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

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.

Updated 2026-10-23·2 sources·asoscreenshotsconversion-ratecreative

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).34
  • Add social proof (Editor’s Choice, App of the Day, rating stars/laurels).35
  • Only the first three (portrait) appear in search results and Apple Ads — design and test those; 4–10 matter little.36
  • A human face in the first three tends to lift conversion.78

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%:92

  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.410

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”).1112

Show more of the app. Case studies Steve cites found that highlighting real app screens/features increased downloads (see Screenshot A/B tests — themes to test and published 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

Footnotes

  1. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 00:50 — Steve P. Young ↩

  2. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 02:43 — Steve P. Young ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 04:59 — Steve P. Young ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 04:04 — Steve P. Young ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. How to Increase Organic Downloads Without Changing Keywords @ 10:41 — Steve P. Young ↩

  6. How to Increase Organic Downloads Without Changing Keywords @ 05:56 — Steve P. Young ↩

  7. How to Increase Organic Downloads Without Changing Keywords @ 00:51 — Steve P. Young ↩

  8. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 09:14 — Steve P. Young ↩

  9. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 01:52 — Steve P. Young ↩

  10. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 06:06 — Steve P. Young ↩ ↩2

  11. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 07:25 — Steve P. Young ↩

  12. How to Create App Store Screenshots That Get More Downloads @ 12:10 — Steve P. Young ↩

  13. How to Increase Organic Downloads Without Changing Keywords @ 03:43 — Steve P. Young ↩

  14. How to Increase Organic Downloads Without Changing Keywords @ 11:40 — Steve P. Young ↩