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Programmatic and DSP buying for apps and games

Mobile programmatic on Moloco and other DSPs, with bundle-level whitelists, creative rotation and cohort quality checks. DSPs reward clean events and enough budget to learn, so I check both before the first campaign.

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Judged on backend revenueFree diagnostic firstOne or two new clients a month
Graphite columns of different heights like bids, a brass line reaching only the tallest
What you get

Deliverables

For app publishers and games ready to scale beyond Meta and Google, typically $10K or more a month.

  • DSP readiness check: events, postbacks, budget minimums and creative formats
  • Campaign setup by geo, format and optimization event
  • Bundle and publisher whitelists and blacklists
  • CPI versus quality analysis (day-one retention, payers, payback)
  • Monthly report reconciled against the MMP

Platforms and tools

  • Moloco
  • AppsFlyer
  • Adjust
Illustrative diagram of a programmatic auction: one bid request, several bids, one winning impressionIllustrative. A bid request for one ad slot goes out to five bidders. Each answers with a bid that grows as a bar, the highest one wins, the impression is served and a postback with the install or event returns to inform the next bids. No real figures.ILLUSTRATIVEBid requestone ad slotBIDDERS AND THEIR BIDSWinning bidImpressionserved in the appPOSTBACK: INSTALL OR EVENT
One bid request, several bids, one impression.
Receipts

From my own work

Anonymized, with the denominator and the caveats left in.

Optimization event
$195 → ~$1,239 per depositor

Found an optimization event flat at about $6 per lead from July to August while the true cost per depositor rose from $195 to about $1,239.

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%.

Programmatic and RTB
1+ year

Ran programmatic and RTB buying autonomously for over a year across many markets and DSPs (per my former supervisor's recommendation).

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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

What budget does a DSP need?

Enough for the algorithm to see conversions every day, which is usually more than teams expect. That is why the readiness check comes first. The teams I work with on DSPs typically spend $10K or more a month.

Which DSPs do you buy on?

Moloco, with AppsFlyer or Adjust for measurement. Earlier, at an ad network, I ran programmatic and RTB buying across many markets and DSPs.

How do you judge DSP traffic quality?

On cohorts: day-one retention, payers and payback, reconciled against the MMP. A cheaper CPI with worse retention is not a win.

Related

Often combined with

Mobile app user acquisition

Installs that turn into payers. Multi-network UA for iOS and Android apps, planned around payback instead of CPI.

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

AI creative production (banners and video ads)

Banners, UGC-style and motion video ads produced with AI, sized for every placement and checked against platform policies before launch.

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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