5 Tips for Writing App Descriptions

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A five-star rating and a huge number of downloads are two of the main goals that app developers should focus on. Creating a great app is the first step, but there are other factors that contribute to the popularity and ratings of the app. In fact, one of the most important factors has nothing to do with app development, and that's a good app description.

If you’re about to launch an app or want to step up its ratings, here are tips on how you can make your app description more exciting.

Make it easy to read.

Writing an app description is about branding and marketing, so you're going to want to be creative. However, you also need to clearly communicate what it's about and you need to do that fast. Remember that you have about 10 seconds or so to pique a user’s interest so don’t fill your description with too much blabber or jargon that they won’t understand.  Keep it on-point and easy to read.

Take advantage of the first 255 characters.

The first 255 characters in your app description are crucial because this is what the user will see first. Within these characters, you should be able to compel the reader to not just tap the "read more" link, but to hit the "install" button as well.

For this, make sure that you highlight the value of the app while appealing to the user’s emotions. When you nail both of these, you can compel a user to download your app even without reading the rest of your description.

Put yourself in the shoes of the user.

Your point of view as an app developer is different from the user. You know the ins and outs of your app and you want to present it to the public, but users simply go to the app store to look for apps that offer solutions to their needs—and that’s all they want to know.

So, always begin by telling your users how they can benefit from the app. Describe it in such a way that most people can relate to. Your goal should be to make users imagine themselves using and enjoying your app.

Specify the problem that your app addresses.

Apps are created to provide a solution to a particular need. For some apps, the needs they address are pretty much obvious. Examples of these are photo editing apps or money management apps.

However, this is not the case for some applications. There are apps that offer solutions to a problem that most users aren't even aware of in the first place. Examples of these are convenience or productivity apps. If your app falls under this category, you need to easily communicate a problem and follow it up with a solution that your app can offer.

Learn from popular apps.

If you're launching a new app, you can look at how developers of popular apps create their app descriptions. Of course, that's not to say that you should plagiarize or copy straight from them. Just read theirs for inspiration on how to construct an effective app description to make it more compelling to potential users.

Posted 5 May, 2015

jdbsebastian

Content Writer

I produce written content for the Web--from internal webpages and blog posts to marketing materials such as off-page articles, e-books and outreach e-mails. Currently, my projects are on personal finance, health, business, fashion, and beauty products. I'll be glad to send you samples of my work. Please feel free to message me.

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