What to check before adding a new ad network

What does adding an ad network to an MMP involve?

Adding an ad network to an MMP means switching on the network's integration inside the MMP, giving the network a way to attribute (a tracking link or an API connection), choosing which events to post back, and checking that installs arrive under the right campaign before you scale spend.

Most broken launches trace back to one of the checks below. Run them in order; each one takes minutes, and the last one is the only proof that the setup works.

1. Is the network listed by your MMP?

Start with the stack check on the home page. Tick the network and the ones you already run, and see whether your MMP lists all of them.

• Listed: the MMP has a setup page for that network. Open it and read it before you launch.
• Listed, limited: only part of the job is documented, such as cost data only or event sending only. Decide whether that part is enough.
• Not listed: not found in the MMP's public docs. Ask the MMP in writing before you sign an insertion order.

Networks also publish their own lists. X says app conversion tracking is only available through its approved partners, and Moloco will not run a campaign until an MMP is configured. If your MMP is not on the network's list either, the network may not accept your campaign.

2. Self-attributing or tracking link?

Tracking link network: clicks pass through your MMP's link, the MMP attributes the install and posts it back. Unity Ads, AppLovin, Moloco, ironSource, InMobi, Reddit and ChatGPT Ads work this way.

Self-attributing network: the MMP sends install data to the network and the network claims its installs. Meta, Google Ads, TikTok, Snapchat, X and Apple Ads work this way in most MMPs' docs.

The difference changes the setup. For a tracking link network you create a link in the MMP and paste it into the network's dashboard. For a self-attributing one you connect accounts in both tools, such as the Google Ads link ID or the Snap App ID, and there is nothing to paste. The network pages say which type each one is.

3. Which events does the network need?

The network can only optimise on what it hears back.

• Install campaigns: the install postback is enough, but most teams add a sign-up or first purchase.
• Event or value campaigns: the event, and for ROAS bidding the revenue with it. Google imports events as conversion actions for tCPA or tROAS bidding.
• Special campaign types: Unity's partner docs say its Retention, Payer and Level Complete campaigns require Adjust, AppsFlyer or Singular.
• Limits: Reddit accepts up to 11 events from an MMP.

Write down the event names exactly as your MMP sends them. Mismatched names are the most common reason a network shows zero conversions.

4. Will cost data come in?

Without cost data you can see installs but not cost per install or ROAS for the network inside the MMP. Check the setup page, not the logo.

• Branch's ironSource and InMobi pages say cost ingestion is not supported.
• Singular documents some networks, such as InMobi, through cost data connectors.
• TikTok's help notes that some MMPs charge extra for cost integration.

If cost data is missing, plan a weekly spend import from the network's own reporting.

5. What about iOS?

On iOS, most installs from users who decline tracking reach you as SKAN or AdAttributionKit postbacks rather than user-level data.

• Confirm the network sends SKAN postbacks to your MMP. Snap ties SKAN reporting in the MMP to its Snap App ID.
• For Apple Ads, confirm your MMP's SDK reads the AdServices token, which needs iOS 14.3 or later.
• For Google, iOS needs on-device measurement information and a partner click window of 24 hours or more, according to Google's partner page.

6. Do the attribution windows match?

If the network and the MMP use different lookback windows, the two will never agree on install counts.

• InMobi's onboarding checklist asks for a 24-hour view-through and 7-day click-through window.
• AppLovin's pages ask for at least 7 days click-through and 1 day view-through.
• Apple counts downloads within 30 days of a tap or 1 day of a view.

Set the windows in the MMP to what you will report on, then note the network's own windows in your reporting doc so nobody is surprised by the gap.

7. Run a test install end to end

This is the step teams skip.

1. Create a test campaign or a test link for the network.
2. Tap it on a clean test device and install the app.
3. Check the MMP: the install should show under the network and campaign, not as organic.
4. Fire the events you mapped and check they reach the network's dashboard.

If the install shows as organic or the events never arrive, the troubleshooter for postbacks not reaching a network walks through the usual causes. Common ones are a missing app ID on the network side, an event name mismatch, or postbacks switched off for that event.

What if your MMP does not list the network?

You have three options.

• Ask the MMP to add it. Most networks already work with several MMPs, so the MMP may have a setup that is not in its public list. Airbridge, for example, sets some channels up through its customer success team.
• Ask the network to apply. Ad networks can join an MMP's partner programme. On Linkrunner's tech partner programme, a network applies with an HTTPS endpoint and Linkrunner passes the network's click ID back in postbacks.
• Change the plan. If the network is central to your growth plan, its coverage is a fair reason to compare MMPs before you renew.

Whichever MMP you use, Linkrunner, Kochava, Tenjin or another, put the answer in writing before spend starts.