What to set up before the first paid campaign goes live

Why the order matters

Attribution only works forwards. An install is matched at first open, using the clicks recorded before it. If the SDK was missing or the link was a plain store URL, that install has no source and nothing can add one later. So the setup has to be finished, and tested, before the first dollar is spent.

Work through the eight checks below roughly in this order, because the later ones need the SDK and the events to exist.

The checklist

1. The SDK is in the version people download. Having it in a development build is not enough. Confirm the store version includes it and that a fresh install appears in the MMP dashboard.
2. Your event list is short and final. Pick the few actions that tell you an install was worth paying for. The guide on which events to track first gives a starting list.
3. Each ad channel is connected. Large ad platforms link to the MMP through an integration that you switch on, following the MMP's setup page for that platform. Until that is done, the MMP cannot credit installs to that platform's campaigns. See what an ad channel integration is.
4. Every other placement has its own link. Influencer posts, email, your website and QR codes each need a tracking link. How a tracking link works explains what to put in it.
5. Conversion events flow back to the ad platforms. Choose which event each platform should receive as a postback. A campaign set to optimise for purchases needs the purchase event to reach it.
6. You have chosen the lookback window. Open the setting, read the value for each channel and write it down. You will need it when numbers are questioned.
7. Deep links open the right screen. Tap a link on a phone with the app and on a phone without it. Both should end on the screen the ad promised.
8. The iOS prompt is decided. On iOS you need the user's permission through App Tracking Transparency before you track them or read the device's advertising identifier.^[1] Decide whether and when the app asks. The guide to what the ATT prompt controls covers the trade-off.

The test that proves it

Run one real install per channel before launch. Click the ad preview or the link on a phone, install the app, open it and perform your main event. Then check three things in the MMP: the install is listed, it sits under the right channel and campaign, and the event is attached to it. A test device lets you repeat this on one phone.

If the install shows as organic, the click was not recorded or not matched. Fix that before you look at anything else.

What can wait until after launch

A small setup that is fully tested beats a large one with gaps. You can add events and channels in any later app release.

What to do next

Copy the eight checks into a shared document and put a name next to each one. The SDK, events and deep links belong to the developer. Channel connections, links and windows belong to whoever runs the ads, as set out in what the developer does and what the marketer does. When all eight are ticked and the test installs look right, launch with a small budget for the first few days and read the first report with the guide on reading a first attribution report.