App Store Text Lighten It Up
In this mobile economy, people are reading less when it comes to their communications. Attention spans are short and, with the crush of information thrown at us each day, there is limited time to listen to each seller's message and review buying options. Hence, the reason for the 15-second commercial and the massive popularity of Twitter. When buyers read the text for your app on the App Store, they are interested in downloading it.
Most people will not make the investment in time to read your words unless they have more than a casual interest in your app. So, you've gotten them this far in the process, and you need to make the most of your words. Figure 5.9 illustrates good balance of text and white space, helping the reader to understand quickly the benefits of your app. There is no exact science to perfect content. However, the rule of
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Description
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Figure 5.9 iPhone app example with good balance of text.
"less is more" works best. Here are 10 suggestions for your App Store text to help you captivate your reader's attention:
1. List any promotions, discounts, or sales events at the top of the text to meet the demands of any of your impulse buyers. Use asterisks to call out a sale or noteworthy review or event.
2. Post solid magazine, newspaper, or other leading reviews of your app next to the top of the text to reinforce the value of your app from the start. Testimonials, especially from well-known publications, can influence your sales.
3. Describe what your app does in a few quick sentences. The reader wants to know right away!
4. Talk about the benefits of your app toward the top of the page (feel better today, hours of fun, lose weight fast, learn this skill now, improve your health, and so on).
5. Use short paragraphs to describe your app. Two to three sentences work well. Avoid big blocks of paragraphs. Most app buyers will skim through it and won't read it completely.
6. Use bullets to describe your features. Bullets help lead the reader through the key points of your app, and we are accustomed to go through bulleted lists.
7. Include a note to have the buyer look at your other apps, too, if you have them up on the App Store.
8. Include a "What's New" section describing the latest updates (if it is an updated app, of course).
9. List any updates that are coming up in a "What's Coming" section.
10. Review your text periodically to make sure it's still reading the way you like. Sometimes, rereading text after a few days or weeks helps us to see things in a different light. Have someone else take a look at the text to make sure it's on message.
There is an exception to the short text rule, and that's in the book category. Sometimes it helps to include a compelling paragraph from the book. Where the reader might be interested in seeing an excerpt, go ahead and include it. The App Store does provide an ample allowance.
The phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" is well suited to the App Store and to selling your iPhone/iPad app. Good graphics help sell your product. Spend time to ensure that your graphics showcase your app in the best possible way. It is possible, for example, to turn your graphics horizontally for a different look rather than showing the pictures of your app vertically. You can showcase your app with a mix of vertical and horizontal photos. The examples shown in Figures 5.10 and 5.11 demonstrate good use of photos and graphics for several apps.
Some apps only post one or two photos of their app on the App Store. This is a big mistake. The App Store allows you to post up to five photos of your app, and you should use every last one of them. To not use all five photos is like being given 30 seconds to do a TV commercial and using only 20 seconds. Use every last tool at your disposal to display your app in its best light.
Continue reading here: Selecting Your Social Media Tools
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