Introduction
As the mobile and application market continues to grow, the major app stores, App Store and Play Store also have continued to evolve. One of the major improvements these stores made was to provide developers with an option to self-merchandise. For the App Store, it was released as an “in-app event” while the Play Store launched “Promotional Content.” More about the App Store’s in-app event can be found in the previous article: “App Store In-App Events: Its Benefits and Effects to ASO“
This article, then, discusses Play Store’s promotional content, important guidelines about it, and why it is important from ASO perspective.
Contents
What is Promotional Content?
Google Play Store promotional content is a self-service merchandising unit that allows developers to feature fresh and timely content such as special offers, limited-time events, and major updates.
Where does it appear? Many areas in the Play Store such as the Apps or Games tab, the Events tab under the Games tab, search results, the store listing page, and in the case of offers, the special Offers tab in select geographies. For the limited-time events, Play Store provides the Events tab, but it is only available for games in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan, Türkiye, UK, and the US.
Promotional Content Guideline
Google provides a specific guideline for promotional content. It requires Tagline, Description, Primary image, and Square image, and video is highly recommended. The specific guide for each element is as follows:
- Tagline: It should be written in 80 characters
- Description: It should be written in 500 characters
- Primary image: 1920 x 1080 px, 16:9 ratio, JPT or 24-bit PNG form, and an image is required if a video is included, and critical visual elements should be centered
- Square image: 1080 x 1080 px, 1:1 ratio, JPT or 24-bit PNG form, and text should not be included in the image (exceptionally, third-party logos are allowed to indicate the collaboration)
- Video: Monetization should be turned off and set on public or unlisted.
- The promotional content should be available in the app, and it may cause the content to be removed for 30 days if it fails to comply with this guideline.
- Promotional content should be set at least 24 hours before the actual event begins, so Google Play can review it in time.
All promotional content has a maximum duration of four weeks, but each type has exceptions as follows:
- Offers: it can be set to have no end time when you would like to offer a standard offer for a type of user, say, a new user.
- Major updates: It has a set duration of 14 days and pre-registration announcements have a set duration of one week.
- Preview event: Every event by default is set to be a preview event, meaning you can show the events on Play Store before the event actually starts. Make sure to change the setting to a specific date you would like to release the event. (Offers cannot be shown prior to the start date.)
The Benefit of Promotional Content
Google addresses that promotional content drives 2% more 28-day active users and 4% higher revenue for developers using the feature than those that do not (Source: Play Store). Since Play Store does not charge you for using the promotional content, it is a free chance to acquire higher LTV users and make more profits.
Promotional Content’s Impact on ASO
- More chances to be viewed in the Play Store: Promotional content provides additional opportunities for your app or game to be seen by users. This content can appear in various tabs within the Play Store, such as the Apps or Games tabs, the Events tab (under the Games tab), or the Offers tab. This means your app can gain visibility in these specific sections of the store, beyond the standard store listings and search results. (Measure performance with promotional content reports)
- Easily manageable additional “first screenshot”: In ASO, the first screenshot of your app or game is a crucial part of your listing. Promotional content can serve as an additional or alternative first screenshot. This is particularly useful when your app is running seasonal offers, limited-time events, or major events. Instead of changing the primary screenshots of your app frequently to highlight these events, you can use the promotional content as the primary creative element to showcase them. This streamlines the process of creative optimization and can be more effective in drawing users’ attention to your app’s current offerings or events.
Conclusion
Promotional content is important because it can help you to acquire higher LTV users and make more profits. Not only that, it allows your app/games to appear more frequently in a more visible area in the Play Store, meaning it can boost impressions as well as downloads and engagements. That way, it eventually affects the organics of the app/games, leading to a more successful ASO and app growth. Indeed, no matter what industry you are in, promotional content can be a valuable tool for achieving your business goals. By investing in high-quality promotional content, you can reach more customers, grow your business, and build a stronger brand.
