# Software Microsoft Ads: 778% ROAS on App Installs | OVERTOP [Home](/)›[Success stories](/success-stories/)›[Microsoft Ads](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/)›Superhuman Microsoft Ads success story · AI productivity software company (maker of Grammarly) # How the company behind Grammarly earned roughly 778% return on ad spend with Microsoft Store ads. Superhuman put its Grammarly desktop app in front of Windows users at the moment they were searching the Microsoft Store for writing tools, then tracked what those new users did after installing. The result: over 140,000 downloads, a cost per new user under $5, and paying users who stuck around. BusinessSuperhuman MarketMicrosoft Store on Windows (country not stated) GoalMore app installs from people who keep using the app ## The results. Cost per new user fell from the mid-teens to under $5. Microsoft does not state the comparison period, and gives no baseline for the 778% return on ad spend or the 15.7% install rate. - **778%**return on ad spend (roughly) - **Under $5**cost per new user, down from the mid-teens - **15.7%**of ad clicks became downloads (over 140,000) Installs, new active users, subscriptions, purchases and modeled lifetime value were tracked with Microsoft Universal Event Tracking (UET). Microsoft does not state the campaign dates or the market. ## The challenge. Superhuman is the AI productivity company behind Grammarly, the writing assistant. A tool like this only pays off when people use it every day, so a download on its own is worth very little. The team wanted new installs from people who were already looking for help with their writing, not from anyone who might tap an ad. It also needed to see past the download. Which new users kept writing with the app, which ones upgraded, and which ad channel brought in the people worth the most over time? Counting installs alone could not answer that, and without the answer there was no way to know where the next dollar should go. ## What they did. Microsoft Store ads in search results · Featured spot on the Microsoft Store home page · Install campaigns inside Windows · Universal Event Tracking for what happens after the install Ads where people shop for appsGrammarly appeared in the Microsoft Store on Windows, both in search results and in a featured spot on the Store home page, while people were searching for and comparing writing tools.From ad to download in one stepInstall campaigns ran through Microsoft Store ads, using [native ad placements](https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/solutions/ad-products-formats/display) that blend into the Store, so a person could go from seeing the app to installing it without leaving Windows.Tracking past the install[Universal Event Tracking](https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/tools/performance/conversion-tracking), Microsoft’s conversion tracking, was built into the app. It showed new active users, subscriptions, purchases and modeled lifetime value, not only downloads.Paid and free placements togetherPaid ads worked alongside Grammarly’s regular presence in the Store, so the app showed up in more than one place for people searching with clear intent.Judged on value, not volumeThe campaigns were measured on what new users were worth to the business over time, which made it possible to compare the Store fairly with every other channel in the mix. ## Why it worked. Our read on the decisions behind the numbers, and what any business can take from them. Intent was already thereSomeone searching the Store for a writing tool has already decided they need one. About 15.7% of clicks turned into downloads because the ad answered a question the person was asking.Fewer steps, fewer drop-offsEvery extra page between an ad and a download loses people. Installing straight from the Store kept the path short.Desktop users stick aroundPeople who installed Grammarly on their desktop from the Store kept using it longer and were worth more than people who used it only in a browser, because the app shows up in more places across Windows.The right number to optimizeMeasuring subscriptions and lifetime value, not downloads, showed the Store was one of the strongest channels in the mix. That is the number that tells a software company where to spend. ## How we would run this play for your business. You do not need a national budget to use the same ideas. This is how Overtop Media Digital Marketing puts them to work in our [microsoft ads management](/microsoft-ads/). Reach buyers while they compareWe put your software, app or online service in front of people searching for what you sell on Bing, in Windows and across Microsoft’s network, at the moment they are choosing.Track sign-ups to revenueWe connect your trials, sign-ups and paid plans to the ads that produced them, so you see what a new customer is really worth, not just how many you got.Spend on customers who stayOur [Microsoft Ads management](/microsoft-ads/) teaches the system which sign-ups turn into paying, long-term customers, so your budget goes after more of those and less on free users who leave.Cover every searchYour buyers search on Google too. Our [Google Ads management](/google-ads/) runs the same value-based approach there, so you can compare channels on revenue and move money to what works. ## Who this play fits. You do not have to be an ai productivity software company (maker of grammarly) to use the same approach. It is a strong fit for: - Software and SaaS companies - Mobile and desktop app makers - Online courses and memberships - Subscription services - Online tools with a free trial - Any business that sells through an online sign-up ## Want results like these? Tell us about your business and your goals. We will show you where Microsoft ads can bring you customers, and what it would take. [Start growing with Microsoft ads](#audit) [Or call (704) 237-0707 ›](tel:7042370707) [See how we run Microsoft ads for our clients ›](/microsoft-ads/) ## More Microsoft ads success stories. - [ Software and technology **186%** increase in return on ad spend ### Smokeball Australia Read the story › ](/success-stories/linkedin-ads/smokeball-australia/) - [ Software and technology **6X** more qualified sales meetings from marketing ### Firebolt Read the story › ](/success-stories/linkedin-ads/firebolt/) - [ Software and technology **50%** higher ROI than other digital channels ### Eftsure Read the story › ](/success-stories/linkedin-ads/eftsure/) [See all Microsoft ads success stories ›](/success-stories/microsoft-ads/) Results as published by Microsoft Advertising in its Superhuman success story. Results for other businesses will differ. Analysis by Victor Bubuioc, MBA, Digital Performance and Growth Expert, published October 12, 2026.