Promotion FAQ

Do I have to pay if a user clicks my ad but does not install my app?

No, AppBrain uses cost-per-install (CPI, sometimes also called pay-per-download) pricing. You only pay for a successful install from Google Play. No matter how many impressions or clicks this takes.

How are the installs priced?

You set the maximum amount you are willing to pay per install. An auction-based system then calculates what price the install will actually cost based on competing bids put in by other advertisers. The minimum bid is $0.10 per install. You can get an idea of current prices per country from our Android CPI stats page. If you want to learn more about how the auction system works, you can read The AppBrain advertising system.

How do I manage my budget?

You can set the limit how much you are willing to spend per day on your campaign, with a $25 minimum. You can also set a total per-campaign maximum spend.

Can I set different budgets for different countries?

Yes, you can do this by making multiple campaigns for the same app. As an example, you could make a campaign for your app in the US, UK and Australia and call that “English-speaking”. In addition, you make a campaign that targets Korea and Japan and call that “KR & JP”. You can set both a daily budget limit as well as a total campaign spend limit for each of those two campaigns separately.

Do I need to modify my app for you to be able to promote it? Do I have to include an SDK into my app?

Apart from setting up your campaign, our system doesn’t require any work. No modifications, no SDKs.

How can you track installs without me integrating an SDK?

All our traffic comes from apps that have built in our AppBrain SDK. Our AppBrain SDK will detect if users install your app after clicking on an ad for it. So we are able to track the install of your app from the code that’s running in the publishers’ app. You can also work with one of the install attribution partners that we’re integrated with. You can read more on Install attribution options for the AppBrain ad network.

How do I get started?

Please sign up with an AppBrain account and get access to the developer dashboard. From there you can start your campaign by clicking “Promote” next to one of your apps.

How can I track the installs?

First, you can track the installs on our real-time dashboard. Our installs are always done directly from Google Play, therefore the download numbers will increase in the Google Play dashboard as well. Note that the Google Play statistics generally lag 2-3 days behind, so if you see a discrepancy between our stats and those of Google Play, please wait for a couple of days to see if the Google Play stats catch up. If you have Google Analytics built into your app, you can track installs coming from your campaign as we tag all of them with an analytics-compatible referrer string. Look in your analytics for “appbrain” as the source and “promoted” as the medium. If you have a custom install-tracking solution we can put in your custom clickthrough URL as long as this always redirects to the Google Play market.

How will I be charged for my campaigns?

Charges are made to the campaign deposit that is either prepaid (if you use either the PayPal or wire transfer payment option) or post-paid by you (if you use credit card billing).

Can I cancel my app promotion?

Yes, you can end your app promotion at any time by setting it to “Stop” in the dashboard. We will refund you any remaining balance if you request it through our support email address.

What apps are eligible for the app promotion?

An app can be promoted if it is free, available on Google Play and has an average rating of 3.25 stars or higher.

What is the meaning of the terms used on the dashboard?

  • Impressions: This is the number of times your app has been shown to an AppBrain user.

  • Clicks: This is the number of times somebody clicked on your app and was redirected to the Android market. A click that does not lead to an install does not cost any money.

  • CTR: (Click-Through Ratio), what percentage of impressions led to a click, so it is Clicks divided by Impressions. Typical CTRs are between 1 and 2%.

  • Installs: How many of the clicks led to an install of your app.

  • IR: (Install Ratio), what percentage of the impressions led to an install.

  • Avg. CPI: (Average Cost Per Install), how much money on average a single install cost you. This may be very close to the bid price, but might also be significantly lower, when the Install Ratio of your app is better than other apps.

  • Max. CPI: (Maximum Cost Per Install), how much money your current bid per install is.

  • Active Budget: The maximum amount of money you are willing to spend per day on this app.