App campaign bid strategies help you get the most value by setting just the right price for your ads.
Before you begin
There’s a set of instructions that you need to follow when you’re ready to create your app campaign for installs, pre-registration or engagement.
Bid strategies for app campaigns
Bid strategy type
Bid name
Campaign subtype
Target CPA
Target cost per install (tCPI)
ACi (App campaign for installs)
Target CPA
Target cost per action (tCPA)
ACi, ACe (App campaign for engagement)
Target CPA
Target cost per pre-registration (tCPpre)
ACPre (App campaign for pre-registration) (Android)
Maximise conversions (installs)
ACi
Maximise conversions (in-app actions)
ACi
Maximise conversion value
ACi
Target ROAS
Target return on ad spend (tROAS)
ACi, ACe
The types of bid strategies that you can use for your App campaign are:
Target CPA: Aims to increase conversions while targeting a specific cost per action.
Target cost per install (tCPI) aims to deliver install conversions at the set target.
Target cost per action (tCPA) aims to deliver in-app action conversions at the set target for either new ACi or returning ACe users.
Target cost per pre-registration (tCPpre) aims to deliver pre-registration conversions at the set target.
Maximise conversions (installs): Automatically sets bids for each auction to help get the most installs for your campaign while spending your daily budget.
Maximise conversions (in-app actions): Automatically sets bids for each auction to help get the most in-app actions for your campaign while spending your daily budget.
Maximise conversion value: Automatically sets bids for tROAS campaigns to help get the most value (return on ad spend) for your campaign while spending your daily budget.
Target ROAS (return on ad spend): Aims to deliver a particular return on ad spend (a target that you set) based on the set conversion values for the targeted actions.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App installs.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select Install volume from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on’? section.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select your preferred download conversion action from the drop-down menu under the ‘How do you want to track install volume’? section.
A download conversion action lets you track app install events after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions are automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
For the users that you want to target, select:
All users to maintain the highest potential install volume.
Users likely to perform an in-app action to focus on users who may complete the selected event after installing. The main metric is still target cost per install, rather than target cost per action.
If you selected ‘All users':
Select the ‘Set a target cost per install (optional)’ tick box.
In the ‘Target cost per install’ section enter an amount.
Your bid should reflect the value of the completion of the install event by the targeted users. For iOS, a bid 1.5 times higher than Android is recommended.
If you selected ‘Users likely to perform an in-app action':
In the ‘Which action is most important to you?’ section, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings.
Note that optimising for frequent actions, like session start, may result in a higher number of conversions than usual, especially for video assets.
In the ‘Target cost per install’ section, enter an amount.
Bids should be 20% higher than baseline tCPI bids as you’re optimising towards more lucrative installs. For iOS, a bid 1.5 times higher than Android is recommended.
Select Next.
Note: Bid guidance is available only for ACi tCPI campaigns in which ‘All users’ is selected. Bid guidance helps you set a competitive bid during campaign construction.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App installs.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select In-app actions from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on?’ section.
This option focuses on users who are most likely to view your ad, install the app, then complete an in-app action.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select your preferred download conversion action from the drop-down menu under the ‘How do you want to track install volume’? section.
A download conversion action lets you track app install events after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions are automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings in the table under the ‘Which actions are most important to you?’ section.
Note: It isn’t recommended to select more than one action as doing so effectively makes your set tCPA a ‘blended target’ for two or more actions with potentially different values.
Keep in mind that optimising for frequent actions, like session start, results in a higher number of conversions than usual, especially for video assets.
In the ‘Target cost per action’ section, enter an amount.
Your bid should reflect the value of the completion of the selected events by the targeted users. After more data has been collected when the campaign has begun serving, review the actual CPA achieved for the in-app event being targeted and set your tCPA bid 20% higher than what’s been observed. For iOS, bids that are 1.5 times higher than Android are recommended.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ card, select App engagement.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Select your marketing objective for your app engagement campaign:
Re-engage lapsed users
Re-engage lapsed purchasers
Re-engage non-purchasers
Re-engage unnotified users (Firebase SDK and FCM setup recommended)
Re-engage all users
Re-engage users who uninstalled your app
Create a campaign with a different marketing objective without using automated selections
Note: Attaching relevant audience segments (such as Customer Match or Firebase lists) is a technical requirement for ACe campaigns to serve. Ensure that you’re using supported list types and that your account is allowlisted for these features.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select In-app actions from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on?’ section.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings in the table under the ‘Which actions are most important to you?’ section.
Note: It isn’t recommended to select more than one action as doing so effectively makes your set tCPA a ‘blended target’ for two or more actions with potentially different values.
Keep in mind that optimising for frequent actions, like session start, results in a higher number of conversions than usual, especially for video assets.
In the ‘Target cost per action’ section, enter an amount.
Your bid should reflect the value of the completion of the selected events by the targeted users. After more data has been collected when the campaign has begun serving, review the actual CPA achieved for the in-app event being targeted and set your tCPA bid 20% higher than what’s been observed. For iOS, bids that are 1.5 times higher than Android are recommended.
Set the tCPA high to drive more than 100 conversions.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App pre-registration (Android only).
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, enter an amount in the ‘Target cost per pre-registration’ section.
Your bid should reflect the value of the completion of the pre-registration event by the targeted users.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App installs.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select Install volume from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on’? section.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select your preferred download conversion action from the drop-down menu under the ‘How do you want to track install volume’? section.
A download conversion action lets you track app install events after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions are automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select All users under the ‘What kind of users do you want to target?’ section.
Ensure that the ‘Set a target cost per install (optional)’ tick box isn’t selected.
Select Next.
Set up Maximise conversions (in-app actions) for ACi
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App installs.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select In-app actions from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on?’ section.
This option focuses on users who are most likely to view your ad, install the app, then complete an in-app action.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select your preferred download conversion action from the drop-down menu under the ‘How do you want to track install volume’? section.
A download conversion action lets you track app install events after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions are automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings in the table under the ‘Which actions are most important to you?’ section.
Keep in mind that optimising for frequent actions, like session start, results in a higher number of conversions than usual, especially for video assets.
Ensure that the ‘Set a target cost per action (optional)’ tick box isn’t selected.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App installs.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select In-app action value from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on?’ section.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select your preferred download conversion action from the drop-down menu under the ‘How do you want to track install volume’? section.
A download conversion action lets you track app install events after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions are automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings in the table under the ‘Which actions are most important to you?’ section.
Keep in mind that optimising for frequent actions, like session start, results in a higher number of conversions than usual, especially for video assets.
Ensure that the ‘Set a target return on ad spend (optional)’ tick box isn’t selected.
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ field, select App installs.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select In-app action value from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on?’ section.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select your preferred download conversion action from the drop-down menu under the ‘How do you want to track install volume’? section.
A download conversion action lets you track app install events after people have interacted with your ad. For Android apps, download conversion actions are automatically created and tracked through Google Play.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings in the table under the ‘Which actions are most important to you?’ section.
Keep in mind that optimising for frequent actions, like session start, results in a higher number of conversions than usual, especially for video assets.
In the ‘Target return on ad spend’ section, enter a value as a percentage using this formula: conversion value ÷ ad spend x 100% = target ROAS percentage. Here’s a guide on how to properly set a tROAS bid
Identify your biddable event’s conversion window.
Activate the ‘conv. value/cost’ column to identify your comparable* campaign’s performance over the duration of that window. Your achieved ROAS for the comparable campaign should be your starting tROAS bid.
*Promoting the same App ID, using the same biddable event and look-back window, with the same location and language targeting settings
Select the plus button , then select New campaign.
For your campaign objective, select App promotion.
In the ‘Select a campaign subtype’ card, select App engagement.
Select your mobile app’s platform and enter your app’s name in the ‘Look up your app’ section.
Select your marketing objective for your app engagement campaign:
Re-engage lapsed users
Re-engage lapsed purchasers
Re-engage non-purchasers
Re-engage unnotified users (Firebase SDK and FCM setup recommended)
Re-engage all users
Re-engage users who uninstalled your app
Create a campaign with a different marketing objective without using automated selections
Enter a name for your campaign, then select Continue.
In the ‘Campaign settings’ section, select the location and language that you wish to target in the ‘Location’ and ‘Languages’ cards, then select Next.
In the ‘Budget and bidding’ section, set the average daily budget for your campaign in the ‘Budget’ card.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select In-app action value from the drop-down menu under the ‘What do you want to focus on?’ section.
In the ‘Bidding’ card, select predefined actions from your conversion tracking settings in the table under the ‘Which actions are most important to you?’ section.
In the ‘Target return on ad spend’ section, enter a value as a percentage using this formula: conversion value ÷ ad spend x 100% = target ROAS percentage. Here’s a guide on how to properly set a tROAS bid:
Identify your biddable event’s conversion window.
Activate the ‘conv. value/cost’ column to identify your comparable* campaign’s performance over the duration of that window. Your achieved ROAS for the comparable campaign should be your starting tROAS bid.
*Promoting the same App ID, using the same biddable event and look-back window, with the same location and language targeting settings.
Select Next.
Tip:
If you want to lessen the need to make manual bid changes in your App campaigns, you can use automated rules to make changes automatically. Learn more about how to set up automated rules for App campaigns.
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