The client needed to scale app downloads at a cost per download of $3 to $5.50. Early campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Apple Search came in at $7 to $10 per download, and display platforms like Snapchat and Google Video didn’t perform either. Reaching college students and young adults on traditional social channels had become too expensive.
We moved the focus to TikTok, where the client’s audience spends its time and fewer advertisers compete for inventory. We partnered with local college students to create original, humorous, meme-style videos made for the platform, then shifted budget toward TikTok as it outperformed every other channel.
TikTok brought cost per download down to $1.45 within the first month, more than 50% below the target range and twice as efficient as projected. It quickly earned 80% of total ad spend, and cost per download held steady as budgets grew, letting the client scale downloads without diminishing returns.
TikTok outperformed more crowded social and search channels because the content fit the platform and the audience. Casual, fast-paced videos made by the people the app was trying to reach brought in a high-quality audience at a cost per download well below projections.
What we did
We launched on Facebook and Instagram for reach, paired with Google and Apple Search to capture people already looking for an app like this. The mix used both video and static ads. Search drove some high-intent downloads, but Facebook averaged $7 to $10 per download, and display tests on Snapchat and Google Video fell short on volume and cost.
Our analysis showed that Facebook and Instagram inventory costs had risen. Reaching the client’s core audience of college students and young adults there required more investment than the results could justify. With costs well above the $3 to $5.50 target, we started looking for a platform that fit the audience better.
TikTok matched the client’s audience closely and had fewer advertisers competing for inventory. Its fast, casual style also suited a more entertaining way of presenting the app. We identified it early as a high-potential channel and built the next phase of the campaign around it, with content designed specifically for how people use the platform.
We partnered with local college students to produce original, humorous, meme-style videos. Because the content came from the audience the app was trying to reach, it felt native to the platform instead of looking like a standard ad. That relevance drove engagement, and TikTok’s algorithm rewarded it with efficient delivery to the right users.
Cost per download dropped to $1.45 within the first month. As TikTok outperformed every other channel, we shifted spend toward it until it carried 80% of the total budget. Cost per download held steady as spend increased, so the client could keep scaling downloads without diminishing returns.
A 30-minute strategy call to map out your ideal lead gen system.