What Is Paid User Acquisition (Paid UA)?
Paid User Acquisition (Paid UA) is a mobile marketing strategy where advertisers pay to acquire new users through advertising channels such as social media, search, mobile ad networks, video, and programmatic advertising.
The goal is to acquire users who take valuable actions after installing an app, such as registering, subscribing, making a purchase, or completing another in-app event.
How Paid User Acquisition Works
- An advertiser creates a campaign to promote an app or specific action.
- Ads are shown to potential users across paid channels.
- A user clicks the ad and installs or opens the app.
- An MMP or tracking platform attributes the user to the relevant campaign.
- Post-install actions are tracked to measure user quality and campaign performance.
Paid User Acquisition Channels
Common Paid UA channels include:
- Social media advertising: Paid campaigns on platforms such as Meta and TikTok.
- Search advertising: Ads targeting relevant search queries.
- Mobile ad networks: Ads distributed across mobile apps and publishers.
- Video advertising: Video ads shown within digital content.
- Programmatic advertising: Automated buying of digital ad inventory.
How to Measure Paid User Acquisition
Common Paid UA metrics include:
- CPI (Cost Per Install): Cost of acquiring an app install.
- CPA (Cost Per Action): Cost of acquiring a specific action.
- Retention: Percentage of users who continue using the app over time.
- ROAS: Revenue generated compared with advertising spend.
- LTV: Estimated value generated by a user over their lifetime.
Measuring both acquisition costs and post-install performance helps advertisers identify campaigns that generate valuable users rather than simply more installs.
Paid UA vs. Organic UA
Paid UA uses advertising spend to acquire users, while Organic UA comes from unpaid sources such as app-store searches, recommendations, SEO, and word of mouth.
Paid UA and Attribution
Attribution connects installs and post-install events with the campaigns and sources that contributed to them. An MMP can help advertisers measure performance across different acquisition channels.
On iOS, attribution is affected by privacy frameworks such as SKAdNetwork, AdAttributionKit, and App Tracking Transparency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Paid UA and Organic UA?
Paid UA relies on advertising spend, while Organic UA comes from unpaid acquisition sources.
Is Paid UA the same as performance marketing?
No. Paid UA specifically focuses on acquiring users, while performance marketing covers a broader range of measurable marketing activities.
What is the difference between Paid UA and Rewarded UA?
Paid UA is the broader practice of acquiring users through paid channels. Rewarded UA uses incentives to encourage users to complete specific actions and can be used as part of a paid acquisition strategy.