Payback target setting: D7 vs D30 vs full LTV for F2P genres
Analysis
By UA Ledger staff — 1 min read
Operator checklist for choosing payback horizons without inventing genre ROAS charts.
Wrong horizons create false kills and false scales. Hybridcasual cash arrives early; SLG cash often does not. This checklist forces an explicit horizon and revenue definition. It does not publish genre target percentages.
Metric anchors
AppsFlyer defines ROAS as revenue/cost and separates net ROAS when af_net_revenue is populated (activity metrics; ROI360). Pick one definition for the target meeting.
Operator checklist
| Step | Pass criterion | Fail / hold |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Genre cash timing note | Internal note on when 50% of year-1 revenue typically arrives for *this* title | Copied “genre average” without title data |
| 2. Horizon choice | D7 / D30 / D180 / full LTV named with reason | “ROAS” with no day index |
| 3. Mature-only rule | Targets evaluated only on mature cohorts | Immature D30 treated as final |
| 4. Gross vs net | Single definition locked for the quarter | Finance net vs UA gross in the same slide |
| 5. IAA + IAP mix | Hybrid titles declare whether IAA is in the payback numerator | IAA omitted silently |
| 6. Kill / scale thresholds | Written as horizon-specific | One CPI kill used for all genres |
| 7. Observation vs inference | Title cohort tables cited | Influencer thread as target |
Facts versus limits
| Field | Evidence |
|---|---|
| ROAS / net ROAS definitions | AppsFlyer docs |
| Recommended D7 target by genre | Not invented |
Download the checklist CSV.
Draft prepared 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.
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