Best Practices for App Store Optimization
App Store screenshots are one of the first marketing asset your new user will see, so make them standout.
Zero Moment of Truth
Reality is that you’ve only got around 7 seconds to pitch your app to a potential user, so how would you do it? Both the App Icon and design screenshots allow you to present your app the most visually which will result in increasing your download rate.
What’s your user’s main problem? How does your app solve it? Keep in mind that with the new App Store, users will see 3 screenshots from the search result page. Make sure your screenshots reflects your brand identity.
The dimensions
You have to add a minimum of 1 screenshot but I suggest you to add at least 5 screenshots. The screenshots should have the RGB color scheme, flattened and shouldn’t be transparent. They should have a pixel density of 72 dpi and must be JPG or PNG.
Some sizes are required:
- iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR: 1242 x 2688 pixels
- iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus: 1242 x 2208 pixels
- iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, iPhone 8: 750 x 1334 pixels
- iPhone SE: 640 x 1136 pixels
- iPad Pro: 2048 x 2732 pixels
Check the Apple Screenshots Specifications to get all the sizes.
Remember that if you’re using phone mockups on screenshots, you have to display the right one for the right size (don’t show an iPhone X mockup for the iPhone 6 screenshots) or Apple can reject you.
How to create great screenshots?
- Use large engaging captions
- Always have at least 5 screenshots
- Highlight the best features of your app
- Localize your screenshots in different languages
- Remember to show real screens
- Show achievements (Apple Featured, Ratings…)
Tools for creating design assets
Let’s now talk about the tools that are used to create the screenshots. Sketch or Figma are great for designers and give your apps a strong brand look and feel. Large companies or those with in-house design specialists might opt to go for this setup but it can be very time consuming if you want to have all screenshots for each device type in different languages.
You might use tools like Promomatic. It’s an easy to use app store screenshot builder for speed & simplicity.
