A Skeptic’s Guide to UA & Growth

The Most Dangerous Thing in UA: Conventional Wisdom

We live in an industry obsessed with best practices.

Everyone talks about:

• “Proven” UA strategies

• Benchmarks and averages

• Case studies that sound more like sales decks

• Growth playbooks recycled across apps, agencies, and conference panels

You know the drill:

• Start with Meta and Google (AppsFlyer Performance Index)

• Optimize for CPI, then move to App Event Optimization (Meta App Event Optimization Guide)

• Scale with retargeting once you have behavioral data (Adjust Retargeting Guide)

It’s neat. Logical. Familiar.

But if this playbook works so well— Why are CPAs rising? Why is ROAS declining? Why do most campaigns flatline by Month 2?

I remember sitting in a client strategy review where the CMO insisted, "Let’s double down on Google. It’s what we’ve always done."

Meanwhile, their CAC was up 60%, and growth had stalled for three straight quarters.

The greatest threat to growth isn’t bad execution—it’s outdated thinking.

Because real growth doesn’t come from doing what everyone else does. It comes from thinking what others won’t. From testing the uncomfortable. From questioning the obvious.

This is your skeptic’s guide.

The Playbook Problem: Why Best Practices Can Kill Growth

Every UA team wants certainty. But most best practices are built on past success, not current reality.

When you stop accepting them at face value, you see the cracks.

Step 1: Question Everything

Don’t trust a tactic just because it worked in 2021.

Ask:

• Why is this channel really performing?

• Are we over-relying on one source?

• What if the core assumptions behind this strategy are wrong?

I’ve seen brands scale faster on DSPs than Google. I’ve seen OEM traffic outperform Meta in retention. But most never try, because they’re stuck in “safe.”

Step 2: Trial and Error Beats Theory

The first campaign will underperform. The first channel test might flop. The first creative refresh may tank ROAS.

Good.

Because every failed test is data. And every insight you extract is leverage.

You won’t outscale competitors by copying them. You outscale them by outlearning them.

Step 3: Find Your Growth Path

The most scalable UA strategies I’ve seen weren’t copied. They were discovered.

Programmatic. Offerwalls. Creative testing sprints. OEMs. Underrated ad formats. Native inventory buys. Rewarded engagement campaigns done right.

Most marketers look for answers. The best ones look for leverage.

Read the reports. Study the benchmarks. Then build your own.

Step 4: Learn Inside the Process

Too many teams analyze results after campaigns end.

Smart UA teams learn during.

• Use test insights to shape the next launch

• Turn failures into frameworks

• Loop every small win into bigger bets

UA isn’t about setting up campaigns and hoping they work. It’s about turning your growth system into a learning engine.

How to Build Your Own UA Playbook

Here’s how to apply this mindset, practically.

Step 1: Audit Your Assumptions

List three things you treat as “truth” in your UA strategy. Now pressure test them. Would you bet a month’s spend on each being true?

Step 2: Run a Controlled Rebellion

Choose one channel, format, or idea you’ve ignored—and test it.

• Launch an OEM campaign

• Test a DSP with manual optimization

• Run a rewarded engagement campaign (e.g., offerwall or incentivized formats) in a test market to explore efficient install acquisition outside of mainstream channels (AppLovin Rewarded Video)

• Try a creative angle your brand would normally veto

Don’t blow your whole budget. Just test what you’ve always avoided.

Step 3: Design for Learning, Not Winning

Success equals clear insights—not just results.

Every test should answer:

• What worked?

• What flopped?

• What will we try differently next?

Step 4: Systematize Your Experiments

Build a test log. Score outcomes. Document what becomes repeatable.

Most brands have a media plan. Almost none have a learning system.

Step 5: Close the Loop Weekly

Schedule a 20-minute review to ask:

• What did we learn this week?

• What’s the next bet we’re taking?

• What insight can we scale?

Treat your UA pipeline like product sprints—not just media ops.

In Summary

The comfortable path is built on industry norms. The profitable path is built on curiosity, testing, and independent thinking.

I didn’t learn to scale campaigns from whitepapers. I learned by:

• Running experiments

• Watching what broke

• Studying what scaled

The best investment isn’t more ad spend. It’s better strategy.

And strategy comes from skepticism, not certainty.

So ask the uncomfortable question. Break a pattern. Run your own play.

Because no one else’s best practice will ever beat your own.

Ready to build your own growth strategy instead of following someone else’s?

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