How to Track Events With Adjust and Adsterra | A Tutorial for App Marketers

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The Adsterra and Adjust integration removes uncertainty from your performance marketing. You create a closed-loop system where user acquisition is goal-driven, not simply traffic-based. From this guide, you’ll learn how to track events with Adjust. Ready to make your app marketing transparent? Let’s ride!

The overall tracking flow:

1. A user sees an Adsterra ad → clicks the ad → the click event is sent via the Adjust tracker link (so Adjust can attribute events to this user).​
2. In the meantime, you send conversion postbacks from Adjust to Adsterra’s S2S endpoint, so Adsterra can match conversions via its click ID (##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)##). This conversion data then appears in Adsterra reports, and it’s obligatory for any CPA campaign.

The outcome: Conversion and event tracking let you optimize placements and ad budget on Adsterra, while Adjust holds the most important app analytics. 

Optional (not covered in this guide): You can make Adjust fire server-to-server (S2S) callbacks for installs/events to your backend or ad stack, such as PowerBI or custom databases. 

Before you start tracking events

Before integrating Adjust with Adsterra, remember to:

• Integrate the Adjust SDK into your app
• Ensure you have admin access to Adjust
• Ensure you have an active advertiser’s account on Adsterra.
• Top up your Adsterra balance and set up a campaign, or have an active one.

Benefits of Adjust & Adsterra integration

1. Unified reporting: Track installs, events, and revenue in Adjust (your analytics hub) while Adsterra shows conversions and extra data per placement for traffic optimization.​
2. Smart scaling: Extended analytics allows you to segment Adsterra audiences and increase bids for the most potent traffic (geos, devices, placements). (Custom Bids, whitelisting). 
3. ROAS as No 1 priority: Armed with real conversion data, you can blacklist poor placements and whitelist leaders in Adsterra. Also, you can analyze cohorts and LTV in Adjust for long-term decisions.​
4. No extra payments: Both platforms’ analytics are enough for monitoring core metrics, and you don’t need any extra tools unless you already use some.

A guide to how to track events with Adjust | App Installs

Please note: this chapter covers app install tracking; we’ll break down alternative event tracking in the next chapter.

Create a tracker URL on Adjust

Make sure you have implemented the Adjust SDK in your app, and the key events(install, registration, purchase, etc.) are already configured in Adjust.

Next, generate a tracker URL:

Common path: Adjust Dashboard → Your App → Tracking → Tracker URLs → + New Tracker

Settings example:

• Name: “Adsterra_[Campaign]”
• Network: “Custom Network” or “Direct”
• Tracker type: Standard tracker
• OS: iOS/Android
• Redirect: App Store/Google Play
• Result: Get a standard tracker URL looking like this: https://app.adjust.com/abc123

This URL will then be matched with Adsterra’s macros and used as a campaign URL in the campaign you set on Adsterra. But let’s move step by step.

Create a postback URL on Adsterra or ask our managers

You can log in to Adsterra and contact our support team to get the postback with all necessary parameters matched with your tracker link. You only need to send us the link you generated in Step 1, and we’ll take care of the rest.

If you want to create the postback manually, do the following:

1. From your advertiser’s account, go to the Conversion Tracking page. Choose Custom from the trackers list and click GENERATE POSTBACK. The URL will be:

https://www.pbterra.com/name/YOURADSTERRALOGIN/at?subid_short={clickid}

The {clickid} is a placeholder that must be replaced with the corresponding tracking parameter from Adjust. The postback already includes your Adsterra advertiser login.

Generate the install callback URL via Adjust’s Encoding Tool

Now, you will need to take the tracker URL generated in Step 1 and Adsterra’s postback URL (Step 2) and form the install callback URL template. Instead of doing this manually, let’s use the Encoding Tool by Adjust:

• Go to https://help.adjust.com/en/partner/encoding-tool
• Paste the tracker URL to the ‘Add your client’s Adjust links’ field.

• Paste the postback URL from Adsterra in the Install Callback field.

• Get the final Adjust tracker URL with placeholders

Scroll to the ‘Copy and share your final Adjust links’ field and copy this URL.

The URL will look like this: 

https://app.adjust.com/abc123?install_callback=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D{clickid}

Ensure it contains the “install_callback=” parameter, as it’s critical for tracking app installs when you pay Adsterra for this conversion type.

• Manually customize the tracker URL with Adsterra macros:

Change the subid_short%3D with the ##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)## macros by Adsterra. The final URL you will use as campaign URL will be:

https://app.adjust.com/abc123?install_callback=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)##

If you want to track placements or ad creatives’ performance, add Adsterra’s placeholders BEFORE the install_callback parameter: &campaign=##CAMPAIGN_ID##&adgroup=##PLACEMENT_ID##&creative=##BANNER_ID##

The final campaign URL with all parameters added will look like this:

https://app.adjust.com/abc123?&campaign=##CAMPAIGN_ID##&adgroup=##PLACEMENT_ID##&creative=##BANNER_ID##&install_callback=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)##

Important reminder: you still can resort to the Adsterra team support to get all these URLs 😉

How to track app events with Adjust aside app installs

If you want to pay Adsterra for events aside from app installs, you can request our support team to generate all necessary URLs. In this case, you’ll need to provide us with the initial tracker URL (e.g., https://app.adjust.com/fsa3zj) and the event ID taken from Adjust. 

For manual setup, repeat the first step from the chapter above. Then, move to the Encoding Tool and find the ‘2. Add your callback URLs” fields. Enter the event ID and paste the postback URL taken from Adsterra as shown in the screenshot:

Move to the final Adjust tracker URL field and ensure it contains the event_callback parameter with the correct event ID. The URL will look like:

https://app.adjust.com/fsa3zj?event_callback_fsa3zj=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D{clickid}

Finally, change the {clickid} with the ##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)## macros by Adsterra. The final URL you will use as campaign URL will look similar to this one:

https://app.adjust.com/fsa3zj?event_callback_fsa3zj=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)##

Tracking multiple user events with Adjust

Before we go, save this guide to multiple conversion events tracking. And this time, we’ll cover the structural part. 

When you can track several user actions aside from installs, you get a clear picture of traffic sources’ quality and their real conversion potential. And here’s how to set it up with Adjust and Adsterra.

Postback generation. Generate one postback and add the event parameter

Go to Conversion Tracking → Choose “Custom” tracker → Choose postback type → Click GENERATE. Add this parameter to the URL: &event=event1

Example URL: https://www.pbterra.com/name/YOURADSTERRALOGIN/at?subid_short={clickid}&event=event1

Note: app installs are not counted as events; they are equivalent to first-level conversions. For example, if you want to track installs, trials, and subscriptions, installs = conversions, trials = event1; subscriptions = event2.

Adding more events

For multiple events, don’t generate several postbacks, copy the URL and change the event parameter for each of them. Add &event=event2 and &event=event3 parameters to track second and third-level conversions later. 

https://www.pbterra.com/name/YOURADSTERRALOGIN/at?subid_short={clickid}&event=event2

https://www.pbterra.com/name/YOURADSTERRALOGIN/at?subid_short={clickid}&event=event3

Matching Adsterra postbacks with app event tokens

Go back to the Adjust Encoding Tool and add all postbacks near the appropriate event tokens in the Event callback section:

Generating the final tracking URL (campaign URL)

Move to the ‘Copy and share your final Adjust links’ field and copy the final URL.

Here’s how the final link can look like:

https://app.adjust.com/abc123?event_callback_fsa3zj=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D{clickid}%26event%3Devent1&event_callback_rta4ty=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D{clickid}%26event%3Devent2&event_callback_dun8tw=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D{clickid}%26event%3Devent3

Finally, change the 3D{clickid} part with the ##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)## macros by Adsterra. This type of URL you will then use as your campaign/destination/landing URLs during the campaign setup on Adsterra.

https://app.adjust.com/abc123?event_callback_fsa3zj=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)## %26event%3Devent1&event_callback_rta4ty=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)## %26event%3Devent2&event_callback_dun8tw=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)## %26event%3Devent3

Running a conversion test on Adsterra

After you’re armed with all the required URLs, ask the Adsterra support team to run a conversion test to secure your campaigns from being stopped.

Alternatively, you can carry out the conversion test from your Adsterra account. Go to the Conversion tracking page and find the Check URL field. Paste the final link you created in the last step. Click CHECK URL. Check for the system clue; it must be “Your URL is correct.”

Next, click the MAKE TEST CONVERSION button and complete the predefined target action. If you pay for app installs, and your URL contains the install_callback parameter, then install the app.

The status of the URL must be VALID, not Pending. Refresh the page if needed. 

Notes:
If the status hasn’t changed to VALID, ask the Adsterra support team to run another test.
When you track multiple events, test postbacks with the corresponding event parameters.

Bonus part: Visual map of key terms (Adjust & Adsterra integration)

Callbacks, postbacks, macros, tracker URL…All these terms are confusing if not cumbersome. Let’s build a map of key terms and their roles in conversion tracking on Adjust and Adsterra.

Term	Where	Example URL/string	What it carries
Tracker URL	Adjust	https://app.adjust.com/abc123?	Click tracking, attribution
Macros / token	Adsterra	##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)##, ##PLACEMENT_ID####CAMPAIGN_ID##	Dynamic values filled at click-time (to be matched with Adjust parameters)
Additional parameters	Adjust	campaign=adgroup=creative=	Parameters to pull extra data from Adsterra (to be matched with Adsterra macros)
Postback template	Adsterra	https://www.pbterra.com/name/YOURADSTERRALOGIN/YOURAPPNAME/at?subid_short={clickid}	Conversion info fires back to Adsterra
Destination /Campaign / Landing URL	Adsterra	https://app.adjust.com/abc123?install_callback=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbterra.com%2Fname%2FYOURADSTERRALOGIN%2Fat%3Fsubid_short%3D##SUB_ID_SHORT(action)##	Adjust tracker URL + Adsterra click ID macro + Adjust callback

Ad campaign setup with conversion tracking

It’s time to set up an ad campaign on Adsterra using the tracking links (destination URL and postback URL) we generated earlier.

Go to Campaigns → Create. Enter all the Required Settings. Ensure to paste the final destination URL (aka campaign URL) in the Landing URL field. This detailed guide to ad campaign setup will help you with basic targeting settings.

Check all settings made and click PROCEED TO REVIEW and then CREATE CAMPAIGN. Adsterra will verify the campaign and start it according to your settings. Please remember to top up your balance, so you have enough funds to run ads.

When running a multi-event campaign, remember to put a tick near the ‘I’ve set up events postback for this campaign’.

App conversion tracking with Adjust: FAQs