App install video ads
App install video ads should show the app solving a problem within the first seconds, then the moment of value a new user gets in their first session. Keep the ad consistent with the app store page, which acts as the landing page, and measure success on retained or paying users, not installs alone.
Updated
Structure
- Hook: the problem or the payoff, in a real-world context.
- The app on a phone: a hand holding it, or a clean screen recording.
- The first-session moment: what a new user gets in the first minute.
- Call to action: install, with the store badge visible.
The store page is your landing page
Someone who taps an install ad lands on a store listing, not your website. If the ad shows a feature the screenshots do not mention, or a style the icon does not match, the listing feels like a different product. Line up the ad's hook, the first screenshots and the opening of the description.
Measuring the right thing
An ad that halves cost per install while retention collapses is a worse ad. Misleading creative typically produces exactly that pattern.
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Cost per install | How cheaply the ad drives downloads |
| Day-1 and day-7 retention | Whether the ad attracted the right users |
| Cost per registration or trial | How cheaply you get engaged users |
| Cost per paying user | Whether the ad is profitable |
Formats
- Vertical 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Stories and Shorts.
- Square or 4:5 for feeds.
- Gameplay or screen-recording-led for apps whose interface is the appeal.
- Creator-led for apps that need a reason to care before a demo.
Sources
- TikTok Ads Manager: Auction In-Feed Ads specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video
- Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Feed video
Read on 13 October 2026. Platforms change specs and policies without notice; check the source before you build to a number.