Meta Ads for Mobile Apps: Strategies to Drive User Acquisition

Buse Kanal

19 March 2025

If you’re an app developer or marketer looking to scale your mobile app, Meta Ads should be a key part of your marketing strategy. With billions of active users across Facebook, Instagram, and the Meta Audience Network, Meta Ads provide an unparalleled opportunity to acquire high-quality users for your app.

In this guide, we’ll explore what Meta Ads are, why they are an effective tool for mobile app promotion, and the best strategies to drive user acquisition. Whether you’re launching a new app or scaling an existing one, these insights will help you maximize your ad spend and grow your user base.

Strategies to drive user acquisition with Meta Ads

To get the most out of Meta Ads for mobile apps, you need a well-structured campaign. Here are the best strategies to optimize your ads for maximum user acquisition.

1. Set up your campaign the right way

A strong foundation is essential for running successful Meta Ads for mobile apps. Before you launch any campaigns, ensure that you’ve set up everything correctly to maximize results. Here’s what you need to do:

a. Register your app on Meta for Developers

Before running Meta Ads, you need to register your app on the Meta for Developers platform. This process links your app to Meta’s advertising ecosystem, enabling advanced tracking and optimization features. Registering your app allows Meta to recognize it when creating app promotion campaigns and ensures that your ads are being shown to the most relevant audiences.

b. Integrate the Meta SDK to track installs and user behavior

The Meta Software Development Kit (SDK) is crucial for tracking user interactions within your app. By integrating the SDK, you can:

Track app installs accurately and attribute them to specific ad campaigns.
Measure in-app events, such as purchases, sign-ups, or completed levels.
Gain valuable insights into user behavior to refine your targeting and ad creatives.
Optimize your campaigns based on real user actions, not just link clicks.

Without the SDK, your ads can only be optimized for clicks, meaning you won’t know whether users actually install or engage with your app after clicking on the ad.

c. Define your campaign goal

What do you want to achieve with your Meta Ads campaign? There are several possible objectives, including:

App Installs – Getting as many new users as possible to download and install your app.
In-App Events – Targeting users who are more likely to take specific actions within your app (e.g., making a purchase, signing up for a subscription, or completing a level).
Conversions – Maximizing the value of users by encouraging high-value actions, such as in-app purchases.

Choosing the right goal will help Meta’s AI optimize your ads and ensure they reach people who are most likely to take the desired action.

d. Select ‘App Promotion’ as your objective in Meta Ads Manager

Once your app is registered and your campaign goal is defined, go to Meta Ads Manager and create a new campaign. Be sure to select App Promotion as your objective. This is critical because:

It ensures Meta optimizes ad delivery for app installs, engagement, or conversions.
It enables advanced tracking and attribution, allowing you to measure campaign success accurately.
It helps you reach the right audience, increasing the likelihood of getting high-quality users instead of just random clicks.

By setting up your campaign the right way from the beginning, you increase your chances of success and make every dollar count in your mobile app advertising strategy.

2. Use Advantage+ App Campaigns for automation

Managing app promotion campaigns manually can be time-consuming and complex, requiring constant adjustments to targeting, bidding, and creatives. That’s where Meta’s Advantage+ App Campaigns come in. This AI-powered feature streamlines the process by automatically optimizing ad delivery to reach the most valuable users while minimizing manual effort.

How to Set Up an Advantage+ App Campaign

Go to Meta Ads Manager and create a new campaign.
Select “App Promotion” as your campaign objective.
Choose “Advantage+ App Campaign” to enable automated optimization.
Upload your creative assets (images, videos, and copy).
Set your budget and bid strategy (e.g., cost per install or cost per action).
Launch your campaign and let Meta’s AI optimize it in real time.

By leveraging Advantage+ App Campaigns, you can reduce the complexity of campaign management while increasing efficiency and results. It’s an ideal solution for app marketers who want to maximize installs and engagement with minimal manual effort.

3. Target the right audience

No matter how great your app is, your ad campaign will only be effective if it reaches the right audience—people who are most likely to install and actively use your app. Meta’s powerful audience targeting options allow you to refine your reach and focus your budget on high-value users.

Here’s how to optimize your targeting strategy for the best results:

a. Use Lookalike Audiences – find users similar to your best customers

Lookalike Audiences help you find new users who share characteristics with your existing high-value customers. This is one of the most effective ways to scale your user base while maintaining high install and engagement rates.

Best practices for lookalike audiences

Base It on high-value users – Use a Custom Audience of your top spenders, active users, or those who completed key in-app actions.
Start small and expand – Begin with a 1% Lookalike (closest match) and gradually scale up to 3–5% for a broader reach.
Combine with interest targeting – Layer Lookalike Audiences with interests or behaviors relevant to your app for higher precision.

b. Retarget engaged users – convert warm leads into App Installs

Not everyone will install your app on the first interaction. Some users might visit your website, watch your ad, or engage with your brand but fail to take the final step. Retargeting allows you to bring these warm leads back into the funnel and encourage them to install.

Retargeting strategies that work

Website visitors – Show ads to users who visited your landing page or app download page but didn’t install.
Engaged ad viewers – Retarget users who interacted with your previous ads (e.g., watched 50%+ of a video ad).
Abandoned cart users – If your app has an e-commerce component, retarget users who added items to their cart but didn’t check out.
Email or CRM retargeting – Upload a list of leads or customers and serve them personalized app install ads.

c. Experiment with broad targeting – let Meta’s AI optimize your audience

While defined targeting works well, sometimes it’s best to let Meta’s AI do the heavy lifting. Broad targeting allows Meta’s machine learning to automatically find the best users for your app.

How broad targeting works

Instead of setting specific audience criteria (age, interests, behaviors), you allow Meta’s AI to determine who is most likely to install and engage with your app.
Meta’s algorithms analyze real-time ad performance and optimize delivery to the highest-value users.
Over time, the system improves, leading to better cost efficiency and conversion rates.

4. Leverage high-converting ad formats

The success of your Meta ad campaigns isn’t just about targeting—it’s also about using the right ad formats to capture attention and drive action. Different formats work better depending on your specific goals, whether it’s increasing installs, boosting in-app conversions, or strengthening brand awareness.

Here’s a breakdown of the best-performing ad formats and when to use them:

a. Driving installs: video ads & playable ads

If your goal is to increase app downloads, you need ads that immediately grab attention and showcase your app’s value.

Video ads – capture attention & drive installs

Video ads are one of the most effective formats for mobile app promotion. They allow you to demonstrate your app’s features in action, highlight key benefits, and engage users with dynamic visuals.

Best practices for video ads:

Keep it short & engaging – Aim for 6–15 seconds; capture attention within the first 3 seconds.
Show the app in action – Give users a preview of the interface and core features.
Add a clear CTA – Use a strong call-to-action like “Install Now” or “Try the App Today” to drive downloads.
Optimize for sound-off viewing – Include captions or on-screen text, as many users watch without sound.

Great for: Mobile games, productivity apps, and social apps that benefit from visual demonstrations.

Playable ads – let users try before they install

Playable ads are interactive previews of your app that let users experience the gameplay or key features before downloading. These ads are especially powerful for gaming apps but can also work for interactive apps like design tools or educational apps.

b. Boosting in-app conversions: carousel ads

If your focus is on increasing user engagement and driving in-app actions, you’ll need ad formats that highlight multiple features, products, or offers to users who have already installed the app or shown interest.

Carousel ads let you display multiple images or videos within a single ad, allowing users to swipe through different offerings.

How to use carousel ads for conversions:

Highlight key app features – Each carousel card can showcase a different app functionality.
Promote products or services – Perfect for e-commerce apps to showcase different products.
Offer discounts & deals – Highlight different promotions, sales, or limited-time offers to re-engage users.

Great for: E-commerce apps, travel apps, financial apps, and food delivery apps.

c. Strengthening brand awareness: instant experience ads

If your goal is to build brand recognition and tell a compelling story, you need an immersive ad format that captivates users.

Instant Experience ads (formerly known as Canvas ads) load instantly and take over the entire mobile screen, allowing you to combine videos, images, carousels, and CTA buttons in a rich, interactive experience.

Great for: Brand awareness campaigns, storytelling, and product launches.

5. Optimize your ad creatives

Your ad creative is one of the most important factors influencing conversion rates. Even with the best targeting and budget, poor ad creatives will result in low engagement and wasted ad spend. To ensure your Meta ads drive the best results, follow these proven best practices:

a. Keep your visuals clear & engaging

Your ad should grab attention instantly—users scroll through their feeds quickly, so your creative needs to stand out within the first 3 seconds.

Best practices for visuals:

Use high-quality images & videos – Blurry or cluttered visuals reduce credibility and engagement.
Optimize for mobile – Most users will see your ad on their phones, so ensure it looks great on small screens.
Add contrast & bold colors – Use colors that pop to catch the viewer’s eye.
Show the app interface – Let users see what the app looks like before they install.

Pro Tip: A/B test different colors, images, and layouts to see which visuals drive the most conversions.

b. Highlight key app features or benefits

Your ad creative should immediately communicate why your app is worth downloading. Users need to understand the value of your app at a glance.

How to showcase app benefits effectively:

Focus on user pain points – Show how your app solves a problem.
Use text overlays – Highlight key benefits in a few words (e.g., “Track Your Expenses Effortlessly”).
Demonstrate the experience – Use videos or GIFs to show how the app works.

Example:

A finance app can highlight “Save Money Effortlessly with AI Budgeting!”
A fitness app can say “Lose Weight with Personalized Workouts!”

Pro Tip: Instead of just listing features, focus on what users gain from them.

b. Use a strong Call-to-Action (CTA)

A clear and compelling CTA is crucial to guide users toward installing your app. Without a strong CTA, even the best ad creative may not convert effectively.

Best CTA practices:

Use action-oriented language – Tell users exactly what to do (e.g., “Install Now,” “Start Your Free Trial”).
Make it visible – Place the CTA in a prominent position within your ad.
Create urgency – Phrases like “Limited Offer” or “Join Today” encourage faster action.

Pro Tip: Test different CTAs to see which drives the most conversions.

People trust what other users say more than what a brand says about itself. Including social proof in your ads boosts credibility and encourages installs.

Ways to add social proof to your ad creatives:

Ratings & reviews – Highlight your app’s star rating from the App Store or Google Play.
Testimonials – Use real customer quotes that showcase how your app has helped them.
User-Generated Content (UGC) – Feature images, videos, or stories from actual users.
Awards & recognition – If your app has won industry awards, display them in the ad.

Pro Tip: If using testimonials, include the user’s name & photo (with permission) for added authenticity.

Partner with experts to maximize your results

Meta Ads are one of the most powerful tools for mobile app growth, offering precise targeting, diverse ad formats, and performance-driven optimization. By implementing the right strategies—choosing the best ad formats, optimizing your targeting, running A/B tests, and tracking key metrics—you can significantly boost your app’s user acquisition.

However, if you want to maximize results and avoid costly mistakes, working with a professional team like ShyftUp can take your app marketing to the next level.

Don’t leave your app’s success to chance—get expert help and start growing today!