Launch a campaign
Scaffold Brand / Discovery / Category from zero, seed cold-start keywords, and read the first week honestly.
Launching from zero on Apple Search Ads means building a structure that separates intent, seeding it with keywords before you have any data, and reading a thin first week without over-reacting.
The three-campaign scaffold
Most accounts start with three campaigns, each with a distinct job:
Prop
Type
Steps
Create the campaigns and ad groups
New campaigns and ad groups are created PAUSED by default — treat every launch as money-moving.
Create the structure, then enable when it's ready. Over MCP: asa_propose_create_campaign and
asa_propose_create_ad_group (both review-tier — they queue for your approval).
Seed cold-start keywords
With no history, seed from App Store demand (asa_suggest_keywords) and sensible category terms.
Set default bids from a reasonable CPT for the storefront; you'll tune them once taps arrive.
Enable and watch the first week
Enable the campaigns. Early reads are noisy — a keyword with 20 taps and no install isn't proven bad yet. Hold bids steady through the learning period and let the harvest start feeding Discovery.
When a campaign never serves
If a campaign spends nothing after enabling, work the checklist: is the campaign and its ad groups and its keywords all in a serving state (campaigns/ad groups ENABLED, keywords ACTIVE)? Is the daily budget above zero? Are bids competitive for the storefront? Is the app available in the targeted countries? A single paused link in that chain silently zeroes serving.