How Today tab wins the front page

Reach that justifies the price#

The Today tab is the single most visible of the exactly 4 App Store placements (Today tab, Search tab, search results, product pages under You Might Also Like), and Apple reports over 500 million weekly visitors browsing stories and collections there. That footfall makes it the brand showcase of Apple Ads: one creative owns the top of the front page for the day, with no rival ad beside it. Apple own Today tab guidance confirms the full bleed format and the 91 market footprint.

Pay for that showcase only when the numbers support it: launches, seasonal pushes, category conquests and reputation defence all qualify, while always on efficiency buying usually belongs lower down. Start at the Apple Ads hub for the family view, then compare the quieter canvas in our Search tab guide before committing budget.

Creative rules that pass review#

Today tab creative is curated, not merely moderated: lifestyle imagery, plain language and a clear app promise pass fastest, while cluttered collages, tiny text and aggressive claims stall in review. Supply high resolution assets at the requested ratios, keep headline copy short enough to read at a glance, and match the visual tone of the editorial stories around it. The store front page rewards craft that looks native, not loud.

Localise the headline and screenshots for each market you buy, because front page traffic is broad and unforgiving of lazy English only assets. Read our screenshots guide for the asset rules, and confirm technical detail in the developer promotion docs before submitting.

Bidding and budgets on CPT#

Today tab uses CPT bidding, so you pay per thousand impressions against broad front page reach rather than per tap. Set the CPT from the value of a front page impression to your plan: brand lift and launch awareness justify higher levels, while direct response buyers should cap tightly and watch assisted installs. Daily budgets need headroom for morning peaks when store browsing surges.

Keep Today tab spend in its own campaign so the CPT never competes with search result taps for budget, a split our account structure guide recommends. Revisit bids weekly, not daily, since front page delivery is lumpy by nature and daily tweaks chase noise.

Landing with custom product pages#

Pair the front page creative with a custom product page that continues its story: same headline promise, same screenshots, same offer, zero surprise on arrival. Default pages leak Today tab traffic because a broad audience needs orientation that a generic listing never gives. The continuation from ad to page is the conversion rate.

Build one custom page per major Today tab push and retire it when the push ends, keeping the default page clean for intent led traffic. Setup steps live in our custom product pages setup guide, and placement level reads in our placement reporting guide show whether the pairing paid.

Reading Today tab results#

Judge Today tab flights on impressions, product page views, installs and downstream retention, in that order: reach proves delivery, views prove creative pull, installs prove landing fit, retention proves audience fit. Expect lower tap rates than search results, because browsing intent is weaker than query intent, and never judge a brand surface on last tap ROAS alone.

Compare each flight against its own baseline rather than against search results, since the two surfaces buy different mindsets. Hold out one market as a control on large pushes where feasible, and let our team audit the incrementality read before scaling.

Mistakes that waste front page spend#

The classic waste is buying the front page with a generic listing, a tired creative and a blended campaign budget: broad reach meets vague promise and the CPT funds indifference. Second is running it always on without a reason, which trains nobody and teaches nothing. Third is judging it on direct ROAS within days, which kills the very brand halo the surface sells.

Fix all three with a flight plan: one reason per flight, one custom page per flight, one dedicated budget per flight. Diary the next review in search results planning so front page learnings feed intent capture below.

Frequently asked questions#