An app with big Apple Ads budget · B2C · App Masters client
Run an Apple Ads max-conversion campaign with a $1-2 target cost per install
Good ROAS across several clients at $600-$85K/month; one turned unprofitable when pushed higher
Workedapple-search-ads
What they did
Create a campaign with bidding set to Max Conversions (not Manage Bids), a daily budget and a target CPI ($1-2; Apple suggests ~$30/day per $1 of target). Keep Apple's automatic ad group with Search Match on. Add a second ad group with 4-6 relevant keywords that have traffic, on broad match with Search Match on (Steve's feeling: broad keeps Search Match close to those terms). Now also testing a third ad group with the same keywords on exact match, letting the algorithm choose. Target new users only. For apps making ~$1 per install, this is the paid strategy to try.
What happened
Profitable ROAS on clients spending from ~$600/month (max-con) to $55-85K/month (May 2026); one client went unprofitable when spend was scaled and is being tuned.
“You put your app in there, you put max conversions, you select Max Conversions, not Manage Bids.”
“So, you don't need a whole lot of keywords, but I have added, let's say, five to six keywords that have traffic, and I'm going to keep it on broad match, actually.”
“Now, I also want to only target my new customers versus trying to get people that are already have my app in on their phone, right?”
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