Mamont Media
Phone showing a workout tracking screen in a gym

Fitness app: user acquisition with Apple Ads

A subscription workout app entering two App Store storefronts rebuilds its Apple Ads by search intent and measures them on trial starts, not just installs.

  • Playbook
  • Consumer apps
  • Apple Ads
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Typical situation

A subscription workout app is entering the UAE and Saudi Arabia storefronts. Paid installs are coming in, but there is no link between campaign data and free-trial starts, and every keyword sits in one ad group.

Goals

  1. Separate brand, category, competitor and discovery traffic so each can be judged on its own economics.
  2. Measure campaigns on trial starts and subscriptions, not installs alone.
  3. Match each keyword theme to an App Store page that speaks to it.

What we measure

  • Cost per tap and conversion rate by campaign
  • Cost per trial start
  • Trial-to-paid rate by keyword theme
  • Share of spend on discovery terms

Plan at a glance

The whole engagement on one page: when each step happens and who on our team is responsible for it.

Timeline in weeks
Discovery and brief
Keyword strategy
Product page alignment
Measurement set-up
Campaign launch
Optimisation
Reporting and scaling
Who does what
StepDirectorMarketing OfficerSenior DeveloperLegal Officer
Discovery and brief
Keyword strategy
Product page alignment
Measurement set-up
Campaign launch
Optimisation
Reporting and scaling
  • Leads the step
  • Involved

Discovery and brief

Week 1Led by Director with Marketing Officer and Legal Officer

We learn the app’s subscription funnel, the storefronts and languages that matter, and what the existing measurement can and cannot see. Our Legal Officer checks how event data is shared with the measurement partner.

What the client receives

  • Funnel map from search to subscription
  • Measurement gap analysis
  • Data-sharing review
The funnel we need to see
  1. App Store search
  2. Tap on the ad
  3. Install
  4. Free-trial start
  5. Paid subscription
  • Visible in campaign reports today
  • Not connected yet

Stages are not to scale.

Keyword strategy

Week 2Led by Marketing Officer

Keyword research is split into four themes: brand, category (for example “home workout”), competitor and discovery. Each theme gets storefront priorities and a starting budget.

What the client receives

  • Keyword lists by theme and storefront
  • Campaign and ad group structure
  • Budget and bid guidelines
Four keyword themes, four different jobs
Brand“[app name]”, “[app name] workouts”Exact match · protect
Category“home workout”, “running plan”Exact match · grow
CompetitorOther fitness apps by nameExact match · test carefully
DiscoveryBroad match, Search MatchFind new terms · harvest

Product page alignment

Week 3Led by Marketing Officer with Senior Developer

For the two largest themes we brief custom product pages with screenshots and copy that answer the search: a home-workout page for home-workout searches, a running plan page for running searches.

What the client receives

  • Custom product page briefs
  • Screenshot and copy recommendations
  • Keyword-to-page mapping
Each search lands on a page that answers it
  • “home workout”Custom product page: “No equipment, 20 minutes”
  • “running plan”Custom product page: “Beginner running plans”
  • Brand searchesDefault product page

Measurement set-up

Week 3Led by Senior Developer with Marketing Officer

Apple Ads attribution is connected through the app’s measurement partner, and trial start and subscription events are mapped so campaign reports show what users do after they install.

What the client receives

  • Attribution configured and tested
  • Event mapping document
  • Report definitions
Attribution path
  • Apple Ads
  • AdServices attribution
Measurement partner
  • Trial start event
  • Subscription event
  • Campaign reports

Only the events agreed in the data-sharing review are passed on.

Campaign launch

Week 4Led by Marketing Officer

The rebuilt campaigns go live per storefront: exact-match brand and category keywords, a broad-match discovery campaign to find new terms, and negative keywords that keep each campaign in its lane. Once Apple has approved the custom product pages, the ad groups for the two largest themes show them instead of the default page.

What the client receives

  • Live campaigns per storefront
  • Negative keyword structure
  • Launch notes
Young woman with headphones checking a fitness app on her phone at home

Optimisation

Weeks 5–8Led by Marketing Officer

Search terms that convert are moved from discovery into exact-match campaigns, bids follow cost per trial start rather than cost per tap, and underperforming themes are paused with a written reason.

What the client receives

  • Weekly optimisation log
  • Updated keyword lists
  • Budget reallocation notes
Weekly optimisation loop
  1. Discovery finds a termBroad match
  2. It converts to trialsChecked weekly
  3. Moved to exact matchOwn bid
  4. Bid on cost per trialNot cost per tap

Themes that do not convert are paused, with the reason written in the log.

Reporting and scaling

OngoingLed by Marketing Officer with Director

Monthly reports compare trial-to-paid rates by keyword theme, so the next storefront or budget increase is decided on evidence.

What the client receives

  • Monthly report by theme and storefront
  • Expansion recommendations
Reporting rhythm
  1. WeeklyOptimisation log and bid changes
  2. MonthlyTrial-to-paid rate by keyword theme and storefront
  3. Before scalingEvidence review for the next storefront or budget

Stack and channels

  • Apple Ads (Advanced)
  • Mobile measurement partner integration
  • Custom product pages
  • Weekly reporting with defined metrics
Silhouettes of people running on treadmills by a large window
Woman scrolling a fitness app on her phone at home

Planning something similar?

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