Most App Store listings die at the subtitle. It is one of the two highest-CTR fields on the page, and a generic tagline wastes all 30 of its characters. These 12 prompts squeeze the title, subtitle, promotional text, and screenshot captions into copy that earns keyword ranking and converts the install. When a version ships, feed the same audience picture into drafting release notes with AI so your listing and the “What’s New” panel reinforce each other instead of repeating.
TL;DR
- Apple gives you three indexable text fields for ASO: app name (30 chars), subtitle (30 chars), and the keywords field (100 chars). The description is not indexed for search.
- Google Play indexes the title (30 chars), short description (80 chars), and full description (4,000 chars) — the opposite weighting from Apple.
- Promotional text (170 chars) updates without an app review and shows above the description, so never leave it empty.
- Paste your real app facts in place of every
[bracketed placeholder]. Run these in ChatGPT (GPT-5.5) or Claude (Sonnet 4.6) — both are strong at copy with tight character budgets as of June 2026.
Field limits at a glance (as of June 2026)
| Field | Store | Limit | Indexed for search? | Editable without review? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App name | App Store | 30 chars | Yes (highest weight) | No |
| Subtitle | App Store | 30 chars | Yes | No |
| Keywords field | App Store | 100 chars | Yes (hidden from users) | No |
| Promotional text | App Store | 170 chars | No | Yes |
| Description | App Store | 4,000 chars | No | No |
| Title | Google Play | 30 chars | Yes | No |
| Short description | Google Play | 80 chars | Yes | No |
| Full description | Google Play | 4,000 chars | Yes | No |
Apple’s app name dropped to a ~26-character safe display width in search results, and Google Play cut its title to 30 chars in late 2021, so the two stores finally match on title length. Front-load the keyword.
Best for
- A first App Store launch
- An ASO refresh between feature drops
- A new version drop with a promotional-text reset
- International / locale expansion
- Indie devs without a dedicated ASO budget
1. App title + subtitle (App Store)
App: [one-line description with target keyword]. Generate 8 title + subtitle pairs.
Constraints:
- Title <=30 chars, subtitle <=30 chars
- Combined must signal niche + outcome
- No "AI-powered" filler unless the keyword itself is "AI"
- Each pair targets a different searcher intent (problem-aware, solution-aware, branded)
Output: table with columns Title | Subtitle | Intent | Char count.2. Promotional text (App Store)
For App Store promo text (170 chars max), write 5 variants for [app]. This field
appears above the description, is NOT indexed for search, and updates without an
app review. Use it for time-sensitive copy: a new feature, a seasonal angle, or a
proof point.
Each variant must:
- Lead with the news, not "We're excited to announce"
- Include 1 concrete benefit
- Stay under 170 chars including punctuation3. Description first 3 lines (above the fold)
For the App Store description, write 5 variants of the first 3 lines shown before
the "more" link. Each variant:
Line 1: hook in <80 chars, no question marks
Line 2: what the app actually does (concrete verb + object)
Line 3: who it's for, by role or job-to-be-done
Avoid: "Welcome to [app]", "Are you tired of", emoji bullet lists.4. Description full draft
Draft a full App Store description for [app] in <=4000 chars:
1. Hook paragraph (the first 3 lines from above)
2. Key features section: 4-6 bullets, each starts with a user verb
3. Social proof: 2-3 short quotes or numeric proof points
4. Pointer to "What's New" + "Privacy"
5. Closing CTA
Voice: confident, specific. No marketing fluff.Apple does not index the description for search, so write it for the reader, not the algorithm. Google Play does index its full description, so the Google version of this prompt should weave the primary keyword in 3-5 times naturally.
5. Screenshot caption copy
I have 5 App Store screenshots covering [features]. Write a caption per screenshot:
- Top line <=25 chars (the headline)
- Bottom line <=35 chars (the supporting beat)
- Each caption tells one story; don't repeat the feature name verbatim
- Caption 1 = strongest user outcome, not the cleverest line
Output: numbered list with both lines per screenshot.The first 2-3 screenshots are all most users see before deciding, so they carry the conversion weight.
6. Google Play short description
For Google Play (80-char short description), write 6 variants for [app].
- Lead with the user outcome, not the category name
- Include the primary keyword once, naturally
- 3 variants benefit-led, 3 variants problem-led
- Count chars including spaces and confirm <=807. Keyword research for ASO
My app does [functions]. Suggest 30 candidate keywords, ranked by likely
intent match x competition (low/med/high). For each: 1 line of why it fits.
Then pick the 10 to target across the title + keywords field, and explain the
rationale (head term, mid-tail, branded, defensive).LLM-suggested keywords are a starting point, not search-volume data. Validate the top 10 in a real ASO tool (App Store Connect’s own search popularity, AppTweak, or Sensor Tower) before you lock the keywords field, since you cannot edit it without an app review.
8. Localization brief
I'm localizing my US listing to [locale]. Identify:
1. Terms that won't translate (cultural, idiomatic, brand-language)
2. Cultural adjustments needed in the screenshots
3. Screenshot text translation length budget vs source
4. Store-specific conventions for that locale (rating prompts, payment terms)
5. Top 5 native-language keywords to swap into the keywords fieldLocalizing the keywords field per locale roughly doubles your indexed term count, since each localization gets its own 100-char field. That is usually the highest-ROI ASO move after the title.
9. Title A/B test plan
For [app], design a 4-week App Store title + subtitle A/B test plan:
Week 1: baseline measurement (CVR, impressions, keyword rank for top 5 terms)
Week 2: variant A — keyword-led title
Week 3: variant B — outcome-led subtitle
Week 4: pick winner, document rationale
Output: test matrix + the exact metric thresholds that decide the winner.Apple’s Product Page Optimization can A/B test up to 3 treatments against the original, but it tests icons, screenshots, and previews, not the title or subtitle. Title/subtitle changes still ship through a normal version update, so this sequential plan is the realistic path for those two fields.
10. What’s New copy
Write 4 variants of "What's New" copy for [app] version [version]. The release
shipped: [features + fixes].
Each variant <=500 chars:
- Lead with the most-asked-for change
- Group: New / Improved / Fixed
- 1 specific number per release if available (faster by X%, supports Y new languages)
- No "various bug fixes and improvements" filler11. Review-response templates
Write 6 App Store review-response templates for [app]:
1. 5-star with a feature request -> thank + commit to consider
2. 4-star with a small bug -> acknowledge + ETA
3. 3-star confused user -> onboarding pointer
4. 2-star angry -> ownership + support email
5. 1-star wrongly-attributed problem -> polite correction
6. 1-star pricing complaint -> value reframe
Voice: human, not corporate. <=300 chars each.12. Search Ads keyword bid sheet
For [app], draft an Apple Search Ads bid sheet covering my top 10 ASO keywords:
Columns: Keyword | Match type (Broad or Exact) | Suggested bid range |
Negative keywords to add | Daily cap rationale
Notes on which keywords to defend (branded), which to expand on (mid-tail), and
which to drop after 2 weeks if CPI is too high.Apple Ads has only two keyword match types: Broad and Exact (write an exact keyword as [keyword] in the ad group). New keywords default to Broad. “Search Match” is a separate automatic-targeting toggle, not a keyword-level match type, so keep it out of the per-keyword bid sheet.
Common mistakes
- Wasting the subtitle on a tagline that repeats the title
- Using one description for every locale and store
- Screenshot captions that exceed the safe char budget and get cropped on small devices
- Leaving the promo-text field empty because “we don’t have news” (it sits above the description and you can change it anytime)
- Treating the Google Play short description like an App Store subtitle: Google indexes it for search, Apple does not index its description at all
FAQ
Does Apple index the app description for search? No. As of June 2026, App Store search ranks on the app name, subtitle, and the 100-char keywords field only. Google Play is the opposite: it indexes the title, short description, and full description, so write each store’s description for a different job.
Which AI model writes the tightest character-budget copy? Both GPT-5.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 handle 30- and 80-char limits well, but no model counts characters reliably. Always paste the output back and verify the count yourself, or ask the model to print the exact character count beside each line and spot-check it.
Can I change the keywords field without submitting an update? No. The Apple keywords field, title, and subtitle are tied to an app version and require a review. Only the promotional text (170 chars) updates instantly without review, which is why it is the right field for time-sensitive copy.
How many keywords should I localize? Localize the keywords field for every market you sell in. Each localization adds a fresh 100-char keyword field, so adding even a handful of locales can double your indexed terms. See Apple’s keyword localization guidance before you start.
Should I trust the keywords an LLM suggests? Treat them as candidates, not verdicts. LLMs do not see live search-volume or competition data, so validate the shortlist in App Store Connect’s search popularity index or a tool like AppTweak before you commit the field.