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Overview

User acquisition (UA) campaigns are paid advertising efforts designed to drive profitable app installs. Effective UA requires channel selection, creative optimization, audience targeting, and continuous performance monitoring.

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When to Use This Skill

Use UA campaign planning when you need to:
  • Plan paid user acquisition campaigns
  • Optimize Apple Search Ads, Meta, or Google UAC campaigns
  • Reduce cost per install (CPI) or improve ROAS
  • Scale user acquisition profitably
  • Choose the right ad channels for your app
For organic growth, see ASO Audit. For launch-specific UA, see App Launch.

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Channel Selection

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Budget-Based Recommendations

Monthly BudgetRecommended Channels
< $1KApple Search Ads (Basic) only
1K−1K-5KApple Search Ads (Advanced) + 1 social channel
5K−5K-20KASA + Meta + Google UAC
20K−20K-100KASA + Meta + Google + TikTok + testing new channels
$100K+All channels + programmatic + influencer

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Channel Comparison

ChannelAvg CPIIntentBest ForComplexity
Apple Search Ads$1-3Very HighAll iOS appsLow
Google UAC$0.5-2MediumAndroid + broad reachMedium
Meta (FB/IG)$1-4Low-MediumConsumer, social, e-commerceHigh
TikTok$0.5-3LowYoung demographics, gamesMedium
Snapchat$0.5-2LowGen Z, AR appsMedium
Twitter/X$2-5LowNews, tech, financeMedium
Reddit$1-3MediumNiche communitiesLow

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Apple Search Ads (Priority Channel)

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Why Start Here

  • Highest intent (user is actively searching)
  • Best conversion rates (30-50% tap-to-install)
  • Direct App Store integration
  • Works for any budget

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Campaign Structure

Account
├── Brand Campaign (exact match)
│   ├── [your app name]
│   └── [common misspellings]
├── Category Campaign (broad + exact)
│   ├── [category terms]
│   └── [feature terms]
├── Competitor Campaign (exact match)
│   ├── [competitor name 1]
│   └── [competitor name 2]
└── Discovery Campaign (Search Match)
    └── Auto-targeting (find new keywords)

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Bidding Strategy

Campaign TypeBid StrategyTarget CPA
BrandLow bids, high volume< $0.50
CategoryMedium bids$1-3
CompetitorHigher bids, lower volume$2-5
DiscoveryLow bids, broad$1-3

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Optimization Checklist

1

Weekly Review

  • Add negative keywords from Discovery to prevent waste
  • Move winning Discovery keywords to exact match campaigns
  • Pause keywords with CPA > 2x target
  • Increase bids on keywords with CPA < target
2

Creative Testing

  • Test Custom Product Pages for different keyword intents
  • Review Search Match terms weekly
3

Bid Optimization

  • Adjust bids by day of week and time
  • Scale winners, cut losers

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Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Campaigns

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Campaign Structure

Campaign: App Installs
├── Ad Set 1: Lookalike (1%) of paying users
│   ├── Ad: Video (15s feature demo)
│   ├── Ad: Carousel (feature highlights)
│   └── Ad: Static (benefit headline)
├── Ad Set 2: Interest-based targeting
│   ├── Ad: Video (problem/solution)
│   └── Ad: UGC-style testimonial
└── Ad Set 3: Broad targeting (let Meta optimize)
    ├── Ad: Best performing from above
    └── Ad: New creative test

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Creative Best Practices

Video ads deliver the highest performance:
  • Hook in first 3 seconds
  • Show the app in action
  • 15-30 seconds optimal
  • Works without sound (captions)
  • End with clear CTA and App Store badge

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Audience Strategy

  1. Seed: Upload paying user emails → create Lookalike
  2. Expand: Lookalike 1% → 3% → 5% as you scale
  3. Layer: Interest targeting for specific segments
  4. Broad: Let Meta’s algorithm find users (works at scale)

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Google UAC (Universal App Campaigns)

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Setup

  • Provide 4 text ideas, 20 images, 5 videos
  • Set target CPI or target CPA
  • Google automatically creates and tests ad combinations
  • Runs across Search, Display, YouTube, and Play Store

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Optimization

Focus on creative quality — Google handles the targeting automatically.
  • Test different value propositions in text
  • Provide diverse creative assets
  • Set realistic CPA targets (start high, lower gradually)
  • Let campaigns run for 2-3 weeks before major changes

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Key Metrics & Optimization

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Funnel Metrics

Impressions → Taps → Installs → Activations → Purchases
   CTR          CVR      CPI        CPA          ROAS
MetricFormulaTarget
CTRTaps / Impressions> 5% (ASA), > 1% (social)
CVRInstalls / Taps> 30% (ASA), > 10% (social)
CPISpend / Installs< LTV / 3
CPASpend / Purchases< LTV
ROASRevenue / Spend> 1.0 (break even), > 2.0 (good)
D7 ROASDay 7 Revenue / SpendPredict long-term ROAS

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Optimization Cadence

FrequencyAction
DailyCheck spend pacing, pause overspending
WeeklyReview CPI/CPA by keyword/ad set, adjust bids
Bi-weeklyRefresh creative (ad fatigue after 2-3 weeks)
MonthlyReview channel mix, reallocate budget to winners
QuarterlyStrategic review, test new channels

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Output Format

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UA Plan

Monthly Budget: $[X]
Target CPI: $[X]
Target Monthly Installs: [N]

Channel Allocation:
- Apple Search Ads: [X]% ($[X])
- Meta: [X]% ($[X])
- Google UAC: [X]% ($[X])
- Testing: [X]% ($[X])

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Campaign Briefs

For each channel, provide:
  • Campaign structure
  • Targeting strategy
  • Creative requirements
  • Budget and bid recommendations
  • KPI targets

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Example UA Plan

# Fitness App UA Plan
Monthly Budget: $10,000
Target CPI: $2.50
Target Monthly Installs: 4,000
LTV: $12 (subscription-based)

## Channel Allocation

**Apple Search Ads: 50% ($5,000)**
- Brand campaign: $500 (protect brand)
- Category keywords: $3,000 ("fitness app", "workout tracker")
- Competitor keywords: $1,000 (target Fitbit, MyFitnessPal users)
- Discovery: $500 (find new keywords)

Target: 2,000 installs @ $2.50 CPI

**Meta: 40% ($4,000)**
- Lookalike 1% of subscribers: $2,000
- Interest targeting (fitness enthusiasts): $1,500
- Broad targeting: $500

Creative:
- 3 video ads (15s workout demos)
- 2 carousel ads (feature highlights)
- 2 static ads (before/after)

Target: 1,600 installs @ $2.50 CPI

**Testing: 10% ($1,000)**
- TikTok: $500 (test younger demographic)
- Reddit r/fitness: $500 (niche community)

Target: 400 installs @ $2.50 CPI

## Week 1 Tasks
- Set up Apple Search Ads campaigns
- Create Meta ad sets and launch
- Launch TikTok test campaign
- Set up attribution tracking

## Week 2-4 Optimization
- Daily: Monitor spend pacing
- Weekly: Adjust bids on ASA keywords
- Bi-weekly: Refresh Meta creative
- End of month: Reallocate budget to winners

## Success Criteria
- Month 1: 4,000 installs @ $2.50 CPI
- D7 ROAS: > 0.3 (30% of LTV recovered)
- D30 ROAS: > 0.8 (80% of LTV recovered)
- Month 3: Scale to $20K/month if ROAS > 1.5

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