In Part 1 of our series, we walked you through setting up an Exact Match campaign. Now, it’s time to dive into the real growth engines: Broad Match and Search Match campaigns.
These two campaigns will unlock real scalability — without blowing up your cost per install. Let’s break it down.
Why Exact Match Alone Isn’t Enough
While Exact Match campaigns convert the best (from tap to install), they often hit a ceiling fast.
You’re limited by the number of keywords you manually add.
To break through that ceiling and scale efficiently, you need to let Apple do some of the heavy lifting.
That’s where Broad Match and Search Match come in.
The Two Campaigns That Will Actually Scale Your App Growth
Here’s a quick overview:
1. Broad Match Campaign
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Goal: Discover new, relevant keywords.
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Strategy: Target a broader set of search queries based on your main keywords.
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Performance Expectation: Lower conversion rate (~17–20%), but huge discovery potential.
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Tip:
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Set conservative cost per tap (CPT) at first (example: $0.40 if aiming for a $2 cost per acquisition).
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Always use negative keywords (the ones you target in Exact Match) to avoid cannibalizing performance.
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2. Search Match Campaign
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Goal: Let Apple find relevant search terms automatically — even ones you might not think of.
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Strategy: No manual keywords. Apple matches your app with user search queries.
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Performance Expectation: ~20–35% conversion rates (if optimized well).
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Tip:
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Keep Search Match enabled (it’s off by default in other campaign types).
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Again, add negative exact match keywords from your Exact Match campaign.
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Step-by-Step Setup for Broad Match Campaign
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Create a new campaign and select your app.
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Choose Search Results.
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Set your country targeting (1 country per campaign is recommended).
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Name it clearly (example:
Broad - US). -
Set a high budget cap (e.g., $50,000) but control spend via daily caps.
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Add your broad match keywords.
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Set negative exact match keywords (your core Exact Match terms).
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Target new users only.
Step-by-Step Setup for Search Match Campaign
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Create a new campaign and select your app.
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Choose Search Results.
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Name it clearly – example:
Search Match - US -
Set a high budget cap with a smaller daily budget.
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Turn ON Search Match (very important).
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Do not add keywords manually.
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Add negative exact match keywords.
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Target new users only.
How to Scale Your Apple Search Ads Campaigns
Once your Broad Match and Search Match campaigns are live, scaling becomes a matter of optimization:
✅ Increase your cost per tap (gradually).
✅ Expand your keyword set by testing related terms.
✅ Raise daily budgets when performance stays profitable.
✅ Analyze conversion rates carefully and prune non-performers.
Pro Tip: Conservative bidding early on will protect you from burning cash while you gather data.
Video Highlights
00:35 – The general campaign structure
01:46 – Setting up the campaign
02:28 – Setting the budget/test budget
03:00 – Knowing what you can afford depending on your cost-per-acquisition goal
04:21 – Adding keywords as well as the ad group negative keywords
05:49 – Setting up the search match campaign
