User Acquisition Strategies for Mobile Apps in 2026: Quality, Payback, and Long-term Growth

1) Start with a clear acquisition goal (not a channel)

Before choosing platforms such as TikTok, Meta, or Google, define your primary goal. Consider the story of AppCo, a fictional app that initially focused solely on increasing install numbers. They quickly realised that although installs were growing, their revenue wasn't. After shifting its focus to 'payback' as its primary metric, AppCo began targeting users who not only installed the app but also engaged meaningfully by completing purchases and subscribing. This strategic shift resulted in a significant increase in overall revenue and user lifetime value, demonstrating that focusing on deeper metrics can drive a more long-term growth model.

• Volume: installs at scale

• Efficiency: CPI or CAC targets

• Quality: retention, purchases, subscription starts

• Payback: D7 or D30 ROAS, LTV:CAC ratio
  

  A common mistake is acquiring low-cost installs that do not convert. If your goal is subscription trials, define a "qualified install" as a user who completes onboarding or starts a trial, and optimise for that. For example, if you get 1,000 low-cost installs at $0.50 each, you spend $500. If only 2% convert, your cost per customer is $25. If 'qualified installs' cost $3 each and 20% convert, you spend $150 for 1,000 installs but only $15 per paying customer. The increased upfront cost of qualified installs can result in more efficient spending and better ROI over time.

2) Build your channel mix like a portfolio

Think of your UA channels as a portfolio, where each one has its own role:

• Meta (Facebook/Instagram): Scale Engine →scalable, creative, driven, strong for broad audiences.

• Google App Campaigns: Discovery & Intent Engine → intent + discovery, strong for steady volume.

• TikTok: Creative Lab → great for creative iteration and upper-funnel discovery.

• Apple Search Ads: High Intent Gateway → high intent on iOS, often strong baseline

• Influencers and affiliates can help build trust, but they usually need closer oversight.

• OEM partnerships and preloads can bring in a lot of users, but the quality can be inconsistent.

Don’t rely too heavily on a single channel. If results drop, you’ll want a backup plan already in place.

Diversify further into emerging short-form video (Reels/YouTube Shorts surpassing search spend per eMarketer) and niche organic/community channels (Reddit, creator advocacy) to build upper-funnel trust.

3) Win with creative systems, not just “one great ad”

Many growth teams underestimate how quickly creative fatigue sets in. Treat creativity as a system you manage constantly. Connect your creative cadence and learning speed to optimise this system.

• Rotate formats, such as UGC, founder-led, demonstrations, and problem-solution approaches.

• Localise high-performing creatives for each region.

• Separate concept testing from performance scaling

Try running creative sprints: make 10-20 versions based on a few ideas, then scale up the ones that work best.

4) Make onboarding part of UA

UA doesn’t stop at the install. If onboarding is slow or confusing, you waste money. Here are some ways to improve:

• Reduce steps to the first “aha” moment.

• Use progressive permission prompts.

• Demonstrate value before requesting account creation whenever possible.

• Add early nudges that match the ad promise.

Your ads set expectations. If the landing experience breaks that promise, even good targeting will fail.

5) Measure what matters: incrementality and cohort quality

Attribution is tougher now than before, making it even more important to measure carefully.

In response to privacy-driven measurement challenges, advanced attribution methods such as probabilistic modelling, SKAdNetwork (SKAN), and Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) can provide powerful solutions. Use cohorts to evaluate quality over time (D1, D7, D30 retention, ARPU) and compare channel cohorts rather than relying on CPI alone.

• Run holdout tests when possible to validate incrementality.

• Look out for blended revenue increases that last-click metrics might miss.

6) Use retargeting carefully

Retargeting can look great in dashboards, but it often counts users who would have converted anyway. Use it to improve efficiency, not as your main growth driver. Limit how often users see your ads, update your creative, and track the extra lift. Start with a modest frequency cap, such as 3 impressions per user per week. This baseline guides teams to experiment and find the right balance without overwhelming customers.

7) Practical checklist for the next 30 days

• Try a 30-day experiment: Which of these four actions will move your LTV to CAC most in 30 days.

• Treat this checklist as a live experiment to drive immediate action and commitment.

• Define one north star outcome for paid UA beyond installs.

• Launch 2 new creative angles per week

• Track one quality metric per cohort (example: onboarding completion)

• Add one experiment for incrementality, even a small one.

UA is a cycle: test, learn, scale, and repeat. The best teams make this process part of their routine.

We wrote this guide because we’ve lived the messy reality of UA: chasing “cheap” installs that didn’t convert, watching performance swing when a channel got volatile, and trying to make decisions with attribution that never felt fully trustworthy. We wanted a way to stop guessing and start scaling with confidence, so we built Linkzly to help.

If you want to improve cohort quality, measure what’s actually incremental, connect campaigns to real outcomes (not just installs), and make smarter decisions across channels, Linkzly can help you put the whole loop—track → learn → optimise → scale—on rails. Want to see what your UA looks like once the measurement is finalised?

Check out Linkzly or book a quick demo.