Driving installs with efficient acquisition cost
Installs had plateaued and cost-per-install was climbing on every channel. We rebuilt the acquisition funnel around creator-led creative and event optimization — bringing CPI down while growing installs.
Overview
A consumer app had hit a wall: install volume was flat and CPI was creeping up month after month as the same polished ads fatigued. The store listing hadn't been touched in a year, and post-install conversion events weren't optimized — so the platforms were bidding blind.
I led user acquisition end to end: creative strategy, channel mix, ASO, and the event structure that tells the algorithm who's actually worth acquiring.
Objectives
- Bring cost-per-install down across paid UA channels.
- Grow monthly install volume without inflating CPI.
- Improve store-listing conversion (impression → install).
- Optimize for quality installs, not just raw volume.
Audience
The core user was a mobile-first 18–34 who discovers apps through short-form video and social proof, not polished brand ads. They scroll fast and trust creators over corporations — so the creative had to feel native to the feed, not like an ad interrupting it.
Strategy
Two fronts: a creator-led UA funnel (hook-driven, native short-form video that earns the click cheaply) and event optimization (feeding the platforms a meaningful post-install signal so they optimized toward users who actually activate, not just install and churn).
An ASO refresh tightened the impression-to-install step, compounding the gains from cheaper traffic.
Content Approach
- Hook-first short-form video built for the first three seconds.
- Creator and UGC ads that feel native to TikTok and Reels.
- High-velocity creative testing to stay ahead of fatigue.
- Refreshed store listing — screenshots, preview video, and keywords.
Execution Timeline
Foundation
Event optimization rebuilt, ASO audit, creator pipeline established.
Creative engine
First creator batches live; hook testing across TikTok and Meta.
Optimize
Store listing refresh shipped; budget shifted to lowest-CPI winners.
Scale
Installs scaled on efficient creative; quality events held strong.
KPIs Tracked
Performance Dashboard
Summary: install conversion improved as store listing and creative sharpened; CPI fell on every channel after event optimization; and install volume more than doubled at lower cost.
Install Conversion Over Time
Cost Per Install by Channel
Monthly Install Volume
Key Results
- −41% cost-per-install across paid UA channels.
- +67% install conversion from the ASO and creative refresh.
- 2.1× monthly install volume at a lower blended cost.
- Quality held — installs were activating, not just downloading and churning.
Lessons Learned
CPI is downstream of two things people often ignore: the first three seconds of creative and the event you optimize toward. Fix the hook and the signal, and the cost takes care of itself.
The ASO refresh was the quiet multiplier — cheaper traffic only pays off if the store listing converts it. Optimizing the whole funnel, not just the ad, is what made the numbers move together.