Free diagnostic
Service

Mobile app user acquisition, planned around payback

Installs that turn into payers. I plan multi-network UA for iOS and Android apps from your price, store fee and install-to-paid rate, so every channel gets a maximum CPI before it gets a budget.

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Judged on backend revenueFree diagnostic firstOne or two new clients a month
Graphite spheres rolling through a glass gate, only a few turning brass and gathering in a basin
What you get

Deliverables

For subscription apps, mobile games and app publishers with a working paywall or in-app revenue.

  • UA plan with maximum CPIs derived from price, store fee and install-to-paid conversion
  • Campaign structure per network and country tier
  • Event map in the MMP: one money event per app per network
  • Weekly creative tests with stop rules written before launch
  • Cohort and payback reporting by network, campaign and country

Platforms and tools

  • Meta Ads
  • Google App campaigns
  • TikTok Ads
  • Apple Ads
  • Moloco
  • AppsFlyer
  • Adjust
  • SKAN
  • AdAttributionKit
Diagram of a user acquisition loop: creative, install, payer, cohort payback and budget, with a kill rule gateA loop of five steps: creative, install, payer, cohort payback and budget, which feeds the next creative. Between cohort payback and budget sits a gate marked in red: the kill rule written before launch.01Creative02Install03Payer04Cohort payback05BudgetKILL RULEPayback decideshow much goes back in
The loop I run: payback decides how much goes back in, and the kill rule is written before launch.
Receipts

From my own work

Anonymized, with the denominator and the caveats left in.

Cheaper CPI, worse users
15.1% → 9.9% day-one retention

On a DSP campaign for a gaming app, CPI fell from $4.74 to $1.66 and I didn't call it a win, because day-one retention fell from 15.1% to 9.9%.

Unit economics
11.9% vs 5.4% install-to-paid

At a 30% store fee, a $3 CPI needs about 11.9% install-to-paid at $35.99 a year, against 5.4% at $79.99.

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How it starts

Diagnostic first, then a plan

  1. Free 30-minute diagnostic

    A short form, a pre-read built from public data and a call on the three biggest opportunities.

  2. A written plan

    Scope, tests in order, the stop rule for each test and what I need access to.

  3. The work

    Setup, buying, reviews or advice, depending on the service, reported against your backend numbers with the stop rules agreed up front.

FAQ

Common questions

Do you work on iOS and Android?

Yes. iOS adds SKAN and AdAttributionKit to the measurement plan, so the event map is set up for each platform separately.

What do you need to start?

Your price and paywall setup, install-to-paid rate by cohort if you have it, access to your MMP and the ad accounts you already run. Without a working paywall or in-app revenue there is nothing to optimize toward yet.

Which networks do you start with?

It depends on the category, the platform and the budget. The UA plan ranks channels by expected payback and testing cost, and we start with the one or two that can be measured cleanly.

Related

Often combined with

Apple Ads (Apple Search Ads)

Keyword structure, bid caps from your unit economics, Custom Product Pages and attribution that actually reaches your analytics.

How it works

Tracking and measurement (MMP, Conversions API, server-side)

Make the numbers trustworthy before buying more: MMP, Conversions API, server-side events, SKAN and backend reconciliation.

How it works

Programmatic and DSP buying

Mobile programmatic on Moloco and other DSPs, with bundle-level whitelists, creative rotation and cohort quality checks.

How it works
Free · 30 minutes

Want a second pair of eyes on this?

Send me the basics and get a pre-read plus 30 minutes on your three biggest opportunities, free.

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