An AppLovin ads checklist for a new account covers five areas in order: tracking (MMP integration and postbacks), app and store setup, campaign goal and bidding model, creative sets, and a review schedule for the first two weeks. Most early failures in AppLovin campaigns come from the first item, not the last: if install and in-app events do not reach the platform correctly, the bidding algorithm optimizes toward the wrong users.
AppLovin’s user acquisition product (AppDiscovery, managed through the AppLovin dashboard and the AXON engine) buys inventory across a large mobile game and app network. It works best when it gets clear signals and enough creative variety to test. The checklist below is organized so each step feeds the next.
Is tracking set up before anything else?
AppLovin relies on a mobile measurement partner for attribution. Connect your MMP (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Singular, Branch, Kochava or another supported one) and enable AppLovin as a partner integration inside the MMP. Then confirm that installs and the in-app events you care about are sent as postbacks to AppLovin.
On iOS, SKAdNetwork configuration matters. Your conversion value schema, set in the MMP, decides what AppLovin can learn about post-install behavior from users who did not grant tracking consent. A schema that only encodes “installed” gives the algorithm nothing to optimize toward.
- MMP SDK integrated and tested on a real device for both platforms.
- AppLovin enabled as an integrated partner in the MMP dashboard.
- Install postbacks and in-app event postbacks switched on (purchase, level reached, registration, as relevant).
- Revenue values passed with purchase events, in a single currency.
- SKAdNetwork conversion value schema configured for iOS.
- A test install recorded end-to-end before any spend.
Which store and app settings need checking?
Make sure the app’s store listing is final before launching ads. Creative will send users to the store page; if screenshots do not match the ad, install rates drop. Confirm the store listing country availability matches the countries you plan to target.
In the AppLovin dashboard, add the app with the correct store URL and bundle ID, and check that the category is right. If you also monetize with AppLovin MAX, keep in mind that the user acquisition and monetization accounts are linked but separate settings; check with your account manager how data is shared.
How do you choose the campaign goal and bidding model?
AppLovin offers several optimization goals, typically including cost per install, return on ad spend (ROAS) targets, and event-based goals, depending on your account and data volume. A ROAS goal needs revenue events and enough volume; a brand-new app without purchase data usually starts on a CPI or event goal, then moves to ROAS once data builds.
Setting the first target
For example, if your MMP shows that day-7 revenue per install is around $0.60 for organic users in the US, a starting day-7 ROAS target might sit somewhat below your breakeven so the campaign can spend and learn. Setting the target too high stops delivery; too low wastes money. Treat the first target as a test and adjust weekly. These numbers are illustrative only.
- New app, no revenue data: CPI or install-plus-event goal.
- App with steady in-app purchases or ad revenue: ROAS goal with day-7 target.
- Separate campaigns per country tier rather than one global campaign.
What creative do you need at launch?
AppLovin campaigns run on creative sets that combine video, playable and static assets in several aspect ratios. The network relies heavily on playable ads and short video because much of the inventory is inside games. Launching with one video limits the algorithm’s ability to find what works.
A reasonable starting set is three to five videos of 15 to 30 seconds in portrait and landscape, at least one playable if your genre suits it, and end cards. Each video should test a different idea: a gameplay hook, a problem-and-solution angle, a progression or reward moment.
- Videos in 9:16 and 16:9, under the length limits shown in the dashboard.
- At least one playable (HTML5, within file size limits) for games.
- End cards in the required sizes.
- Clear first three seconds; many users skip quickly.
- File naming that shows the concept, so reports are readable.
How should budgets be set for the first two weeks?
The algorithm needs data, so budgets that are too small in too many campaigns spread the learning thin. Fewer campaigns with meaningful daily budgets learn faster. Start with one or two country tiers and one campaign per platform.
For example, a mid-size casual game might start with a single US iOS campaign and a single US Android campaign, each with a daily budget it can sustain for 14 days without changes. Avoid editing targets every day; frequent edits reset learning and make results hard to read.
What do you check during the first 14 days?
Daily checks are about delivery and tracking, not performance. Is spend happening? Are installs appearing in both AppLovin and the MMP, with similar counts? Are events arriving? Weekly checks are about performance against goal.
- Day 1-3: spend pacing, install discrepancy between AppLovin and MMP, event postbacks firing.
- Day 4-7: creative distribution (which assets get impressions), install rate per creative.
- Day 7: first day-7 ROAS or event rate check on the earliest cohort.
- Day 14: decide target adjustments, pause weak creative, add new concepts.
What mistakes show up most often on new AppLovin accounts?
Sending only install postbacks is the most common one. The campaign then optimizes for cheap installs, which often means users who never open the app twice. A second is changing ROAS targets in small daily steps; give each change several days.
A third is creative fatigue. Network inventory sees the same users repeatedly, and performance of a winning video usually declines after some weeks. Keep a pipeline that delivers new concepts on a schedule rather than when results already dropped.
Naming and reporting conventions
Agree on a naming pattern before launch, such as platform_country_goal_date for campaigns and concept_format_version for creative. It sounds minor, but after a month of tests an unreadable report slows every decision. Export weekly creative reports to a shared sheet so results survive dashboard changes and team turnover.
Where to start this week
Run a test install on iOS and Android and confirm it shows in the MMP and in AppLovin with the right in-app events. Write down your day-7 revenue per install from existing users so you have a reference for a ROAS target.
Then brief three video concepts that each test a different hook, plus one playable if you make games. Launch one campaign per platform in your main country with a budget you can hold for two weeks, and put the day-3, day-7 and day-14 checks in the calendar now.
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