Image courtesy of Statista
So, with a bit of onboarding motivation taken care of, what is the quickest way to make App Installs your go-to vertical for 2021. As a starting point, when you’re advertising mobile offers, try and stick to a few key verticals with a broad target audience, that brings consistent downloads and has worldwide appeal. Switching up your app install verticals from campaign to campaign can send some great results your way.

This is our pick for the top 3 verticals we’ve seen the most app installs stem from.
Top 3 App Verticals to Advertise in 2021
As a general rule when advertising these verticals, the less specific the target audience is, the more reach you stand to gain. It’s a numbers game and the more wide-reaching the popularity of the vertical and the app, the better the conversion ratio becomes.
The vast majority of the world downloads apps to make their lives easier. Try to target your campaigns to the sectors where automation plays a key role in improving the lives of the average consumer, saving them time and money. Also, make sure you go in with the facts. Do your research and weigh up the pros and cons of each. We’ll get you started.
Online Dating Apps 🔥 ❤️ 🔥 ❤️
In 2019, online dating giant Tinder reported a $7.86 million strong mobile audience in the U.S. alone, with a global 1.6 billion swipes per day. That’s a heck of a lot of awkward small talk at fancy Italian restaurants. 🍝
So, it’s common knowledge now that mainstream dating apps (like Tinder and many others) convert extremely well into installs. They work especially well during a global pandemic where the world is on lockdown and loneliness is a valuable commodity to maximize on (sad, but kinda true). Additionally, dating apps don’t need a pre lander to convert well. All you need is a catchy one-liner and the right ads to back it up.
The drawback? With the above mentioned there is significant competition in this sector where the biggest players in the space offer their apps completely free of charge. This, unfortunately, means that Installs don’t always guarantee sales.
eCommerce Apps 🛍️ 🛒 🛍️ 🛒
These days, it’s almost impossible to track down an eComm virgin. Those rare and unique unicorns of society who’ve never bought something online (at least anyone after the Boomer generation).
These days, a click and a CVC number get you unprecedented access to a universe of digital shopping. From groceries and gadgets to shoes and booze. There’s something for everyone. In fact, at the beginning of 2020, e-commerce sales worldwide totaled $3.53 trillion, with online shopping rated the single most popular online activity worldwide.
In fact, now more than ever, the online shopping sector has rocketed to new heights during the pandemic, with eComm offers holding mass appeal and converting worldwide traffic from all walks of life. These App Installs can be run immediately, without creating a pre-lander or any additional legwork.
Some of the drawbacks are that the install to sales ratio depends on what is being sold and if there are good deals circulating. This is why conversions tend to increase during major shopping holidays, like Black Friday and Christmas. Additionally, the KPIs can be a little harder to track, making it tricky to dig down into exactly what targets converted the best (when conducting your post-campaign analysis). Avoid this by signing up with a high-quality tracker that captures the data for you.
VPN & Utility Apps 💻 🔗 💻 🔗
The last of the big 3 App Installs, and just to give you a rough idea of how big the VPN/Utilities App Installation market stands to get, check out the table below, where 2022 is expected to give way to a $35.7 billion market, rivaling online dating and other top verticals in the world today.
Listed as one of the world’s top-performing apps installs, VPN downloads work extremely well with pop-unders, and the target audience is basically any smartphone user in the world today, and, in a world where 44.87% of the population owns a smartphone, VPN is dynamite for online advertising campaigns.
The drawbacks? Understandably, there’s a heck of a lot of competition in the market sector, and with so many companies jumping on the VPN wagon, the propensity for fraud increases. Always make sure you know what you are advertising and try the product yourself before sending it out to the world. Quality control is a big issue in this sector.
Lastly, be aware that the App Install to sales ratio depends on the pre-lander, the app functionality, and its pricing.

Image courtesy of Statista
A Quick Word on Ad Formats
The above 3 app install verticals seem to convert at their best when paired with pop-under, interstitials, and push notifications, but, if you’re feeling adventurous and would like to try your hand at marketing your campaigns through a few other digital ad formats.
Tips for Advertising App Installs
Firstly, if you’re advertising your offers without a pre-lander then you should always make sure the old version of the app is not live and that you are directing people to the most updated installation. Double-check your linking URL and download the app yourself before moving forward.
Secondly, customer reviews will sell your App before you even have to. Add updated, glowing reviews to your offer, and make sure that you’re able to screen and answer comments (or, even better yet, someone from the app development team)
Lastly, always check the campaign visuals. Make sure they tie in with and complement the product you’re advertising. Always strive to be the most eye-catching ad, pulling attention away from the others when a user first lands in their App Store or Google Play account.
Which payout Model to use with App Installs
Last but not, least, how do you plan to get paid? We’ve found that the CPM model yields higher volumes, but this really does depend on the nature and cost of the bid.
For the absolute best-performing traffic segments, check out the new and improved Dynamic Pricing Model.
CPA Target Bidding volumes are guaranteed right from the start, but the offer needs to be showing decent eCPMs to keep the pace. And finally, the CPI model, (which is available only for direct advertisers) tends to yield nice results, but, the volumes do depend on the CR (number of unique clicks generated)
Phew! That’s a lot to cover! But we’re officially halfway through. So, without further ado, let’s jump into all things betting, starting with the awesome Return of Sports and the unique opportunity to advertise some of the best games around the world before 2020 comes to a close, and into 2021. It’s time to convert and conquer with…
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