“The section or like the topics that they like in the app, they're not the one that brought them in... it's like I'm driven to a certain product in an app because I think that I'm interested in this but then I end up using it for something else, but if I use that message in the ads it doesn't actually work.”

The feature that hooks the install isn't the feature that retains — split your messaging

Paired's user research showed the features users love most aren't what initially pulled them in. Testing the retention-driving messages in acquisition ads flopped. Treat acquisition copy and onboarding emphasis as separate problems — they answer to different audience moments. Don't naively port your top-retained feature into your ad hook.