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TOP-10 CPA Campaign Failures
CPA campaigns are tempted by the simplicity of the "application/deposit = money" formula, but it is this seeming simplicity that creates system errors: from unprepared tracking to an incorrect payment model and ignoring the quality of traffic. Below are the ten most common errors, their symptoms and point fixes.
Error # 1. Fuzzy goals and KPIs (or their substitution)
How it manifests itself: the team says "we want a cheap lead," but the target CR, Payback and LTV/CAC are not fixed. As a result, optimization goes towards cheap clicks, not profit.
What to do: Lock the targets before launch:- Target CPA (per FTD/target), Payback (≤ X days), LTV/CAC ≥ 3 by day 90.
- Mini-dashboard: eCPC → CR (click→reg) → CR (reg→FTD) → CPA → Payback.
- 'CPA _ actual = Spend/Number of FTDs', 'Payback = (SRA_fakt/ ARPU_D30) × 30' (or cohort).
Error number 2. Incorrect payout model selection (CPL/CPA/Hybrid/RevShare)
How it manifests itself: they take CPL for cash flow - and drown in garbage leads; go to pure RevShare - and suffer a box office gap.
What to do:- For tests - CPA or Hybrid (CPA + share RS), for mature scale - dynamic CPA/RS with quality braces.
- In the contract, fix: FTD validity, deposit thresholds, write-off conditions.
Error number 3. Good luck tracking and broken postbacks
How it manifests itself: Postbacks are not tuned or arrive with a delay; time zones parted; clickid is lost; different currencies.
What to do:- Mandatory s2s tracking: reg/KYC/FTD/2nd dep; single'clickid/utm 'schema.
- Alerts at postback delay> 15 minutes; error log; test events before the start.
- Match timezone and currency, enable event deduplication.
Error number 4. Test of "one creative" and lack of hypotheses
How it manifests itself: one banner, one land, one audience; vinrate is an accident.
What to do:- Test matrix: 3-5 angles (emotion/offer/social evidence/mechanics/localization) × 3 formats × 2 lands.
- Foot/scale criteria in advance: e.g.> 100 clicks without registrations - stop; CR (click→reg)
Error number 5. Compliance and moderation ignores
How it manifests itself: blocks of offices/creatives, lead deviations, freezing payments.
What to do:- Start a creative guide: 18 +, responsible disclaimers, bans on promises of "easy money," ban on brand bidding.
- Pre-moderation of lands/creatives, white-list wording, incident log.
Mistake number 6. Statistical "magic" and solutions on small samples
How it manifests itself: scale the announcement after 2 FTDs; cutting the ligament too early.
What to do:- Minimum thresholds: 300-500 clicks per bundle or 30-50 registrations before the decision.
- See cohorts and CR trend rather than single outbreaks; avoid p-hacking.
Error number 7. Budgets/rates without frames and frequency limits
How it manifests itself: "burn-out" on the first day, audience burnout, eCPC and frequency growth.
What to do:- Starting cap and pacing: daily budget per bundle = 3-5 × of target CPA.
- Frequency cap on upper funnels; automatic rules on eCPC/eCPA.
Error number 8. Lack of anti-fraud and quality control
How manifested: high CTR at zero FTDs, abnormal IP/ASNs, nocturnal bursts of registrations, chargebacks.
What to do:- Connect anti-fraud filters: device fingerprint, IP/ASN, velocity rules.
- Monitor CR (reg→FTD), 2nd-dep rate, D1/D7 retention; Enter source blacklists/whitelists.
- Formalize the procedure for disputes and reconciliation acts.
Mistake number 9. Commit to FTD only and ignore Retention/LTV
How it manifests itself: cheap FTDs that do not re-deposit; negative NGR at one month.
What to do:- Target quality metrics: D7/D30 Retention, 2nd dep rate, ARPPU, LTV/CAC.
- Payment/rates - including cohorts (indexing payout when quality thresholds are reached).
Mistake number 10. Zero operating system: no documentation, retro and alerts
How it manifests itself: mistakes are repeated; knowledge lives in chat rooms; reactions to incidents are chaos.
What to do:- Geo/source playbooks, UTM/IDs templates, onboarding checklists.
- Retro weekly: hypotheses → results → transfer of insights; alerts for postback delays/CR deviations.
Quick checklists
Before launch
- Fixed targets: CPA, Payback, LTV/CAC, target CRs.
- s2s-postbacks: reg/KYC/FTD/2nd dep; timezones/currencies checked.
- Test matrix: ≥3 angles × 3 formats × 2 lands; foot/scale rules.
- Compliance: guide, pre-moderation, white-list wording.
- Antifraud: device/IP/velocity, incident log.
- Finance: hold, payment schedule, reconciliation act, returns policy.
In week one
- Alerts: postback delay> 15 min, CR spikes, abnormal ASNs.
- Frequency of impressions and burning out audiences under control.
- The threshold of significance is met; decisions - by cohort.
By day 30
- Summary: CPA fact vs target, Payback, D7 retention, 2nd-dep rate.
- Black/white source lists; indexing payout by quality.
- Updated playbook for victory/dead corners.
Mini-formulas and landmarks
eCPC = Spend / Clicks- CR(click→reg) = Reg / Clicks, CR(reg→FTD) = FTD / Reg
- CPA = Spend/FTD, ARPU_D30 = Revenue_D30/Cohort users
- LTV/CAC ≥ 3 (90 days for stable scale)
- 2nd-dep rate ≥ 25-35% in healthy cohorts (landmark; geo/product dependent)
30-60-90 CPA Launch Plan
0-30 days (Training and pilot):- Integrate s2s, check sandbox/test events; have alerts.
- Run the hypothesis matrix; strict foot rules; launch documentation.
- The first decisions are only after the threshold of clicks/registrations.
- Index payout/rates by quality cohorts; expand geo/formats.
- Black/white lists of sources; strengthen anti-fraud rules.
- Include BI showcases: cohort ARPU, Payback, D7/D30.
- Uptime tracking stress tests; incident procedure.
- Secure SLA with partners (moderation/payments/debriefing).
- Retro and roadmap: what we scale, what we cut, what features we need.
CPA campaigns do not benefit from the "cheapest clicks," but from those who clearly record goals, choose the correct payment model, keep tracking in order, respect compliance and look at the quality of traffic through cohorts and LTV. Walk through the checklists, pass the thresholds of statistics, include anti-fraud and retro - and your campaigns will cease to be a lottery, turning into a managed growth system.