App Store Promotional Text ASO Best Practices

May 2nd, 2020

by David Quinn

VP of Strategy & Partnerships at Gummicube, Inc.

App Store Promotional Text, which was introduced in 2017 with the release of iOS 11, is a unique feature of the iOS App Store. While it is displayed to users as part of the description, it is a separate section from the description on App Store Connect. It’s not indexed for keywords, but still plays an important role in App Store Optimization. Let’s take a look at the App Store Promotional Text and see how it can best be used for App Store Optimization.

App Store Promotional Text

Each app listing on the iOS App Store can include a 170-character promo text. This appears at the top of the description to provide additional information separate from the description’s 4,000-character limit. Promo text can also appear with the app listing in Search Ads results if no creative sets are displayed.

Unlike other parts of the app listing, Promotional Text can be updated at any time, independent of updates. This allows developers to frequently use the promo text to provide new information such as events, promotions and news without needing to submit a new version of the app.

As a trade-off, the Promotional Text is not indexed for keywords. However, including keywords in the Promotional Text can still help with conversions. If users see a keyword they’re searching for early on in the description, it could improve their odds of converting.

Promotional Text Usage & Best Practices

Promotional Text, as the name suggests, is designed for announcing and describing promotions. This is great for limited-time events, such as sales, holidays and other topical features. Developers can add Promotional Text to call out these events at the top of the description, then remove it afterwards without needing to submit an update with a new description.

This can be used for daily countdowns, such as shopping apps stating “10 days until Christmas” for last-minute shoppers. Mobile games running events such as anniversaries or double experience points promotions can call them out early on and remove them as soon as the event ends. If app developers want to include seasonality in their description without launching a full update, the Promotional Text can be used for that as well.

Promotional Text is optional, so developers do not have to use it. If there are no events, updates or other features to call out in the Promotional Text, it may not be necessary. In these instances, any areas in the App Store that would include the Promotional Text will instead show the first part of the app description.

Promotional Text will appear when viewed on a mobile device. If users go directly to the app listing via a web browser, the description will not include the Promotional Text.

There are a few best practices that should be followed for Promotional Text:

Provide information about the app early on
Be to-the-point; promo text is short, and the space should be used wisely
Focus on key features, updates and ongoing promotions

With these guidelines in mind, developers can use the 170 characters Promotional Text Provides to succinctly communicate what matters to their users.

Overall

App Store Promotional Text is a useful tool for App Store Optimization. The ability to update it at any time makes it a convenient way to provide news and updates to users at a moment’s notice, remain current with events and offers or provide information about new features. Using Promotional Text wisely can help inform users and connect the app to their search queries, so it is not to be overlooked.

Want more information regarding App Store Optimization? Contact Gummicube and we’ll help get your strategy started.