Mobile app marketing that counts active users, not just installs
An install is cheap to buy and easy to lose: most people open a new app a few times and forget about it. A vetted specialist works on the whole path, from the store page and paid campaigns to the first week of use, so the users you pay for stick around.
Free, no obligation. A senior project manager walks you through the analysis.
What you get
You get optimized store pages, clean install attribution, managed install campaigns and a retention plan, with a monthly view of cost per active user.
What the specialist does
What the specialist does, from app store optimization to retention
App growth leaks in three places: people who see the store page and don't install, installs you can't trace to a source, and users who never come back. The specialist tackles all three, in that order.
At the start
Store pages and attribution
Rewrites the App Store and Google Play listings, plans screenshots and keywords, and sets up attribution that ties every install and in-app event to its source.
Every week
Install campaigns and creatives
Runs install and in-app event campaigns on Apple Ads, Google App campaigns, Meta and TikTok, rotating creatives and cutting sources that bring users who never open the app.
Every month
Retention and the report
Works on onboarding, in-app messages and win-back pushes with your product team, and reports cost per install, cost per active user and early retention by source.
Scope of work
When app user acquisition needs a specialist and what shapes the scope
An app usually needs this once it's live and working but growth has stalled: organic installs are flat, paid campaigns bring volume that vanishes within days, nobody can say which channel brings paying users, or the store page still shows launch-day screenshots. It also fits companies whose app supports a physical business, like a restaurant chain, a gym or a retailer with a loyalty program.
Scope depends on whether you're on iOS, Android or both, whether revenue comes from subscriptions, in-app purchases, ads or offline sales, how attribution works today, which paid channels you run and how much of onboarding and messaging your product team can change. A consumer game and a B2B field service app need very different plans and creative.
Metrics this work is built to improve
- Cost per install
- Cost per active user
- Early retention by source
Typical scope
- App Store and Google Play listing optimization
- Keyword research for store search
- Install and in-app event attribution
- Paid install campaigns across networks
- Onboarding, in-app messages and win-back pushes
- Monthly report on cost per active user
You agree on the scope with your senior project manager before work begins, and the same person oversees it from start to finish.
How we match
You don't pick the marketer. A senior project manager with 15+ years of experience does.
What to know
What to know about mobile app retention and growth
Mobile app retention decides whether paid growth makes sense at all. If most new users are gone after a week, every campaign is pouring water into a leaky bucket, and the fix may be in onboarding, not in the ads. Measurement got harder on iOS after Apple limited user-level tracking, so attribution now blends platform reports, a mobile measurement partner and aggregated conversion data. A specialist who knows those limits reads the numbers without putting too much faith in any single source.
The mistakes we see most: optimizing campaigns for installs instead of a meaningful action like a sign-up or a purchase, treating the store listing as a one-time task, running the same creative on every network, and asking for store feedback at a random moment instead of right after a win. Another is launching paid campaigns before attribution works, which leaves the first month of spend impossible to judge.
Your project manager sets the growth goal with you and settles what counts as an active user. The specialist runs store pages and campaigns directly and works with your product and development team on the parts that live inside the app. You approve new creative and listing changes, and each month the report shows cost per install and per active user by channel, so decisions are based on the users who stayed.
How we work
How app marketing work starts
Step 1
Free analysis
Share your store links and the channels you use today. Within 24 hours you'll get a PDF on your store pages, your attribution setup and where new users seem to drop off.
Step 2
Call and scope
A short call covers platforms, your revenue model, current campaigns and what your product team can change. Your project manager then drafts the scope, channels and targets.
Step 3
Matching
A senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing brings in an app marketing specialist who has grown apps with a similar model. You meet them and decide whether to proceed.
Step 4
Growth and reporting
The specialist optimizes the listings, runs campaigns and works on retention with your team, your project manager approves changes, and a monthly report tracks active users by source.
FAQ
Questions before you start
Don't see your question? Request the analysis, and the project manager will answer it on the first call.
01Is this the same as hiring a mobile marketing agency?
A mobile marketing agency often covers texting, mobile ads and mobile websites in general. This service focuses on apps: store pages, install attribution, paid user acquisition and retention. If you also want text campaigns or web push, your project manager can add specialists for those to the same team.
02Which networks do you use for app install campaigns?
Usually Apple Ads for App Store search, Google App campaigns across Search, Play and YouTube, and Meta and TikTok for discovery. The specialist only adds other networks when the app and its audience fit them. Wherever there's enough data, campaigns optimize for a valuable in-app action, not just installs.
03How do you set up mobile attribution?
The specialist connects your app to a mobile measurement partner like AppsFlyer, Adjust or Branch, or checks the setup you already have, defines the in-app events that matter and links them to each ad network. On iOS, aggregated conversion data gets configured so campaigns still receive useful signals within Apple's privacy rules.
04Can you help with app store optimization without paid ads?
Yes. Many apps start there, because the store page affects every install, paid or organic. The work covers the title, subtitle and keyword fields, the description, screenshots and preview video, plus experiments on the store page itself wherever Apple and Google allow listing variants to be tested.
05Do we need our developers involved?
For some parts, yes. Store listings and campaigns run without them, but attribution, event tracking, deep links and onboarding changes need a developer to build them. The specialist writes short, clear requests for your team and checks the result, so the developer time you need stays predictable.
Get your free analysis
See where your mobile app marketing loses users
Order the free marketing analysis and get a PDF within 24 hours covering your store pages, your tracking and where new users drop off. If it fits, a senior project manager matches you with an app marketing specialist.
- Analysis within 24 h
- No obligation
- PDF covering 5 competitors
- Team picked by your PM