Copywriting in mobile apps has to be brief, branded, and usable. Just like billboard ads, text has to be short and with character, so that a glance is enough to understand what’s being communicated. An additional requirement for mobile apps is being user-friendly: reading the copy is important to do significant tasks that are comparable to desktop software. Now that’s a lot of requirements to consider!
From working on only a single app for the past two and a half years I have learnt quite a bit about copywriting. Anghami, the music streaming app that I help design and manage, has gone through so many copywriting iterations. Each time we create copy for the app, we strive for clear and direct wording, not to mention maintaining our friendly and approachable tone.
Our audience uses the app in English and Arabic mainly, and it can be challenging to write copy that is effective and the same in both languages. Users are mostly based in the Middle East, so those who have Anghami set to English aren’t native English speakers. That’s why we assume they have an intermediate English understanding, and complicated or technical terminology is not allowed. In turn, Arabic is a beautiful language…
