notification mixed in with dozens of others and swipe it away without registering what it was, or they might not see it at all because YouTube’s own system decided not to send it.
Even for viewers watching on their phones, YouTube’s own notification system is failing you. Only about 10% of subscribers click the bell icon, and of those, just 3.9% actually have YouTube notifications enabled on their device. YouTube is also actively experimenting with suppressing notifications for subscribers who don’t engage frequently, meaning even those who specifically asked to be notified about your videos may stop receiving them entirely.
The math is uncomfortable. A creator with 500,000 subscribers is realistically reaching about 19,500 of them through YouTube’s notification system, and the other 96% either see the video in their algorithmic feed if they’re lucky, or they never see it at all.
Lock Screen Marketing solves this because the wallet pass works regardless of what device the viewer is watching on. A QR code displayed on screen during a video works perfectly whether the viewer is on a phone, a tablet, or a 65-inch television, because all they have to do is point their phone at the screen, scan the code, and three seconds later they have your wallet pass in their digital wallet. The notification they receive through the pass goes to their lock screen with the same priority as a text message, which means they’ll see it the next time they pick up their phone whether they’re watching TV, driving, in a meeting, or anywhere else. From that moment on, every time you publish a new video, you send a lock screen notification through the pass, and your audience sees it without relying on YouTube’s bell icon, YouTube’s algorithm, or YouTube’s willingness to actually deliver the notification they were asked to deliver.
Why TV advertising needs Lock Screen Marketing
The YouTube problem is a specific version of a much bigger issue that affects everyone who advertises on television, because TV has always had the same fundamental limitation: viewers can’t click the screen.
CTV ad spending hit $32.57 billion in the United States in 2025 and is projected to reach nearly $47 billion by 2028. Streaming now accounts for more than 47% of all TV viewing, which means the majority of television audiences are watching on connected devices that can display QR codes, interactive overlays, and shoppable elements. QR code usage in CTV ads has grown more than 3x year over year, and brands are spending enormous sums to get their message in front of TV viewers.
But there’s a critical flaw in how most brands are using QR codes on TV right now. The standard approach is to display a QR code in the ad that links to a website, a landing page, or a product page. The viewer scans it, visits the page, maybe browses for a moment, and then leaves. That’s the end of the relationship. The brand spent money to get the viewer’s attention, the viewer scanned the code, and then both sides walked away with nothing to show for it beyond a single-page visit that probably didn’t convert.
It’s a wasted opportunity because the viewer has already done the hardest part. They’ve picked up their phone, opened their camera, pointed it at the screen, and scanned the QR code. That moment of attention is incredibly valuable, and sending them to a website squanders it on a one-time interaction with no follow-up channel.
Lock Screen Marketing changes the outcome of that scan entirely. Instead of linking the QR code to a website, you link it to a wallet pass. The viewer scans the code, the pass saves to their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet in three seconds, and now you’ve got a permanent notification channel with that person. Every future message you want to send, whether it’s a product launch, a sale, a new season announcement, or anything else, goes straight to their lock screen through the pass they saved during your ad.
This turns a 30-second TV spot into the beginning of an ongoing connection with your audience. It creates a notification channel that continues to work for weeks, months, and years after the ad airs.
For brands already running CTV campaigns, the change is small in execution but massive in impact. You’re not redesigning your ad creative or changing your media buy. You’re just changing what the QR code points to, from a website that people visit once and forget to a wallet pass that stays on their phone permanently and lets you reach their lock screen whenever you want.
Movie and entertainment promotions are a particularly strong fit for this because the lifecycle of a film or show naturally creates multiple notification moments. A viewer scans a QR code on a movie trailer, saves the pass, and then receives lock-screen notifications about the premiere date, when tickets go on sale, merch drops, behind-the-scenes content, and eventually, which streaming platform the film lands on. One scan during one trailer creates a notification channel that spans the entire release cycle.
And because every wallet pass contains a QR code that others can scan, the TV ad doesn’t just capture the viewer who scanned it. That viewer’s pass can be shared with friends, family, and colleagues, which means the reach of the original ad extends far beyond the living room where it first aired.
Who Lock Screen Marketing is for
Lock Screen Marketing works for anyone with a returning audience, because if people come back to you more than once, a wallet pass gives you a direct and permanent channel to reach them through their lock screen whenever you need to.
YouTubers and video podcasters.
The TV viewing problem makes this the most urgent use case right now, because every video you publish can include a QR code that gives viewers a wallet pass, which converts passive watchers into a reachable audience you actually own and can notify through their lock screen rather than hoping YouTube’s algorithm does the job for you.
Restaurants, pubs, and hospitality chains.
QR codes already appear on tables, menus, and receipts, and a wallet pass turns a one-time visitor into a regular who receives lock-screen notifications about daily specials, events, and membership benefits. Friends who eat and drink together naturally share, which means the pass spreads entirely through social groups on its own.
Influencers and content creators.
Anyone with a following on any platform faces the same algorithmic throttling, and a wallet pass gives you a notification channel that no platform controls, so your message arrives on your fans’ lock screens regardless of what Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube decides to do with their algorithm this week.
Brands and retailers.
QR codes on product packaging, in-store displays, and print advertising can drive wallet pass saves that create a permanent lock screen notification channel with your customers, and this works especially well for brands that release new products regularly because every pass holder gets notified the moment something new drops.
TV advertisers and CTV campaigns.
If you’re already spending on TV advertising, swapping a website QR code for a wallet pass QR code turns every ad from a one-time impression into a permanent channel. The viewer scans during the ad, saves the pass, and you can reach their lock screen for months and years after the spot aired, which means you’re building a direct audience from your TV budget rather than just renting attention for 30 seconds.
News and media creators.
Audiences who follow news channels, commentary shows, and newsletter creators want to know when something new is published, and a wallet pass notification on the lock screen delivers it instantly.
Events and entertainment.
Movies, theater shows, conferences, and every kind of event can also use wallet passes to keep audiences engaged post the initial connection. A viewer scans a QR code on a movie trailer, saves the pass, and then receives lock-screen notifications about premieres, cinema releases, merch offers, and eventually, which streaming platform it lands on.
Political campaigns.
Canvassers share a QR code at the door, and the voter is offered the opportunity to support by saving the wallet pass. From that point, they receive lock-screen notifications about rallies, voting dates, and campaign updates. Supporters share the pass with friends who share their political views, because the QR code on the pass itself turns every supporter into a distribution channel that grows the notification audience without spending a penny on advertising.
How wallet pass notifications differ from web push notifications
This distinction matters because the two are constantly confused, and they’re fundamentally different in how they work, how they feel to the recipient, and how effective they are.
Web push notifications are the popups you get from websites, where you visit a news site, a box appears asking if you want to receive notifications, you click allow (or far more likely, you click block), and if you did allow them, you start receiving notifications from that website through your browser.
The problem with web push notifications is that they’ve got no anchor on the phone. There’s no continuous presence, no card in the wallet, nothing tangible that ties the notification to a relationship the user chose to create, and because of that, they feel like spam. When a web push notification arrives, there’s nothing on the phone that reminds the user why they’re receiving it or what value it’s supposed to provide.
Lock Screen Marketing through wallet passes is the opposite of that. The pass lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet as a visible, branded card that the user saved intentionally, and when a notification arrives on the lock screen, the recipient knows exactly where it came from and why, because they can see the pass in their wallet at any time. The notification isn’t just a random alert from a website they visited once; it’s connected to something they chose to keep on their phone.
There’s also no browser permission prompt with wallet passes. Saving the pass is the opt-in, rather than granting a website access to your notification tray, which is a psychological difference that shows up clearly in the numbers.
The result is open rates above 90% for wallet pass lock screen notifications, compared to single-digit engagement rates for most web push notification campaigns.
The viral sharing mechanic built into every wallet pass
Most notification channels are one-directional, meaning you send an email or a text message, the recipient reads it or doesn’t, and that’s the end of the chain. Lock Screen Marketing has a built-in sharing loop that no other notification channel can match, and it’s powered entirely by the wallet pass itself.
Every wallet pass contains a QR code, and when one person shows their pass to a friend, that friend can scan the QR code and save their own copy of the pass in seconds without filling in a signup form, downloading an app, or doing anything beyond scanning and tapping save. Once that friend has the pass, they immediately start receiving your lock screen notifications too, and they’ve got their own QR code that they can share with someone else.
This means your audience grows without you spending anything on acquisition, because a fan shares with a friend, that friend shares with another friend, and each new pass holder turns into both a notification recipient and a potential source of more pass holders who will also receive your notifications.
For creators and businesses with passionate audiences, this viral mechanic is remarkably effective. Fans of a YouTube channel share with friends who watch the same type of content, regulars at a pub share with the people they drink with, and supporters of a political campaign share with people who vote the same way. The sharing happens face-to-face in the real world, which makes it more trusted and more effective than any digital sharing button. And of course, each new pass holder immediately starts receiving lock screen notifications.
How Lock Screen Marketing compares to other channels
Here’s a straightforward comparison of lock screen marketing against the channels most brands and creators currently rely on.
Email marketing. The average open rate sits around 20% and it’s declining as AI assistants get better at filtering inboxes. Getting someone onto your email list also requires a signup form, which creates friction that most visitors won’t bother with. Lock screen marketing delivers 90%+ open rates with a one-tap wallet pass save that takes three seconds, and every notification lands on the lock screen rather than in a folder the recipient hasn’t checked since last Tuesday.
SMS marketing. SMS gets high open rates of around 98%, but it’s expensive per message, heavily regulated, and it can seem intrusive to a lot of recipients who don’t want brands texting their personal number. Lock screen marketing achieves similar lock screen visibility at a flat monthly cost with no per-message fees, and because the notification comes through a wallet pass rather than a phone number, it feels far less intrusive to the person receiving it.
Social media. Organic reach on most platforms is between 2% and 5% of your followers, and it’s entirely dependent on algorithms you don’t control and can’t influence. Lock screen marketing bypasses algorithms completely because the wallet pass gives you a direct line to the lock screen that no platform can throttle, suppress, or charge you extra to use.
Mobile apps. Building one is expensive, maintaining one is expensive, and the retention rates are terrible, with fewer than 5% of downloads still active after 30 days. Lock screen marketing doesn’t require any development on the customer’s side because the wallet pass uses apps that already exist on every phone, and pass holders never “uninstall” a wallet pass the way they delete apps, which means your notification channel stays open indefinitely.
Web push notifications. Low opt-in rates, high block rates, and no reliable iOS Safari support. Lock screen marketing uses native wallet apps that come pre-installed on every phone, and because the notification is tied to a real pass in the wallet, it carries a level of trust and legitimacy that browser-based notifications simply can’t match.
How to get started with Lock Screen Marketing
Getting started takes less than an hour, and the only thing your audience needs is the phone they’re already carrying.
Choose a wallet pass platform. PushPass is built specifically for Lock Screen Marketing, and it lets you create a branded wallet pass, customize it with your logo and colors, and generate a QR code and shareable link that your audience can use to save the pass and start receiving your lock screen notifications right away.
Create your pass. The pass becomes the visible representation of your relationship with your audience and the notification channel that lets you reach their lock screen whenever you choose.
Share the QR code everywhere. Place it on your YouTube videos, your website, your social media profiles, your physical locations, your product packaging, and your email signature, because every QR code scan adds another person to your wallet pass audience, and every wallet pass holder is another lock screen you can reach with a notification.
Send your first notification. Write a short, clear message and push it to your audience via their wallet passes, then watch the open rate and compare it to the channel you used before.
Pricing grows with you, with tiered overage rates that get cheaper as your audience grows, and there are no per-message fees and no percentage-based commissions.
Frequently asked questions about Lock Screen Marketing
Do my fans or customers need to download an app to receive lock screen notifications?
No, and that’s the entire point of the system. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet come pre-installed on every iPhone and Android phone, so your audience just scans a QR code or taps a link, the wallet pass saves in seconds, and from that moment they receive your notifications on their lock screen. There’s nothing to download, no account to create, and no password to remember, because the wallet pass is the only thing they need.
What kind of open rates does Lock Screen Marketing actually get?
Wallet pass notifications consistently achieve open rates above 90%, and the reason is that the notification appears directly on the lock screen of the recipient’s phone, delivered through a native wallet app with the same priority as a text message. It’s nearly impossible to miss a lock screen notification, which is exactly why this channel outperforms email, social media, and web push by such a wide margin.
Is Lock Screen Marketing the same as web push notifications?
No, and this is the most common point of confusion people have when they first hear about it. Web push notifications come through a browser and require a permission prompt that most users block, and they’ve got no actual presence on the phone. Lock Screen Marketing works through wallet passes saved to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, where the pass is a persistent, branded card on the phone, and notifications are sent through it to the lock screen. The experience is completely different for the receiver, and the engagement rates reflect that difference.
How much does Lock Screen Marketing cost?
PushPass pricing starts at $89.99 per month, which includes your first 5,000 wallet pass subscribers, and additional subscribers are billed in tiers that get cheaper as your audience grows. There are no per-message fees and no percentage-based commissions, so you pay a flat, predictable monthly cost regardless of how many lock screen notifications you send.
Can I use Lock Screen Marketing alongside my existing email or social media channels?
Absolutely, and most brands and creators do exactly that. Lock Screen Marketing isn’t a replacement for email, social media, or any other channel you currently use; it adds a notification layer that none of them can provide, which is guaranteed delivery to the lock screen through a wallet pass that stays on your audience’s phone permanently. It’s another channel in the kit, not a substitute for the ones you’ve already built.
How does the viral sharing work?
Every wallet pass includes a unique QR code, and when someone shows their pass to another person, that person can scan the QR code and save their own copy of the pass instantly. Once they save it, they start receiving your lock screen notifications too, and they’ve got their own QR code to share with others. This built-in sharing loop means your audience can grow organically through real-world, face-to-face sharing without any additional effort or spending on your part, and each new pass holder immediately becomes part of your lock screen notification audience.
Can I use Lock Screen Marketing with TV advertising?
Yes, and this is one of the highest-value applications. Instead of putting a website URL or a standard QR code in your TV ad, you use a wallet pass QR code. The viewer scans it during the ad, saves the pass in three seconds, and you’ve now got a permanent lock screen notification channel with that person. It turns a single TV spot into an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time impression, and because every pass has a shareable QR code, the reach of your ad goes beyond the original viewer.
