The AppLovin setup playbook. No micromanaging, no manual optimization, no bullshit. UA template for you! Applovin UA explained!

Solo for episode three of the MVP UA Template series (after Facebook and Google), this time breaking down AppLovin / Axon end-to-end. Tracking setup, campaign structure, bidding, ROAS targets, the new CPM-vs-CPI billing change, creative strategy, the real Axon dashboard with real numbers from his own game, and the patience required to actually scale.

The headline lesson: AppLovin is a beast, but it really matters what you feed it. Garbage MMP signals = garbage results. Playables aren't optional. And the geo-bucket strategy that works on Facebook and Google does NOT work here — worldwide campaign with geo targets is the only sensible setup.

If you've been avoiding AppLovin because it feels like a black box, this is the episode that demystifies it.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Axon dashboard preview

02:20 Why AppLovin and what this episode covers

04:14 Budget, MMP signals, and the "garbage in, garbage out" rule

07:42 Worldwide campaign + geo targets (NOT geo buckets)

10:58 D7 vs D28 ROAS — which attribution window to pick

12:57 CPM vs CPI billing — the new setting most teams miss

14:40 Creative strategy: 80% playables, 60 new per month

17:59 Push budgets hard when something works (30-50%)

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📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

— AppLovin is not Facebook and not Google. The geo-bucket

structure (US / Tier-1 / RoW) that works on those

channels does NOT work here. Run ONE worldwide campaign,

split by attribution window and platform only, and use

geo-level ROAS targets to steer traffic — never geo-level

budgets (they don't work the way you think).

— Garbage MMP signals = garbage results. AppLovin doesn't

know if you're sending the right event. If you're sending

free trial signals labeled as subscriptions, AppLovin will

optimize for free trials and your ROAS will look great in

Singular while your real revenue dies.

— Skip the CPI / D7 warm-up phase. AppLovin no longer

requires it. Go straight to D7 or D28 ROAS, ideally D28

for higher quality and longer-cohort optimization. Pick

D7 only if your payback period is short and cash flow

matters more than cohort quality.

— New CPM vs CPI billing setting: start with CPM (spends

evenly across the day), then switch to CPI only after

you have winning creatives identified and want to scale

aggressively. CPM billing eliminates the old "budget

capped in 2 hours" problem.

— Playables are non-negotiable. 80-90% of spend should go

to playables. Top-grossing games ship 60+ new playables

per month — that's the bar. Video length: 30-60 seconds,

best results in the 45-59 second window. No hook needed

on AppLovin (user must watch 30+ seconds anyway).

This episode is brought to you by Potensus — the premium

ad network with direct deals to Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola,

and Vodafone (no programmatic middlemen), partnered with

PlayableMaker for native gaming creative formats.

Head to potensus.com to get started.

📌 MVP UA TEMPLATE SERIES

1. Facebook setup

2. Google setup

3. AppLovin setup - you are here

Full AppLovin setup guide linked in show notes.

#mobilegaming #useracquisition #applovin #axon #mvpua

#liveops #f2p

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-3bckldvr8-8PXvzciMWdheOzED9hq0SA

Matej Lancaric

User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant

⁠https://lancaric.me

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🧠 MVP UA template AXON: How to set up your Applovin for Success by Matej Lancaric

two &amp; a half gamers

two & a half gamers