apple-search-ads-conquest

name

apple-search-ads-conquest

description

Use when setting up, launching, or managing an Apple Search Ads (Apple Ads) campaign for an app — especially a competitor-conquesting strategy that bids on rival apps' brand names to intercept App Store search intent created by their TikTok/Instagram ads. Triggers on "apple search ads", "ASA campaign", "conquest campaign", "bid on competitors", "advertise my app on the app store", or bringing a new app idea to promote.

Apple Search Ads — Conquest Campaigns

Overview

Create and manage Apple Search Ads campaigns using a conquest strategy: bid on competitor apps' brand names so users who discovered a rival through its TikTok/Instagram ads — then search that rival in the App Store — land on your app instead. You intercept high-intent demand competitors paid to create.

Ships with a dependency-free Node CLI (Apple Ads Campaign Management API v5), a one-shot campaign creator, and a daily audit. All amounts are in the account currency (ASA_CURRENCY).

When to use

• Setting up Apple Search Ads for a new or existing app
• Building a competitor/conquest keyword strategy
• Creating campaigns, ad groups, keywords; adjusting bids/budgets
• Standing up automated daily performance auditing

Not for: Google/Meta/TikTok ad platforms, ASO/organic keywords, or App Store Connect build/metadata tasks.

Prerequisites (one-time)

API credentials + local keypair. REQUIRED: follow references/setup.md (generate EC keypair → create an API Account Manager user → upload public key → .env → discover-org.js → asa.js test). The private key stays local.

Workflow

Full detail in references/workflow.md — read it before executing. The phases:

1. Understand the app — WebFetch its App Store listing; record the numeric adamId, category, positioning, and any rivals it names.
2. Research competitors — dispatch a web-research subagent using references/competitor-research-prompt.md; get apps actively marketing on TikTok/IG + brand-term variants.
3. Build keywords — keywords.json: competitor brands + generics + your own brand-defense, EXACT match, bids in account currency (templates/keywords.example.json).
4. Create (paused) — fill campaign.json (templates/campaign.example.json), run create-conquest.js → campaign+adgroup+keywords in one shot with startPaused: true.
5. Review & go live — inspect keywords, then campaign-status <id> ENABLED. Expect a multi-day learning ramp.
6. Daily audit — set ASA_TARGET_CPA/ASA_BRAND_PREFIXES, schedule daily-audit.sh via local cron (needs the local key — never a cloud job).

Quick reference

# from repo root, after setup
node --env-file=.env toolkit/asa.js test
node --env-file=.env toolkit/create-conquest.js campaign.json     # create (paused)
node --env-file=.env toolkit/asa.js campaign-status <cId> ENABLED # go live
node --env-file=.env toolkit/daily-audit.js                       # audit now

Full command table: references/workflow.md. Every asa.js subcommand prints usage if run without args.

Common mistakes

• Judging a new campaign too early. Zero-impression keywords in the first days are noise; wait for the ramp before pruning.
• Wrong currency in bids. bidAmount.currency in keywords.json must match the account currency, and amounts must be sensible for it (e.g. ~$2, not 2 dollars written as 200).
• Read-only API role. "API Account Read Only" blocks all writes — use API Account Manager.
• Cloud-scheduling the audit. A cloud agent can't reach your local private key. Use local cron.
• No brand-defense. Without bidding your own name, competitors conquest you back on your own TikTok-driven searches.
• Over-bidding on day one. Start near target_CPA × expected conversion rate; scale from data.