---
title: What App Store screenshots should say (first three, keyword, USP, faces)
slug: app-store-screenshot-copy-best-practices
summary: Screenshot copy rules from a +30% download test — lead with the searched keyword, then unique selling points and social proof; focus on the first three screenshots; show a human face.
domain: mobile-apps
tags: [aso, screenshots, conversion-rate, creative]
related: [app-store-screenshot-ab-test-results, app-store-screenshot-production-and-ppo-setup, aso-metadata-fields-and-keyword-placement, aso-ranking-factors, better-sleep-onboarding-paywall-teardown]
sources: [yt:x41YQ11Regg, yt:4RpS1BMJEaw]
updated: 2026-10-23
---

# What App Store screenshots should say (first three, keyword, USP, faces)

## TL;DR
- Two apps ranking for the same keyword: the one with better screenshots usually wins the download.[^1]
- **Screenshot 1 = the keyword the user searched** (and that's in your title), big and bold, so they know they're in the right place.[^2]
- Then **unique selling points**, not generic category claims ("calm anxiety", "breathwork" — everyone says that).[^3][^4]
- Add **social proof** (Editor's Choice, App of the Day, rating stars/laurels).[^3][^5]
- Only the **first three** (portrait) appear in search results and Apple Ads — design and test those; 4–10 matter little.[^3][^6]
- A **human face** in the first three tends to lift conversion.[^7][^8]

## Details
**Case: +30% downloads (CBT anxiety app, July 2026).** Variant A was already decent: "Calm anxiety and feel better", "Choose your therapy guide", "Learn the power of self-therapy", plus check-mark social proof. Variant B won by **30%**:[^9][^2]
1. "Calm anxiety with **cognitive behavioral therapy**" — the app already ranked #1 for "cognitive behavioral therapy" and "CBT", so the screenshot now matched the query.[^2]
2. Editor's Choice badge as social proof.[^3]
3. "Personalized interactive video-guided therapy" — the feature Steve, as a user, found distinctive.[^4]
4. "Confidential CBT journaling" — the feature the client said users love most.[^4]

**How to find USPs:** use the app yourself and ask the team which features users praise; lead with what makes you different within the category.[^4][^10]

**Caption style.** Steve prefers "search intent" captions (tell the user they found what they searched) over outcome-style copy, but will use outcome lines where they're more concrete ("Send files faster" beat "Export and share").[^11][^12]

**Show more of the app.** Case studies Steve cites found that highlighting real app screens/features increased downloads (see [[app-store-screenshot-ab-test-results]]).[^13]

## Disagreements / caveats
- The 30% test is one client; Steve notes they "got it right on the first go" and the order could still be tested.[^10]
- Faces "generally perform a bit better" is a rule of thumb; Steve was still running his own human-vs-screen test in Sept 2026.[^14]

## See also
- [[app-store-screenshot-ab-test-results]] — what else to test
- [[app-store-screenshot-production-and-ppo-setup]] — building and testing them

[^1]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 00:50 — Steve P. Young
[^2]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 02:43 — Steve P. Young
[^3]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 04:59 — Steve P. Young
[^4]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 04:04 — Steve P. Young
[^5]: yt:4RpS1BMJEaw @ 10:41 — Steve P. Young
[^6]: yt:4RpS1BMJEaw @ 05:56 — Steve P. Young
[^7]: yt:4RpS1BMJEaw @ 00:51 — Steve P. Young
[^8]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 09:14 — Steve P. Young
[^9]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 01:52 — Steve P. Young
[^10]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 06:06 — Steve P. Young
[^11]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 07:25 — Steve P. Young
[^12]: yt:x41YQ11Regg @ 12:10 — Steve P. Young
[^13]: yt:4RpS1BMJEaw @ 03:43 — Steve P. Young
[^14]: yt:4RpS1BMJEaw @ 11:40 — Steve P. Young