two & a half gamers – 🧠 MVP UA template AXON: How to set up your Applovin for Success by Matej Lancaric

Summary

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.

📌 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.