---
name: app-user-acquisition
description: Use when planning or running paid or organic user acquisition for a mobile app — choosing a first channel, setting up Apple Ads (Search Ads) campaigns, bids and budgets, checking if an app is ready for Meta/TikTok ads, tracking app events, researching and testing ad creatives, or building a UGC/creator/influencer program (creator pay, recruiting, onboarding, TikTok/IG account warm-up).
---

# Mobile app user acquisition

Knowledge from App Masters ([[people/steve-p-young]]) and guests, Sub Club (RevenueCat) and Superwall
podcast guests, 2026. Platform rules change —
notes state the date of each claim. Read the note before giving specific settings or numbers.

## Core playbook

1. **Pick one or two channels.** If people search for your category, start with ASO + Apple Ads
   (pull, few levers, best ROI); go straight to social only when there's no search demand.
   → `apple-ads-as-first-paid-channel`
2. **Know your break-even CPI** (revenue per install if bootstrapped, LTV/install otherwise).
   Heuristics: ~$3 CPI for Apple Ads; ≥$3 LTV/install (≈month 11) for Meta.
   → `app-break-even-cpi-and-revenue-per-install`
3. **Apple Ads = two campaigns in parallel:** Max Conversion (CPA goal $3–4, search match on,
   few top keywords + Apple's automated group) and SKAG (one exact keyword per ad group, search
   match off, bid ≈ target CPA, 5–10 keywords). New users only, no demographic targeting, US first.
   → `apple-ads-campaign-structure`, `apple-ads-max-conversion-campaign`, `apple-ads-single-keyword-ad-groups`
4. **Track Apple Ads cheaply:** CPP per ad group, RevenueCat attribution, or weekly spend vs revenue
   while you run only one or two channels. → `apple-ads-attribution-without-mmp`
5. **Don't start Meta with a leaky funnel:** 5–10% install→trial (10%+ hard paywall), 30%+
   trial→paid, ~2% install→paid; prove strangers pay first. → `meta-ads-readiness-checklist`
6. **Optimize Meta for start trial and fund 50 trials/week** — a $1,000 test only buys ~35 trials.
   → `meta-ads-budget-math-for-apps`
7. **Validate Meta SDK events** (install, View Content = paywall, checkout, trial, subscribe)
   against App Store Connect before launch. → `meta-sdk-event-validation`
8. **Creative is the main lever in paid social.** Study long-running competitor ads, then launch
   3–5 *different concepts* (hook → app demo → offer → App Store end card) in one ad set.
   → `competitor-ad-research-for-apps`, `app-ad-creative-concepts`
9. **Test creatives in 3-day windows** on your best-converting weekdays; 4 creatives per themed ad
   set; hook rate 30–40%; expect months before positive ROAS. → `paid-social-creative-testing-framework`
10. **UGC: go viral yourself first,** then scale with creators. → `founder-led-virality-before-ugc`
11. **Pay creators $10–30 base/post (≥500 views) + decreasing-CPM bonuses;** recruit via SideShift,
    Discord inbound, micro-influencer DMs; accept ≤50%. → `ugc-creator-recruiting-and-pay`
12. **Train creators with a recorded course and content bank;** script for watch time; new accounts
    warmed 3 days on niche micro accounts. → `ugc-creator-onboarding-course`,
    `ugc-content-formats-and-scripts`, `ugc-new-account-warmup`
13. **Creative is a volume game:** ~1 winner per 85 videos in one account; ship hundreds of concepts,
    test in cheap similar-converting geos, and distrust flat "stable" results. → `ad-creative-volume-and-hit-rate`
14. **Make ugly, product-first ads:** say what you sell and the pain in second one; brand caution only
    for trust-sensitive products; never clickbait. → `ugly-ads-and-brand-caution`
15. **UGC ad format:** captions always, creator over green-screen app demo, phone in hand, one specific
    frustration as hook; buy perpetual rights. → `ugc-app-ad-format-captions-green-screen`,
    `ugc-creator-mass-outreach-and-rights`
16. **Lead with the magic moment** (often an AI feature) in the first ~6 s; use AI for permutations,
    not fake testimonials. → `product-magic-moment-as-ad-creative`, `ai-tools-for-app-ad-creatives`
17. **Organic vs paid:** organic UGC ~50–80% margin with a ~$1–3M/yr ceiling, paid ~10–30%; recycle
    organic winners into ads; check paid is incremental (geo holdouts). → `organic-ugc-vs-paid-ads-margins`,
    `paid-vs-organic-cannibalization`, `organic-ugc-creative-strategy-layers`, `organic-ugc-team-roles`
18. **Validate demand with ads before building; fix trial-to-paid before scaling Meta.**
    → `presell-demand-test-before-building`, `built-with-science-meta-scaling-case`
19. **Go international deliberately:** cheap translation tests, purchasing-power pricing, full
    consistent localisation for bets. → `international-localization-for-app-growth`

## Note map

| Note | Read when |
|---|---|
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/apple-ads-as-first-paid-channel.md` | choosing the first acquisition channel; Apple Ads vs Meta vs organic social |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/apple-ads-campaign-structure.md` | designing an Apple Ads account; naming; reported results |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/apple-ads-max-conversion-campaign.md` | step-by-step Max Conversion settings (CPA goal, budget, ad groups, audience) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/apple-ads-single-keyword-ad-groups.md` | setting up exact-match SKAG campaigns and choosing keyword variants |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/app-break-even-cpi-and-revenue-per-install.md` | setting bids/CPA goals; RPI vs LTV; is the app affordable to advertise |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/apple-ads-attribution-without-mmp.md` | measuring Apple Ads revenue without an MMP (CPP, RevenueCat, blended) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/meta-ads-readiness-checklist.md` | deciding whether an app is ready for Meta; funnel benchmarks |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/meta-ads-budget-math-for-apps.md` | sizing a Meta budget; 50 events/week; expected CAC |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/meta-sdk-event-validation.md` | which events to send to Meta and how to verify them |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/competitor-ad-research-for-apps.md` | finding winning competitor ads (Meta Ads Library, SocialPeta) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/app-ad-creative-concepts.md` | briefing/writing paid app video ads; concepts per ICP; ad↔CPP matching |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/paid-social-creative-testing-framework.md` | structuring creative tests; hook/hold rate; paid social levers |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/founder-led-virality-before-ugc.md` | starting organic social/UGC; testing app ideas on TikTok/IG |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugc-creator-recruiting-and-pay.md` | paying, finding and vetting UGC creators/micro-influencers |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugc-creator-onboarding-course.md` | training and managing creators |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugc-content-formats-and-scripts.md` | writing UGC scripts/content banks; organic vs paid content |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugc-new-account-warmup.md` | setting up and warming new TikTok/IG accounts |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ad-creative-volume-and-hit-rate.md` | how many creatives to make; hit rates; cheap-geo testing; when "stable" is bad |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugly-ads-and-brand-caution.md` | briefing scroll-stopping ads; brand vs performance debates |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugc-app-ad-format-captions-green-screen.md` | concrete UGC ad format for app demos (captions, green screen, hooks) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ugc-creator-mass-outreach-and-rights.md` | sourcing hundreds of paid-ad UGC videos; outreach, Telegram, perpetual rights |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/ai-tools-for-app-ad-creatives.md` | using ElevenLabs/Suno/Veo 3/LLMs for ads; FTC fake-testimonial risk |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/product-magic-moment-as-ad-creative.md` | turning a standout (AI) feature into the ad hook; unlocking new markets |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/organic-ugc-vs-paid-ads-margins.md` | comparing organic UGC vs paid economics; reusing organic winners as ads |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/organic-ugc-creative-strategy-layers.md` | planning organic content: copy / iterate / referential concepting; flop signals |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/organic-ugc-team-roles.md` | hiring for organic growth; agency vs in-house |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/paid-vs-organic-cannibalization.md` | checking paid incrementality; organic ceilings; geo holdout tests |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/built-with-science-meta-scaling-case.md` | case study: Meta $0 → ~$100k/month for an influencer-born app |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/presell-demand-test-before-building.md` | validating an app idea with ads before building |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/user-acquisition/international-localization-for-app-growth.md` | choosing markets, local pricing (Big Mac index), deep localisation |

## Gaps (say so, or research)

- Meta campaign build-out (campaign/ad set settings, Advantage+, scaling rules) — Steve's "part 2"
  not ingested yet; Apple Ads bid-down formula not given.
- TikTok Ads, Google App Campaigns / Android, Snap, ASA for non-US markets — no dedicated sources.
- MMP selection and SKAdNetwork/AdAttributionKit setup; ATT prompt strategy.
- Paid influencer deals (flat fees, whitelisting/Spark Ads, partnership ads) beyond UGC programs.
- Web2app funnels as an acquisition path: see the `web2app-funnels` skill (incl. `web-quiz-vs-direct-to-store`).
- No ROAS/payback benchmarks by category; no Meta account-ban recovery playbook beyond anecdotes.
- Organic UGC numbers (margins, $1–3M ceiling) are one community host's observations.
- All numbers come from a few operators' own accounts (2026); treat as heuristics, not benchmarks.