How to Write The Best App Descriptions

Likening an app description to a Tinder profile summary

Now that you are ready to launch your app, how do you write app descriptions that scale? It goes beyond rattling off the functionalities your app can perform or how many years you have spent building it.

Before writing an app description for Playstore or Appstore, my favourite activity is to imagine myself as the app. Sounds strange, yeah? But come along with me.

Imagine yourself on a dating app. The goal is to ensure that a person who has glanced at your picture (app icon) and is impressed goes further to read your summary and potentially connect with you. With this in mind, let’s talk about a few tips to note when writing an app description.

1. Brag a little:

Your dating app summary would probably contain a summary with something along the lines of “I’m a 5ft9, dark-skinned, Yoruba woman. I work as a detective and part-time community librarian.” You want the reader or your prospective match to be intrigued by you.

Has your product helped over ten thousand people via web version before you decided to make an app? Have you received a feature by Forbes or Apple? Talk about it in your description. “Keep the best for the last” doesn’t apply here. Say the most interesting and convincing things first, the remaining details can come later.

2. Don’t beat about the bush:

Imagine seeing a dating profile summary that says, “When I was younger, one day, my father walked me down to the garden to pluck some apples. On the way…” You’d most likely wonder who asked for so much unnecessary information.

You have a few seconds to convince your reader and prospective user to click “read more” and potentially install your app. Spend those seconds wisely. Tell them what your app can do for them and why they should download it.

3. Spice it up:

Use catchy words. As opposed to your project plan document, you’re not just informing, but you’re also convincing. Say “Experience stress-free and affordable commute when you use Bolt rider app” instead of “When you download the Bolt rider app, you can go wherever you want by simply clicking a few buttons and entering your location. Easy peasy!”

While the second example isn’t entirely wrong, it’s boring compared to the first. Also, it says in twenty-five words what we can say in ten. You can explain how it involves simply entering a few information and clicking some buttons in the latter part of your description. However, in the first part, the aim is to catch the readers’ attention and have them say, “Oh! How does it work?”

4. Avoid grammar errors:

How can you be a beautiful babe with a killer Tinder profile image but cannot spell “communication”? You sure wouldn’t want someone rolling their eyes at your seemingly minor but avoidable mistake.

Don’t create a “world-class” product but fall your readers’ hands because of grammar errors. You can use a grammar checker like Grammarly to proofread your description before publishing it.

There you go! You’re right on your way to creating killer descriptions that convert and scale. Let me know how you implement this; happy to read through your samples if you want.