Regardless of what exactly your specific app does, the reality is that competition in the app store is always fierce. This means you need to do everything you can to convince users that yours is the one they should download.
This means that while users are browsing in the app store, you need to have a killer app description. It may be what convinces them to install the app (or not).
A few strategic and stylistic tips can help with this, and it all comes down to copywriting. In this post, we’re going to take a close look at 7 app store description copywriting tips to help increase your total number of downloads and installs.
If users are finding you in the app store, they’re likely not already familiar with exactly what your app does and what you can offer. You don’t want to play guessing games or leave any doubt in their mind about what makes you unique and what your app can help them with.
You should be direct in the copy, with a line or two right at the top explaining exactly what your app does.
Think “Our app solves this problem with x, y, and z features.” This can immediately tell users whether or not the app is relevant to their needs (and hopefully it will be!) so you can then go on to explain more about how it works.
Let’s look at an example of an app that does this well. Greg: Easy Plant Care’s app description explains “We’ll identify your specific plant type, tell you exactly how much to water it, and remind you when it’s time… You’ll also join a community of other passionate plant parents ready to answer questions, nerd out on all things plants, and offer big-time garden inspo.”
You’ve got the USP and you know exactly what you’ll get out of the app; it’s not a generic plant care tip app, or one that makes you manually set reminders. It will identify your plant (even if you can’t) and take it from there.
Being specific about who you envision using your app and what purpose they’ll use it for can go a long way in telling your audience that this app is for them.
There are so many apps that are speaking directly to your audience. This strategy can help you potentially not only appear in searches but it also tells your audience that this app was created for them, it will work for them, and to download it.
Financial tracking software to track purchases may have general appeal, but you can advertise the same app as being perfect for small businesses to categorize tax deductions. The value goes up significantly for that small target audience.
Here’s an example: Procreate Pocket’s app store description reads “powerful enough for creative professionals. Simple enough for everyone. Award-winning Procreate Pocket is the most feature-packed and versatile art app ever designed for iPhone.”
They’ve found a way to stress that their audience is diverse while also being specific about how it can benefit each segment: Easy for newbies and high-powered for the pros.
After you introduce your app to users through the description copy, it’s important to be extremely detailed about what makes your app stand apart from the rest.
This is why it’s crucial to have a “key features” section of the app store description, which is most often a bulleted list of features and benefits that tell users what’s possible with the app.
This can enhance your app’s USP, or unique selling proposition, which shows users exactly what you have to offer.
This example from WorkHours Time Tracker shows exactly how to do this well:
They don’t just say “track your time” and leave it at that— they detail features and technology like the ability to track and add overtime rates, utilize the app through the Apple watch, and to use different widgets to quickly clock in and out. These specific features tell users how they can use the app and why they should choose this one instead of another.
If you’re not sure where to start, focus on the feature at this point more than the benefit, because this builds trust that your app can do what it says by explaining how it can. Instead of just saying that “this app will help you sleep,” you want to list individual factors that contribute to that end result like “our 10 types of unique white noise sounds, custom-made by scientists to help you sleep better.”
Storytelling will always be one of the most powerful copywriting tools in your entire arsenal.
It’s memorable. It resonates with your audience and is an easy way to connect with them on an emotional level. This can be the copywriting tip that helps you convince them that they need your app and that it will work for them.
The Wonder Weeks app description, for example, starts its second paragraph with this story: “Your baby is suddenly crying all the time, clinging to you, and you ask what is wrong.”
When you’re talking about an emotionally impactful statement, that’s it. Any anxious and tired new mother who is trying to learn her baby will read that and know exactly what that feels like. It speaks to a core pain point and need, making it a simple but deeply effective story.
Taglines can be a copywriter’s best friend.
They’re short, snappy phrases that are designed to represent your app’s brand and its core unique selling proposition. It’s what can help you not only build brand recognition but also to stand out.
It’s not uncommon for brands to feature a tagline within the first few lines of their app description. Sometimes that tagline will be splayed across the top like a subheading to capture users’ interest and to get them to keep reading.
Remember that you need users to keep scrolling. Testing out a few different taglines to determine what works well can be a great way to go.
Hinge is an iconic example. It’s an online dating app with the tagline “Designed to be deleted.” The idea is that you’ll find your perfect person, delete the app, and never need it again. It’s an outstanding marketing and copywriting.
You can see that they use this highly effective tagline to open their app store description, and then they drive in the fact that it’s working.
Social proof can go a long way in increasing interest, downloads, and installs, so don’t take that lightly. While you can (and should!) collect as many positive reviews as you, featuring different elements of social proof in your app description is a solid copywriting strategy.
Award-winning. Most-downloaded. 10,000 great reviews. Featured on Cosmo.
Whatever social proof you have, use it. If 10,000 people left great reviews, after all, the app has to be worth checking out, right?
You can see how The Wonder Weeks does this by adding their award logo and Vivino by starting their description with “With 50 million users, Vivino is the world’s largest wine app and marketplace.”
When you think “app store copy,” the first thing that you’re going to think of will be the app description. While this is the most crucial, remember that copy can— and should— go beyond the app description.
You can use microcopy— which is small snippets of copy designed to inform users or to get them to take certain actions— on your images, too. These images show up when people first view the app listing, and it can give those small fragments of text extra emphasis and impact.
A great example is Jira, which has a microcopy of their product images that show the app in use while using the copy to explain core features and benefits. Even if users are flipping through options quickly, that copy can jump out at them and it may be what you need to get them reading through the rest of the app store description, too.
Having a strong, strategic, and well-written app store description can increase user interest, trust, and app downloads. Whether users are idly browsing or searching for a specific tool, these 7 app description copywriting techniques will help you drive more results in no time.
