Update Promotional Text Without a New Build: A Practical Playbook

Promotional text appears at the top of the description and is up to 170 characters long. Apple says it does not affect search ranking, so do not use it for keywords; read does promotional text affect search. Its job is to turn a visitor who is already on your page into a download. Because the description can only be updated with a new version, promotional text is the part of the page you can steer week to week.

1. Open the localized version. Promotional text is a per-language property of the app store version (it is one of the version-localization attributes in the App Store Connect API), so each language has its own field.
2. Write for one reader and one action. One sentence, one idea. Lead with what a visitor gets, then the time limit or the next step.
3. Count characters. Use the character counter so the text fits in 170 characters before you paste it.
4. Save and allow time. Apple says changes may take up to 24 hours to appear on the App Store, so do not time a launch to the minute.
5. Log the date and the text. Keep a simple table of what ran when. Without it you cannot connect a change in downloads to the message.
6. Reset on schedule. Put an end date in your calendar. A sale line that stays up after the sale ends looks careless.

Rotate among message types so the field never goes stale. A third type, an accolade, belongs here only when you have a real one.

Apple recommends putting an accolade at the end of the description or in the promotional text. Never invent one.

Both examples are far below the 170-character limit. The remaining space is a reason to keep the text tight, not to fill it.

Seasonal messages need a calendar too; see seasonal App Store keywords for lead times.

If you localize, each language needs its own message. A sale in dollars means nothing to a visitor in Japan. Translate the idea, not the sentence, and drop a promotion that does not apply to that storefront. A mismatch between price shown and text is worse than a plain line.

• No ranking effect. Apple states promotional text does not affect search ranking.
• Not for other fields. Apple's guidance names the description as updatable with a new version. Do not assume other fields change without one; see the metadata limits tool.
• Custom product pages have their own promotional text. Each can carry different promotional text, screenshots and keywords, but they need App Review approval before they go live.

Pair the promo-text routine with release notes: see how to write What's New text. LocalASO can improve or rewrite promotional text per language and upload it to App Store Connect as a draft that you review there; it never submits an app for review. See the Optimize docs.