Table of contents
- Quick nav
App Store Subtitle vs Promotional Text: How to Write Both for ASO and Conversion
Two small fields, two different jobs
On an App Store product page, the subtitle sits right under your app name and the promotional text sits at the top of your description. Both are short, both are easy to treat as an afterthought, and both are frequently wasted on slogans.
They do very different jobs:
| Field | Limit | Where it shows | Needs a new version to change? | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Under the name: search results, product page | Yes, edited with a version | Relevance + instant clarity |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | Top of the description on the product page | No, update any time | Timely conversion message |
| Keywords | 100 bytes | Hidden | Yes | Relevance only |
Apple's App Review Guidelines (2.3.7) describe the subtitle as a way to provide additional context and note that it must follow standard metadata rules: no inappropriate content, no references to other apps, and no unverifiable product claims.
The subtitle: 30 characters that work in search results
The subtitle is visible in search results next to your icon and first screenshots. That makes it one of the very few text elements a searcher reads before tapping. It is also widely treated by ASO practitioners as a ranking-relevant field alongside the app name and keyword field.
What a good subtitle does
- Says what the app is for, in plain words a first-time visitor understands.
- Includes one or two keywords you actually want to rank for, without repeating words already in your name.
- Complements the first screenshot rather than duplicating its caption.
Subtitle formulas
- Job + object: "Track Habits & Daily Goals"
- Job + differentiator: "Budget Planner, No Bank Login"
- Audience + job: "Workout Log for Home Training"
- Outcome-first: "Sleep Better with Calm Sounds"
Subtitle mistakes
- Taglines with no meaning out of context. "Life, Organized." tells a searcher nothing.
- Repeating the app name. If your name is "Pocket Budget," don't spend the subtitle on "budget" again; you already have it.
- Claims review will reject. "The #1 Habit Tracker" is the kind of unverifiable claim 2.3.7 warns about.
- Stuffing. "Habit, Goal, Routine, Tracker" reads as spam to humans, and humans are the ones who convert.
Count characters precisely before you submit. Our ASO character counter handles name, subtitle, and keyword-field limits, and the keyword combiner helps you test which words fit together. For choosing the words themselves, see our ASO keyword research guide.
Promotional text: your 170-character billboard
Promotional text appears above your description on the product page. Its superpower is that you can change it any time without submitting a new app version. That makes it the right place for messages with a shelf life.
Apple does not describe promotional text as a search field, so treat it as conversion copy, not as a place for keywords.
What to put in promotional text
- Launch or update news: "New: home screen widgets and Apple Watch support."
- Seasonal hooks: "Plan holiday gifts on a budget—new gift list templates inside."
- Social proof you can verify: an award name, a press mention, or an "Editors' Choice" badge if you actually have one.
- A clear free-vs-paid statement: "Free to use. Optional Pro unlocks unlimited projects."
- Events: if you run In-App Events, mirror the event in promotional text so the product page tells the same story.
What to avoid
- Specific prices or discounts that differ by storefront.
- Repeating the first line of your description.
- Generic filler like "Download now and enjoy!"
- Overpromising—promotional text is still metadata and still covered by 2.3.
A promotional text template
[New/seasonal hook]. [One concrete benefit with a specific feature]. [Trust or pricing clarity].
Example (147 characters):
New: scan receipts with your camera. Split any bill in two taps and settle up later—no sign-up needed. Free with optional Pro for unlimited groups.
Make the three layers tell one story
A visitor on your product page reads in roughly this order: icon → name → subtitle → first screenshots → promotional text → description. The subtitle and the first screenshot caption should work as a pair:
| Layer | Example |
|---|---|
| Name | Splitly |
| Subtitle | Split Bills with Friends |
| Screenshot 1 caption | Who owes what, at a glance |
| Screenshot 2 caption | Scan a receipt, split by item |
| Promotional text | New: receipt scanning. Split any bill in two taps… |
Notice that no layer repeats another, but they all reinforce the same core job. If you test new screenshots with product page optimization, keep the subtitle constant during the test so you know what moved the needle.
When you redesign captions, our screenshot editor lets you iterate on text over real UI and export store-ready sizes in the browser.
Localizing subtitles and promotional text
Each App Store localization has its own subtitle and promotional text. That gives you two opportunities:
- Use local search vocabulary. The literal translation of your English subtitle is often not what people type in that market. Research per locale.
- Respect length differences. German and French usually need more characters than English; 30 characters can be tight. Rewrite rather than truncate.
Keep subtitle wording aligned with localized screenshot captions—see App Store Screenshot Captions & Localization for the full workflow.
A simple update rhythm
- Subtitle: revisit every few releases, or when you change positioning. Since it ships with a version, plan it with your release notes.
- Promotional text: refresh whenever there is real news: a feature launch, a season, an event, a milestone. Avoid leaving launch-week text up for months.
- Track impact: watch impressions-to-page-view and page-view-to-download rates in App Store Connect analytics around each change. Change one thing at a time when you can.
Checklist
- Subtitle is ≤ 30 characters and explains the app's job
- Subtitle doesn't repeat words from the app name
- No competitor names, prices, or "#1/best" claims
- Promotional text is ≤ 170 characters and timely
- Promotional text includes a concrete feature and pricing clarity
- Subtitle and first screenshot caption complement each other
- Each localization has natively written versions
Bottom line
Use the subtitle for clarity and relevance—it's read in search results and helps define what you rank for. Use promotional text for timely conversion messages you can swap without a release. Pair both with your first screenshots so every element on the page tells the same, specific story.