Localising your App Store subtitle and promotional text
The subtitle and the promotional text sit right under your app name, and both are separate per localisation. One helps search and one doesn't. Here's how to use each in every language you add.
What Apple does with each field
| Field | Limit | Indexed for search? | Needs a new version to change? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Yes | Yes |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | No | No, edit any time |
So the subtitle is a ranking field and the promotional text is a conversion field. Treat them differently in every locale.
Subtitle: 30 characters that rank
Words in the app name, subtitle and keyword field are combined for search, so a word that appears in one doesn't need repeating in another. In each locale:
- Use the words people in that market type. A German user looking for a habit app searches "Gewohnheiten", a Japanese user often searches 習慣化 ("making it a habit"). A literal translation of your English subtitle rarely lands on those terms.
- Don't repeat words from the title or the keyword field. Duplicates earn nothing and cost characters you can't spare.
- Count characters per language. German and French run longer than English, so the English idea often won't fit in 30. Japanese, Chinese and Korean fit far more meaning into 30 characters, so use the room for a second search term.
- Keep it readable. It's the first line a person reads under your name. A keyword list that reads as spam lowers taps even when it ranks.
Promotional text: 170 characters that convert
Promotional text appears at the top of your description and isn't used for search, so write it for the reader, not the algorithm:
- Lead with the benefit, in that market's terms. Prices, holidays and seasons differ: a "back to school" line in August means nothing in Japan, where the school year starts in April.
- Update it without a release. Because it doesn't need a new version, it's the cheapest place to test a message per country.
- Leave room for expansion. If your English is already 165 characters, plan for a shorter English source so the German and French versions still fit.
A quick example
A habit tracker whose English subtitle is "Build routines, stick with it":
| Locale | Subtitle | Why |
|---|---|---|
| German | Routinen aufbauen, dranbleiben | Natural phrasing, 30 characters exactly; "Gewohnheiten" is already in the title, so it isn't repeated |
| Japanese | 毎日のルーティンを続ける記録アプリ | Adds 記録アプリ ("record app"), a common search term, in the space CJK leaves free |
Checklist per locale
- Subtitle within 30 characters, with no words repeated from the title or keywords
- Subtitle uses at least one term people really search in that market
- Promotional text within 170 characters and written for local readers
- Back-translate both into English so you know what you're publishing
Related: App Store keywords, per locale · which languages to localise first.
TenTongues does this for all your listing fields in 10 languages within 24 hours, with a back-translation for every field. See how it works.