Edit

Share via

Write a great app description for MSI/EXE app

  • Article

A great description can make your app stand out in the Microsoft Store and help encourage customers to download it. The description you enter when submitting your app is displayed in your app's Store listing. The first few lines may also be displayed in search results and algorithm lists in the Store.

Here are some tips for making your app's description the best it can be.

  • Grab attention in the first few sentences. The beginning of your description is the most important, so make sure it grabs and holds attention. Start with the value prop: why should potential customers take the time and money to get your app? What is the benefit to choosing your app over another? In one or two sentences, using plain and clear language, explain your app's unique appeal and why someone would want it.

  • Make it easy to learn about your app. After your initial hook, describe additional benefits, in-app purchase opportunities, and other details about your app that customers will want to know. Make sure you include any disclosures or information that you are required to provide under the law in the markets where you are distributing your app.

  • Use lists and short paragraphs. Potential customers may just take a quick glance at your app's description. Breaking up the content by using short paragraphs and lists makes it easier to scan.

    Note

     Adding a list of product features can also help to quickly show what your app does. This list appears directly below the app description.

  • Avoid dry language. Write your description using engaging language. Be sure the wording clearly describes what your app does, but say it in a way that doesn't sound boring. For many apps, a casual and friendly tone works well.

  • Use a length that is just right. A good description reads quickly, but also includes enough info to get the reader interested and explain what the app does. A complex app will need more sentences to describe it; a simple app may need only a few. In most cases the right length is somewhere over 200 words, but well under 3000.

  • Be clear about free trials and add-ons. If you offer a free trial of your app, be sure to explain how that trial works, so that customers understand which features are limited. It's also a good idea to mention what types of add-ons are available, particularly if they have significant impacts on your app's functionality.

  • Use standard capitalization and punctuation. Descriptions in all caps, or those that have unusual punctuation, can be hard to read.

  • Don't forget to check the spelling and grammar. A description with lots of misspelled words or mangled sentences doesn't reflect well on the quality of your app. Be sure to review your description (or have someone else take a look) to check for errors.

  • Don't include links or info that belongs elsewhere. URLs that you enter in the description field won't be clickable, so don't try to add links for things like your privacy policy or support website. Instead, add these in the designated areas of the Properties page of your submission.

  • Don't use HTML tags. HTML or other code will not be rendered. Your description needs to be plain text only.

  • Get ideas by reviewing descriptions of similar apps in the Store. Take a look at how other developers describe their apps. This also helps you figure out what you can emphasize that is different about your app.