Behind every successful app launch and growth story, there’s a well thought user acquisition strategy. Although things like scaling campaigns, creative testing and rewarded UA can all be part of a thriving UA ecosystem, the key is in knowing how and when to use each method.
Welcome to the first installment of Gamelight’s Growth Guides, our new series designed to break down the fundamentals of mobile marketing growth in a clear and practical way.
In this guide, we’ll explore the strategies that matter most for teams who want not just more users, but better ones.
Scaling is about increasing volume without sacrificing efficiency.
Key tactics include:
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Start with established channels, like Meta or Google App Campaigns.
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Increase budgets gradually to let algorithms adjust.
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Once performance stabilizes, begin adding new channels to diversify and reduce dependency on a single source.
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Test rewarded video networks and rewarded channels similar to Gamelight to drive engagement and improve campaign reach.
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Use automated bidding strategies.
“At LoveMobile, we only scale UA once we consistently hit the client’s KPIs. Scaling is not about pushing budgets aggressively—it’s about doing it gradually while monitoring traffic quality across every metric, from CTR and Install Rate to CPI, conversion, and retention. Diversification is also key. When one source works well, we bring in others in test mode and track performance closely.”
Scaling campaigns
Lookalike audiences
Cross-promotion
Creative testing
Rewarded UA
This structured and thorough approach exemplifies one of the basic principles of UA: scaling is not just about budget size, but about balancing volume with efficiency.
SCALING UA CAMPAIGNS
Sam Ganzha, co-founder at LoveMobile, explains why patience and diversification matter when scaling UA:
Luisa Ronchi, Head of Marketing at Applica, adds another perspective on the fundamentals behind scaling:
“It’s important to know your unit economics: target CAC vs. LTV and your payback window (e.g., D7/D30/D60/annual). Start narrow, then scale: focus on 1–2 geos, a few creatives; expand with proof. Align with ASO and product: store tests, CPPs, onboarding flow, and pricing are all factors that impact UA efficiency. It’s key to have platform experts in your team as well.”
Taken together, these views underline that scaling UA isn’t about speed; it’s about precision, careful monitoring, and building on what’s already working.
LOOKALIKE AUDIENCES
Lookalike audiences are built from your best existing users, based on their behavior, demographics, or purchase history. Most ad platforms can automatically generate these segments when you upload seed lists (like high-LTV or high-retention users).
Why do they work?
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They help you move beyond broad targeting.
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They find users who are more likely to monetize and convert.
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They make campaigns more efficient when LTV is the goal.
Liza Sudareva, CMO at LoveMobile, shares how her team approaches them:
“Lookalike audiences perform best when built on valuable in-app events like trials, subscriptions, or retention—not just installs or sign-ups. We refresh the seed audience regularly and test different similarity percentages, such as 1%, 3%, and 5%, to strike the right balance between accuracy and reach.”
CROSS-PROMOTION
Cross-promotion means using one of your apps to promote another. It’s a cost-free way to leverage your existing audience.
For publishers with multiple titles, this can be a powerful way to:
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Support new launches.
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Re-engage users who dropped off from other titles.
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Extend LTV across your portfolio.
“For maximum impact of cross-promotion, we need to find those apps or products that have a linking element between them. The best practice is to select those that can solve the same or a similar problem to the user, and apply a strategy of cross-media marketing of a brand.
For example, in games, this could mean using cross-promotion on titles that share the same IP. Even if they fall into different categories, players may be drawn to both because of the shared universe behind them. Another strong approach is focusing on the same genre: once you’ve built a database of users who enjoy a specific category, you can promote other titles in that genre, even without overlapping IP or characters.
For apps, cross-promotion works best when the products complement each other. Imagine an app that helps users organize bills and documents: pairing it with a file-to-PDF converter makes the experience smoother. Or, for creators, a social media scheduler app can be paired with an image editor to add even more value.”
Claudia Trujillo, Senior Growth Consultant at Phiture, stresses that impact comes from linking products with common ground:
This shows why cross-promotion works best when there’s a natural fit, whether that’s a shared IP, a similar genre, or complementary products that solve related problems.
CREATIVE-TESTING
Creative is often the biggest driver of UA performance. A good ad can double CTR or cut CPI in half. But there’s no shortcut: testing is essential.
To test effectively, you should:
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A/B test formats (video vs. static vs. playables).
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Test early and often, especially in soft launch.
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Isolate variables (CTA, headline, visuals, music).
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Refresh regularly to fight ad fatigue.
“Start with benchmarking competitors. Create hypothesis: what outcome and which lever (hook, CTA, value prop, visual style) you want to apply. Define KPIs by funnel stage: CPI, CVR, CPA for efficiency. Set test guardrails: minimum spend per creative, stop-loss rules. Cadence: weekly concept launches, mid-week cuts, end-of-week roll-ups. And document everything: hypothesis, results, learnings, etc; make the documentation as visual as possible.”
Luisa Ronchi, Head of Marketing at Applica, shares her structured process:
By making testing systematic, you turn creative iteration into a continuous source of insight rather than a guessing game
“Start with benchmarking competitors. Create hypothesis: what outcome and which lever (hook, CTA, value prop, visual style) you want to apply. Define KPIs by funnel stage: CPI, CVR, CPA for efficiency. Set test guardrails: minimum spend per creative, stop-loss rules. Cadence: weekly concept launches, mid-week cuts, end-of-week roll-ups. And document everything: hypothesis, results, learnings, etc; make the documentation as visual as possible.”
REWARDED UA
Rewarded UA gives users a reward for completing meaningful actions, aligning campaign goals with user motivations and creating win-win scenarios for both app publishers and users.
Why use it:
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Higher engagement: Rewards motivate real interaction, turning installs into active, engaged users.
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Stronger Retention: Rewards tied to progress keep users loyal and coming back.
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Smarter Targeting: AI-driven rewarded channels attract high-value users and boost ROAS.
Claudia Trujillo highlights the need for alignment across teams:
“In specific verticals and markets, rewarded UA can be the best way to reach a segment of users who may be the ideal target audience for your product. To incorporate rewarded UA into your paid performance strategy, ensure that the LiveOps and Monetization teams are fully on board. Then, assess the balance between the revenue these users bring and the ROAS of your campaigns. This will help you optimize campaigns and decide whether to continue pursuing this strategy.”
CONCLUSION
User acquisition works best when it’s not one-dimensional. Lookalikes increase quality, cross-promotion extends portfolio value, creative testing keeps performance fresh, and rewarded UA adds diversification.
The challenge for UA teams is balance: knowing which tactics to lean on at each stage of growth, and how to align them with long-term metrics like LTV, retention, and ROAS.
The strongest strategies don’t chase short-term volume: they build systems that deliver sustainable growth.
