App Store Promotional Text vs Description vs Keywords

The practical field map

App Store fields overlap in topic but not in responsibility. Drafting gets easier when every fact has a primary home and every field has one job.

Name and subtitle: identify before you persuade

The name should make the product recognizable. The subtitle should add concise context rather than repeat the name word for word. Apple’s public product-page guidance currently describes both fields with limits of 30 characters, so every character must serve identity or differentiation.

An agent can generate options, remove duplication, and check consistency. The owner must choose the naming direction and confirm rights. Do not insert competitor names, unverifiable awards, pricing claims, or temporary campaign copy into the product identity.

Promotional text: timely and visible

Promotional text appears above the description. Apple’s current public guidance allows up to 170 characters and says it can be updated without submitting a new app version. That makes it suitable for a current feature, event, offer, or release message.

It is not a substitute for the durable description, and Apple says it does not affect search ranking. Keep the message factual, dated in your release notes, and easy to remove when it stops being current.

• Use: a verified new capability, seasonal context, or current offer.
• Avoid: evergreen product explanation that belongs in the description.
• Block: roadmap features, expired claims, unsupported urgency, or ranking language.

Description: durable product truth

The description is where a prospective user should understand the problem, the app’s verified workflow, the outcomes it supports, relevant limits, and a clear trust path. Apple’s current product-page guidance allows up to 4,000 characters.

Start with the strongest concrete use case because the opening lines do the most orientation work. Then explain the flow, useful differentiators, limits, privacy or support context, and an appropriate call to action. Do not fill the description with a keyword list or a feature inventory detached from user tasks.

Keywords: relevant terms, not visible persuasion

Apple provides a separate keyword field with a current limit of 100 characters. Its purpose is relevance, not visible marketing copy. Apple also warns against competitor names, trademarked terms, irrelevant terms, and other improper content.

Build candidates from real user language for one market and localization. Remove terms already doing no new work, then have the owner review rights and relevance. An agent may organize and deduplicate candidates, but it should not claim a hidden ranking weight or guarantee placement.

A five-step drafting workflow

Finish with a cross-field consistency pass. The same feature should not be called three different things, a temporary offer should not leak into durable copy, and no field should describe behavior missing from the submitted build.

• Write one sentence that defines the target user, task, and verified outcome.
• Lock the approved name; use the subtitle to add context rather than repeat it.
• Draft the durable description from shipping-build evidence.
• Create promotional text only when there is a genuinely current message.
• Build a localized keyword candidate list, verify current Apple rules, and complete owner review.

Worked example: a document-cleanup app

The example shows field responsibility, not recommended copy for every app. Replace every statement with evidence from the target product and market.

Review checklist

• Every claim is supported by the target release build or an approved current fact.
• Name and subtitle are distinct, clear, and rights-reviewed.
• Promotional text is current and does not imply search-ranking impact.
• Description explains user outcomes, workflow, limits, and trust without keyword stuffing.
• Keywords are relevant to one market and comply with current Apple guidance.
• A human owner has approved field choices and reopened official sources before submission.