May 3, 2025
4 min read
Article
CPI Campaigns are driving stronger ROIs through the Almedia UA platform, making cost per click old school.
What is a CPI Campaign?
A cost per install (CPI) campaign allows advertisers to receive a higher volume of user traffic. Unlike CPA (cost per action) campaigns, CPI focuses directly on install count and emphasizes more on incentives to bring users to install an app.
Just saying you have the best mobile app no longer brings you more downloads. Unless you already have a very high installment rate, users need incentives to trust your product is all you say that it is. Running a CPI campaign helps target the right users to take action, helping your app stand out among the sea of new mobile apps in the market.
At Almedia, we’ve helped countless mobile apps boost their install numbers while also increasing long-term engagement. Through our expertise in rewarded user acquisition (UA), we’ve seen first-hand how CPI campaigns can help app developers scale quickly.
How do CPI Campaigns Work?
For a CPI campaign to succeed, they rely crucially on a Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) to track the performance of the campaign. MMPs are there to help improve the campaign and get better results through updated data with reinforced organic traffic. Once you have an MMP in place, UA partners are crucial to create the ultimate marketing strategy to increase app users organically.
Having a UA partner, such as our company Almedia, is crucial, providing our contribution to attract new users through these advertising campaigns. A working CPI campaign not only brings in more installs and incentivized traffic but also retains long-term, loyal users.
At Almedia, we do this by applying the Rewarded UA strategy through our consumer-facing Freecash platform. So far, not only have we brought in high-intent users to help grow ROAS on quality apps and games, but we have also:
Pulled more than double the revenue for many mobile game apps and partners
Increased ARPU’s above 100% within 180 days
Double user retentions rates to help provide stable long-term user loyalty
Our approach has helped thousands of partners reach their goals 10x faster than any other traditional CPI campaign method (just take a look at our case studies).
Pros and Cons of Using CPI Campaigns
Cost per install campaigns, along with cost per action, are some of the highest regarded pricing models. A few reasons for its highly attractive model include:
Better app visibility. Your app will be the flower among weeds in the overly polluted app market, attracting more users.
You can evaluate campaign performance and improve. Keep up with the number to understand the overall success of your app. Helps simplify the evaluation of costs.
Lowers risk for advertisers. You only need to pay for users who install; the average cost per app install can range from $1 to $5, but only if the user actually installs the app.
However, there are a few contradictions within traditional CPI campaigns that can stunt your growth even as a high quality business, such as:
High Competition & Costs: With so many advertisers bidding for user installs, costs can fluctuate, making it difficult to maintain a stable acquisition budget.
Potential for Low-Quality Users: Some CPI campaigns attract users who install an app just to claim a reward, leading to high churn rates if not managed properly.
Fraud Risks: Click spamming and fake installs are common issues in CPI advertising, making it crucial to have fraud detection measures in place.
At Almedia, we actively combat these issues by implementing advanced fraud detection systems and focusing on acquiring high-intent users who are more likely to engage long-term. We continue to fight against the drop in users after they complete incentives.
We push forward to always find new ways to keep users engaged even after they complete the main rewards, so they continue to come back, already improving IAPs by up to 23% more than traditional value.
Rewarded UA in CPI Campaigns Results in Stronger User Value
Our rewarded CPI campaign strategy does more than traditional CPI, such as driving higher engagement and retention rates through rewarded user acquisition.
We go beyond traditional CPI campaigns by ensuring higher engagement and retention rates through rewarded UA. Our rewarded CPI model offers additional benefits, including:
Better User Targeting: Rewarded users tend to be high-intent players, meaning more likely to make in-app purchases.
Retention Boosts: 79% of developers report better retention from rewarded campaigns.
As a result, rewarded UA has proven its success through thousands of our current partners, including over 100% ARPU increases, compared to other campaigns that struggle to reach 50%. This approach brings success to your app faster, while in the long-term still maintaining long-term high quality users.
Where to Begin
To launch a successful CPI campaign, you need a rewarded UA platform, offer wall, or affiliate network. At Almedia, we provide publishers with expert guidance, strategies, and hands-on campaign management.
Through our loyalty platform, Freecash, we help apps expand their reach, increase installs, and enhance user engagement, ultimately driving sustainable revenue growth.
Ready to scale your app? Let’s get started with a free initial call.