Snapchat Ads

Run Snapchat ads for your app with in-app event optimization and deferred deep linking

Before you start

For

Marketers

Time

About 20 minutes

You need

• A Snapchat Ads Manager account
• Your app live with the Linkrunner SDK

Overview

Linkrunner sends your app's installs and in-app events to Snapchat through Snapchat's Conversions API. Where they go depends on what you add to your Snapchat account in Linkrunner, and on how each user reached your app:

You add	Snapchat receives	Linkrunner sends	Use it for
A Snap App ID for Android, iOS, or both	App events on your Snap App	Installs, sign ups, and mapped in-app events from that platform, from users who did not come through your Linkrunner campaign link.	Sharing your app events with Snapchat
A Pixel ID	Web events on your Pixel	Installs, sign ups, and mapped in-app events from users who clicked a Snapchat ad through your Linkrunner campaign link	Web-to-app campaigns

You can add both. Linkrunner decides for each user: users who clicked a Snapchat ad through your Linkrunner campaign link go to your Pixel, and other users go to your Snap App. Adding a Snap App ID does not move those users off your Pixel.

Linkrunner attributes an install to Snapchat only when the user came through your Linkrunner campaign link. Installs that Linkrunner reports as organic are sent to your Snap App ID, and Snapchat matches them to its ads in its own reporting. Snapchat's install count can differ from Linkrunner's because Snapchat also credits users who only viewed an ad. To compare the two, choose an attribution window without view-through in Snapchat Ads Manager reporting.

Setup Process

Step	Where	What you do
1	Linkrunner and Snapchat Ads Manager	Add your Snapchat account, create a Pixel, and copy its Pixel ID and Access Token
2	Snapchat Ads Manager	Optional: create a Snap App ID
3	Linkrunner	Enter your Snap App IDs, Pixel ID, and Access Token
4	Linkrunner and Snapchat Ads Manager	Send a test event and check that Snapchat received it
5	Snapchat Ads Manager and Linkrunner	Create your campaign

1. Configuring Pixel in Snapchat Ads Manager

This process takes approximately 5 minutes and connects your app tracking with Snapchat's advertising platform.

Step 1: Connect Snapchat Account on Linkrunner

1. Go to Snapchat Integration tab on Linkrunner

Step 2: Add Snapchat Account

1. Click Add Snapchat Account to add your Snapchat Ad accounts

Step 3: Navigate to Snapchat Ads Manager

1. Go to Snapchat Ads Manager
2. Click the menu from the top left corner and select Pixels

Step 4: Create Pixel

1. Click Create Pixel

Step 5: Name Your Pixel

1. Add a name for your Pixel
2. Click Create my Snap Pixel

Step 6: Skip Website URL

1. Skip the website URL dialog

Step 7: Select Manual Setup

1. In Event setup method, select Manual set-up

Step 8: Select Conversion API

1. For Set up web events, select Conversion API

Step 9: Choose Manual Set-up Method

1. For Set-up method, select Manual set-up

Step 10: Select Events to Track

1. In Event source set-up, select all the events you want to track

Step 11: Select Event Parameters

1. Select the parameters for your events

Step 12: Copy Credentials

1. Copy the Access Token and Pixel ID

2. Creating a Snap App ID

This section is optional. Skip it if you only want events sent to your Pixel.

Snapchat records app events, such as installs and purchases, on a Snap App ID. Linkrunner does not import Snap App IDs from Snapchat, so you copy yours from Snapchat Ads Manager.

Step 1: Open Apps

1. In Snapchat Ads Manager, click the menu in the top left corner and select Apps under Assets

Step 2: Create your Snap App

1. Click Add an App
2. Keep Create a new Snap App ID selected, enter an App Name, and fill in iOS App ID (your App Store ID), Android App URL (your Android package name), or both
3. Click Continue

One Snap App can cover both your iOS and Android apps, or you can create one for each store. Snapchat's guide Generate Your Snap App ID has more detail.

Step 3: Copy the Snap App ID

1. The Apps page lists each Snap App with its App ID under the app name. Copy it for each app. It looks like 9b5b83ec-c593-4a64-9c6d-a0eb9da0edb9.

A Snap App ID is not your App Store ID (such as 1234567890) or your Android package name (such as com.example.app). Linkrunner rejects those values in the Snap App ID fields.

Step 4: Check your store links in Linkrunner

Linkrunner includes your app's store ID in every app event it sends to Snapchat. Open Settings → Project Details and check that:

• Playstore URL is your app's Google Play listing, such as https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.example.app
• App Store URL is your app's own App Store page, such as https://apps.apple.com/app/id1234567890, not a developer page

If Linkrunner finds no App Store ID for your iOS app, it does not send iOS app events.

3. Configuring Snapchat on Linkrunner

Step 1: Open the configuration

1. Go to the Snapchat integration on Linkrunner and open the Pixel Management tab
2. Click the three dots of the Snapchat account you added
3. Click Configure Pixel

Step 2: Enter your IDs and Access Token

1. In Snap App ID (Android) and Snap App ID (iOS), paste the Snap App ID for each platform from section 2. If one Snap App covers both stores, enter it in both fields. Leave a field empty for a platform you do not want to send app events for.
2. In Pixel ID, paste the Pixel ID from section 1. You need a Pixel ID, a Snap App ID, or both. If you run web-to-app campaigns, keep the Pixel ID after you add a Snap App ID: users who clicked a Snapchat ad through your Linkrunner campaign link still go to your Pixel.
3. In Access Token, paste the Access Token from section 1. Linkrunner uses this one token for your Pixel and your Snap App IDs.
4. Click Save Configuration

To add a Snap App ID to an account you already configured, open Configure Pixel again, enter the Snap App ID, and click Save Configuration. Fields showing **** keep their saved values, so you do not need to paste the Access Token again.

4. Sending a test event

Install and Sign up are always sent as APP_INSTALL and SIGN_UP. Map any other in-app events that Snapchat should receive on the Event Mapping tab.

1. Open the Event Mapping tab of the Snapchat integration on Linkrunner
2. Click the send icon on a mapping row. Linkrunner sends the test as an app event to each Snap App ID you added. If you added no Snap App ID, or Snapchat accepts none of the app events, Linkrunner tests your Pixel instead.
3. In Snapchat Ads Manager, open Events Manager from the top left menu, select your Snap App under Event Sources, and check that Last Event Received shows the test event

If no test event reaches Snapchat, the error message says why. For example, an iOS Snap App ID needs your App Store URL (section 2, step 4). A success message can still mean one platform was skipped, so check Last Event Received for each Snap App.

At this point your Snapchat setup is complete. Linkrunner sends events from users who clicked a Snapchat ad through your Linkrunner campaign link to your Pixel, and events from other users to the Snap App for their platform.

5. Setting up your first Snapchat campaign

These steps create a web-to-app campaign that sends users through your Linkrunner campaign link.

Step 1: Navigate to Manage Ads

1. Go to Snapchat Ads Manager
2. Click the menu from the top left corner and select Manage Ads

Step 2: Choose Campaign Objective

1. Choose the objective for your campaign

Step 3: Select Manual Build

1. Choose Manual Build

Step 4: Add Campaign Info

1. Add info for your Campaign

Step 5: Add Ad Set Details

1. Add ad set details

Step 6: Create Linkrunner Campaign Links

1. Go to Linkrunner Dashboard
2. Create a new campaign for each ad creative you plan to run
3. Select Snapchat as the ad channel and select an Ad account
4. Copy the Shareable campaign link for each campaign

Step 7: Add Website URL for the Creative

1. For every ad you create, add a different Linkrunner Campaign Link in the Website URL field
2. This allows you to track performance for each ad creative separately

Step 8: Publish the Campaign

1. Review your campaign settings and publish

Deferred Deep Linking

One of the powerful features of running Snapchat ads with Linkrunner is deferred deep linking support:

• If your campaign includes deep link parameters, Linkrunner ensures that after the install and first open, users land on the correct in-app content
• This means a user who clicked an ad for a specific product but hadn't installed your app yet will still be taken directly to that product screen inside the app after installation
• Works seamlessly across both iOS and Android platforms

Start by optimizing on simple events like app installs or sign-ups before moving to more complex conversion events like purchases. This helps Snapchat's algorithm gather initial data.

For any questions or assistance with Snapchat Ads integration, please contact us at support@linkrunner.io.