Screenshot Tips Proven to Convert: Live Product Page Teardown

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Warming Up and Why Screenshots Matter So Much

Ariel welcomes everyone to the live stream and sets the stage:

Screenshots have become dramatically more important with the upcoming release of iOS 26. As of today, you can attach screenshots (via custom product pages) directly to keywords in App Store Connect. That just landed, and it changes how much screenshots can influence both conversion and discovery.

Ariel received far more app submissions than could possibly fit into one stream (10–12x more), so this session focuses on a curated selection, with as much hands-on feedback as possible.

Before diving in, Ariel does the usual live tradition—asking viewers what’s in their cup and where they’re watching from. People chime in from the US, Canada, Lithuania, Ukraine, South Africa, Texas, Vancouver, Delaware, and more. Lots of coffee, tea, water, green tea. Ariel is in hot, sunny New York, drinking hot tea.

Once enough people have shuffled in, Ariel starts into the core topic: why screenshots matter and what makes them good.

Why You Should Care About Screenshots

Up until now, screenshots have been the most important thing for conversion.

Once someone lands on your App Store page (not App Store Connect), they have to quickly decide:

• Is this app for me?
• Should I download it?

There are so many apps and so many search results. Many of those results aren’t even relevant, but users don’t know that at first glance. The way they figure it out is through screenshots.

So the job of your screenshots is to tell the user:

“Yes, this is exactly what you want. It’s precise. It’s perfect. You should download this right now.”

And they have about 8 seconds to do that.

You can spend a ton of time and money on ASO or Apple Search Ads, but if your screenshots don’t convert, you’re wasting that effort. That is the big reason Ariel has been talking all year about improving product pages and screenshots.

The New iOS 26 Changes: Custom Product Pages + Screenshot Reading

Then Apple dropped some big updates:

1. Custom Product Pages attached to keywords
   You can now create additional sets of screenshots and attach them to specific keywords.

   It’s not as flexible as Ariel initially hoped, and it’s not as easy as it sounds, but it does mean:

   • Specific searches can see specific screenshot sets.
   • You can aim screenshots at specific audiences instead of just a single generic audience.

2. Apple reads your screenshots for keywords
   Apple will:

   • Read the text in your screenshots
   • Extract keywords
   • Use those keywords to rank your app

   This is, according to Ariel, the biggest change, and Apple didn’t announce it. Ariel discovered it independently, and some people still don’t believe this is real. Ariel expects they’ll be proven wrong over the next few months.

So now, screenshots matter for:

• Conversion – convincing users to download
• Discovery – giving Apple’s algorithm more keywords it can associate with your app

What Makes a Good Screenshot?

A “good” screenshot now needs two core things, simultaneously:

1. Keywords for the algorithm
   Include the keywords you want Apple to see so it can:

   • Understand what your app does
   • Match you to relevant searches

2. Clear conversion power for humans
   It must quickly tell a user:

   • “Yes, we have what you want.”
   • And do that in a way that’s visually clear and compelling.

You want alignment between:

• The user seeing what they want
• The algorithm seeing the right keywords and thinking, “Yes, this app has what the user wants.”

That’s the framework Ariel uses while doing the live teardown.

Live Q&A: Early Questions

Before diving into actual apps, Ariel checks the chat for screenshot-related questions.

Q: Does adding tablet screenshots to Google Play help ASO if I don’t really target tablets?

Ariel:

• No, not really.
• On both Google Play and the App Store, you don’t want to show what you don’t actually have.
• On Google Play specifically, if you mislead users into downloading your app (for example, by showing tablet UIs when your app isn’t really good on tablets), they might:
  • Download
  • Realize it’s not what they expected
  • Uninstall quickly
• Google interprets uninstalls as a strong negative signal: “Don’t rank this app.”
• On the App Store, you can’t really fake this anyway, but on Google Play, doing anything that tricks users will backfire. You’ll get “slapped so hard” by the algorithm.
• You’ll have to undo the change later, after already losing momentum. So it’s absolutely not worth it.

Q: In which categories do preview videos give more positive results?

Ariel:

• There’s no master index by category, so no perfect categorical answer.

• Rule of thumb:

  • If your app has something highly expressive or visually exciting, or if you can excite users by showing the app (or something tangentially related), then a video can help.
  • For “professional, very nuanced, not-mass-market” apps, where users are looking for something very specific (“boolean” searches: does it have X, yes/no), they may not want to watch a video. They just want a screenshot that clearly shows the feature.

• Critical caveat: You cannot do video poorly.

  • A bad app preview video will hurt you.
  • Users expect polish because there are many beautifully designed apps.
  • Poor visual quality, layout, or pacing will be seen as a negative.

• So either:

  • Have a really good-looking, high-quality, exciting video
  • Or don’t have one at all

• Always test:

  • If competitors have good videos and are doing as well or better than you, you should at least try a video.

Teardown #1: AutoCaption – Video Subtitles App

App: AutoCaption – video subtitles

Ariel hasn’t seen these apps before, so this is a genuine first-pass reaction.

Initial Impressions

• The name already packs strong keywords: auto, caption, video, subtitles.
• First screenshot text: “Instant subtitles with AI”
  • Good font
  • Simple, effective colors
  • Shows the app in action with real people and vibrant visuals
• Overall, Ariel sees many positives.

What’s Working Well

Screenshots show:

• “Instant subtitles with AI”
• “Trending caption styles”
• “99 languages supported”
• “Social media optimized”
• “Create your own styles”
• “Adjust text and timing”
• “Tap to highlight words”

Ariel likes:

• The simple and clean style
• Vibrant imagery with people
• Clear feature callouts

Suggestions to Improve

1. Add a big number as social proof to Screenshot #1

   For example:

   • Number of ratings
   • Number of downloads
   • Number of captions created
   • Number of languages supported

   People like big, quantifiable numbers. It’s both social proof and a persuasive element.

2. Clarify “Trending caption styles”

   • “Trending caption styles” took Ariel a few seconds to interpret.
   • Rephrase to something clearer about what users actually get (e.g., lots of styles users love).

3. Shift from features to outcomes

   Right now, screenshots are heavily feature-oriented:

   • 99 languages supported
   • Social media optimized
   • Trending styles
   • Adjust timings, highlight words

   But users usually think in outcomes, like:

   • “Will my videos be more viral?”
   • “Will people be able to watch on mute and still follow?”

   Ariel recommends using the first 4–5 screenshots to highlight use cases / outcomes:

   • Make your videos more likely to go viral
   • Let people watch on mute and still understand everything
   • Make your content stand out on social platforms

   Then, follow with feature-oriented screenshots for those who swipe.

4. Rethink how you present “99 languages”

   • “99 languages supported” doesn’t reassure a user that their one language works.
   • Better: show a few major languages explicitly (e.g., English, Spanish, German) and then say “+96 more” or similar.

5. Leverage custom product pages (CPPs)

   • Create CPPs around specific use cases / audiences (e.g., social video creators, influencers, different languages or platforms).
   • Tailor screenshot messaging per CPP to these segments.

Overall verdict: visually strong set; main opportunity is shifting from feature bullet points to outcome-first messaging and adding social proof.

Teardown #2: Keeper – Tax Filing & Expenses

App: Keeper – Tax Filing and Expenses, powered by AI

Initial Impressions

Screenshots show:

• “File complex taxes confidently”
• “100,000+ happy customers”
• “Powered by AI”
• “AI finds every deduction”
• “Expert reviewed returns”
• “Get instant answers”
• “Stay organized year-round”

There’s also a video preview, but Ariel focuses on screenshots.

What Feels Off

1. “File complex taxes confidently”

   This headline confuses Ariel:

   • How many people actually think of their need as “complex taxes”?
   • Many people just think “do my taxes and save me money,” not “my taxes are complex.”

   Also, if users come through generic tax-related keywords, they may not resonate with the “complex” framing.

2. Social proof is too small

   • “100,000+ happy customers” is great, but it’s visually small.
   • That number deserves much more prominence.

3. AI vs expert reviewed

   • There’s emphasis on “powered by AI” and then suddenly “Expert reviewed returns.”
   • That’s actually reassuring (AI + human review), but it just appears flatly without context.

What’s Working

• Simple and direct visuals
• Easy-to-understand benefit callouts
• Strong social proof deeper in the sequence:
  • 20,000+ reviews
  • 4.8 stars
  • Featured by Apple and Forbes

Recommendations

1. Refocus the first screenshot on the core benefit

   Instead of “File complex taxes confidently,” Ariel suggests highlighting:

   • Saving money via deductions
   • Doing taxes easily and correctly

   For example:

   • “AI finds every deduction” could be elevated into the first screenshot with stronger benefit framing.

2. Blow up the social proof

   • Move “100,000+ happy customers” and the 20,000+ reviews / 4.8 stars / “Featured by Apple” to the very front.
   • People care a lot about trust for money-related apps.

3. Lean into what’s unique vs TurboTax and others

   Ariel quickly checks competitors like TurboTax:

   • TurboTax leans heavily on “expert help” and “file with confidence.”
   • Keeper uses AI as a differentiator.

   Ariel’s view:

   • Don’t just copy the “confidence/complex” narrative.
   • Use what Keeper does differently (AI-driven deduction finding, modern UX, etc.) and highlight those.

4. Use custom product pages for niches

   For example:

   • Create a CPP for small service businesses (e.g., lawn care businesses, electricians, plumbers).
   • Screenshots show scenario-specific expenses/deductions relevant to them.
   • Attach those CPPs to niche keywords around those professions.

Conclusion: visually clean and strong, but the main opportunity is to shift first-screen messaging to savings and trust, and surface social proof immediately.

Teardown #3: Otter – Transcribe Voice Notes

App: Otter – transcribe voice notes (record & transcribe live notes, etc.)

Initial Impressions

First screenshot text:

• “Record and transcribe live notes, voice memos, lectures, online meetings”

Design:

• Clean layout
• Nice fonts and colors
• Small logos for Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams—subtle but recognizable for some users.

The “Cardinal Sin” Screenshot

One of the early screenshots shows two iPhones side by side, with:

• A voice memo
• “All hands” meeting notes
• Lots of small text and UI detail

Ariel calls this a “totally useless screenshot” from a conversion standpoint:

• A user has to squint to understand it.
• It’s unclear what benefit is being shown.
• It’s very UI-heavy and words are small.
• For Apple’s screenshot keyword reading, there are no strong, clear keywords, and the text is angled.

This might be tolerable as a later screenshot, but having something like this early is a lost opportunity.

Features vs Outcomes Again

Other screenshots show:

• “AI chat for quick answers”
• “Collaborate, share, and export”
• “Record in English, Spanish, and French”
• A strong last screenshot: “Transcribe meetings, lectures, notes, and more” with icons/logos.

Ariel likes:

• The idea of AI chat for transcripts
• The multi-language callout
• The final screenshot that clearly sums up use cases (meetings, lectures, notes, etc.)

But:

• “AI chat for quick answers” is half-feature, half-benefit: not specific enough.
• The strongest explanation of what the app does is buried at the end.

Recommendations

1. Make “Transcribe meetings, lectures, notes, and more” the first screenshot

   • It instantly explains the core value.
   • Combine this with social proof (ratings, downloads, etc.).

2. Clarify AI chat benefit

   • Instead of “AI chat for quick answers,” say something outcome-based, like:
     • “Ask your recordings questions and get instant answers”
     • “Summarize and query your meetings with AI chat”

3. Reduce or move the busy double-iPhone screenshot

   • Move it later or drop it.
   • Focus the first few slots on clarity and benefits.

4. Keyword alignment and duplication issues

   Ariel checks a relevant keyword: “voice notes.”

   • It has a popularity of 36.
   • Otter ranks well but has a critical issue: duplication like “AI note” / “voice notes” repeated.

   Ariel’s advice:

   • Remove duplicated words in the app name / subtitle region.
   • Use a variety of related terms (voice notes, transcription, transcribe, etc.) across screenshots.
   • Include those terms in large, readable text that Apple can pick up.

5. Learn from more cluttered competitors

   Ariel shows an example competitor with busier screenshots:

   • Lots of crammed text
   • Full-device UIs
   • Small fonts and little padding

   Compared side-by-side, Otter’s cleaner design is actually a big strength. The goal is to keep that cleanliness while improving the ordering and messaging of screenshots.

Teardown #4: Breezy (Brazy) – Weather App with AI

App: Breezy (spelled in a stylized way), a weather app branding itself with AI.

Initial Impressions

Screenshots include messaging like:

• “Weather reimagined”
• “Ask Breezy anything”
• “Share stickers with friends”
• “Weather radar”
• “Explore your weather feed”
• “Earn XP. Level up. Don’t break your Breezy streak.”
• “Historical weather trends”
• “How sweaty will you feel?”
• “Activity ratings for any weather”
• Tomorrow’s weather view

Ariel’s reaction evolves:

• Starts off skeptical
• Ends up liking a couple of very specific benefit-oriented ideas

Problems & Opportunities

1. “Weather reimagined” is vague

   • This phrase doesn’t tell users how it’s reimagined.
   • It’s not a keyword anyone searches.
   • Users already have a decent weather app built in; they need a real reason to switch, not a slogan.

2. “Ask Breezy anything” is unclear

   • Anything about what? Weather-specific questions? Completely general questions?
   • If the idea is “use natural language instead of reading charts,” explicitly say that.

3. Odd or unclear features for weather context

   • “Share stickers with friends” feels random in the weather context.
   • “Weather feed” is not commonly understood; users don’t know why they need it.
   • “Earn XP / level up / don’t break your Breezy streak” is intriguing but not explained.

   If these are meaningful gamification features, they must be explained in terms of why a user should care.

4. Too many screenshots that don’t anchor benefits

   • There are fun ideas, but not enough immediate, “Oh, I need this” value props.

What’s Really Good

Two particular screenshots shine:

• “How sweaty will you feel?”
  • This is a pure benefit. It translates humidity, temperature, and weather data into a direct human experience.
• “Activity ratings for any weather”
  • This tells you whether certain activities are good or bad under tomorrow’s conditions.

These are exactly the sort of outcome-focused value props that can differentiate a weather app.

Recommendations

1. Promote the benefit-focused screenshots to the front

   • Move “How sweaty will you feel?” and “Activity ratings for any weather” near the first or second position.

2. Replace vague slogans with specific outcomes

   • Instead of “Weather reimagined,” say something concrete like:
     • “Know exactly how the weather will feel on your skin.”
     • Or “Get activity suggestions tailored to tomorrow’s weather.”

3. Clarify the conversational AI angle

   • If users can just ask questions like “Will it be good running weather at 6 PM?” then say that.

4. Explain or trim gamification features

   • If you keep streaks and XP, explain the benefit.
   • If you can’t explain the user payoff quickly, consider moving that feature deeper in the screenshot order or reframing it.

5. Contrast question from chat: text legibility vs AI reading

   A viewer asks about needing more text contrast while avoiding outlines/shadows that hurt AI reading.

   Ariel’s answer:

   • The main issue for Apple’s OCR/AI is when it can’t clearly tell where a letter ends and background begins.
   • Slight shadows are okay; heavy glow/blur blending into the background is not.
   • In Breezy’s case, some gradients are borderline on contrast, but likely still readable.
   • If you want to be safe:
     • Make backgrounds behind text slightly darker
     • Use higher-contrast text colors
     • Avoid complex glows that obscure text edges

Teardown #5: Firefly – Home Fitness Trainer

App: Firefly – Daily mobility and workout coach (home fitness trainer)

There’s a video and multiple screenshots.

What the App Appears to Do

Based on the visuals and video:

• The app tracks your form in real time while you exercise.
• It compares your body position to a stick-figure or model representation.
• It gives you feedback on whether your form is correct.

Ariel finds this really cool and personally wants to download it because good form helps prevent injuries.

Screenshot Issues

Screenshots feature:

• Poses (e.g., “Warrior 2”)
• Colored stick figures
• Various timers and overlays
• Phrases like:
  • “Improve your form and mobility in real time”
  • “Control your coach’s difficulty level”
  • “Review your analyzed performance”
  • “Share your best moments with friends”
  • “Unlock your next workout with proper form”
  • “Keep your routine or workout in check”
  • “Customize your workout plan”

But:

• There’s too much going on visually:

  • Multiple colors
  • Large timers
  • Real person photos plus stick-figure overlays
  • Many UI elements at once

• For a new user:

  • It’s not instantly obvious what’s happening.
  • Only someone already familiar with form-tracking apps might infer it quickly.

Recommendations

1. Lead with the one killer benefit: real-time form correction

   • First screenshot should show something like:
     • “Get real-time feedback on your form so you don’t injure yourself.”
   • Pair that with a very clear, minimal visual:
     • A simple person silhouette and a stick-figure overlay
     • Minimal UI, no clutter

2. Reduce visual noise

   • Remove extra timers and controls from the first screenshot.
   • Keep only what’s needed to communicate how the app helps.

3. Borrow layout principles from earlier, cleaner examples

   • The apps Ariel liked earlier (AutoCaption, Keeper, Otter) used:
     • Large main headline
     • Simple backdrop
     • One or two supporting visual cues

   Apply that structure here.

4. Positioning vs crowded fitness category

   Ariel checks keywords like “home fitness” and “home workout” and sees extremely high competition with many big players and thousands of reviews.

   • Firefly needs a clear niche: e.g., “form-correcting fitness coach,” or “avoid injuries with AI-powered form tracking.”
   • Consider focusing on keywords like “fitness coach,” “form correction,” etc., and building screenshots around that narrative.

Bottom line: the app seems uniquely valuable, but the screenshots don’t yet make that uniqueness obvious in the first one or two glances.

Teardown #6: XSVPN – USA VPN (Fast & Safe)

App: XSVPN – likely a VPN service targeting USA and global servers, labeled with “fast and safe,” “V2ray proxy tunnel,” etc.

Name and Keyword Clutter

Title/subtitle example:

• “XSVPN USA opened and connect US. Fast and safe. V2ray proxy tunnel.”

Ariel’s reaction:

• There are too many keywords crammed together:
  • USA
  • US
  • open
  • connect
  • fast / safe
  • proxy
  • tunnel
  • V2ray

This makes it harder for Apple’s algorithm to understand the core focus. Some of these should be moved into localizations or supporting fields, not all jammed into the main visible name.

Screenshot Content

Screenshots include:

• “XVPN – for speed, privacy, and unlimited freedom”
• “One tap to connect instantly anywhere”
• “Unlock apps and games with low latency”
• “Stream content from anywhere in full speed”
• “Fast, stable, secure”
• “Unlimited access to all websites and apps”
• “Use unlimited Internet calls”
• “Choose from global servers in 100+ locations”
• “Connect smarter with AI-driven VPN” (AI boost)
• “Stay secure now and always”

Ariel notes:

• Some messaging is quite good and benefit-driven:
  • One-tap connect
  • Unlock apps/games
  • Stream content from anywhere
  • Unlimited calls
• Social proof is missing or underused.

There’s also a stylized “VPN” text where the N is visually altered by a glass effect. That may hurt OCR.

Recommendations

1. Focus the name on the strongest keyword combination

   • For example, “VPN USA” has a solid popularity score.
   • Clean up the title so that Apple clearly sees: VPN + USA / US.
   • Move some secondary buzzwords (V2ray, tunnel) into description or localizations.

2. Make social proof visible early

   • Users choosing among many VPNs look for reassurance:
     • Ratings
     • Download count
     • Trust badges (if any)

   Put this in the first screenshot.

3. Repeat “VPN” clearly in readable text

   • Don’t only rely on a stylized logo where OCR might misread the letters.
   • Use plain, high-contrast text “VPN” in multiple screenshots.

4. Highlight benefits clearly and simply

   • “Unlock apps and games with low latency” is a perfect benefit screenshot.
   • “Stream content from anywhere in full speed” is also strong.

   Keep those, but:

   • Reduce visual clutter
   • Avoid overly busy compositions of maps, multiple devices, gradients, and labels on top of each other.

5. Be cautious with “AI-driven VPN”

   • A viewer (and Ariel) are not clear how exactly AI is involved here.
   • If AI meaningfully optimizes routes, speeds, or server selection, explain it briefly.
   • Otherwise, using “AI” might not help and could just throw you into higher-priced “AI” keyword territory without a real differentiation.

Overall, for VPNs specifically, screenshots are largely about:

• Making benefits instantly clear
• Showing enough trust and simplicity
• Having the right keywords appear in large, legible text

General Screenshot & Keyword Strategy Takeaways

Across all the teardowns, Ariel keeps returning to a few core principles:

1. Lead with Benefits, Not Just Features

Users mostly care about:

• “Will this help me achieve my outcome?”

Examples:

• Captions → more viral videos / watch on mute
• Tax app → save money, avoid errors, get peace of mind
• Transcription → capture meetings and lectures, recall info, query conversations
• Weather → how will it feel, can I do my planned activity, what should I wear
• Fitness → improve form and avoid injury
• VPN → access blocked content, stay safe, stream smoothly

Features (99 languages, AI chat, V2ray, etc.) matter after the user believes the app can help them.

2. Put Social Proof Up Front

If you have:

• Tens or hundreds of thousands of users
• High rating averages
• Press mentions
• Featured-by-Apple badges

Those should be large and visible in the first or second screenshot. Don’t bury them.

3. Align Screenshot Text with Keywords

Because Apple now reads screenshots:

• Use large, clear text for your core search terms.
• Avoid tiny, UI-only text that doesn’t help the algorithm.
• Don’t rely on fancy styles that obscure letter shapes.

Also:

• Use variations of key terms across screenshots where it makes sense.
• Remove obvious duplications in the app name and subtitle to avoid wasting keyword slots.

4. Simplicity Wins

Screenshots that try to show too much UI at once:

• Are harder to parse quickly
• Don’t communicate benefits well
• Are often worse for both users and Apple’s OCR

Instead:

• One strong headline per screenshot
• One clear visual focus
• Enough whitespace and padding for comfort

5. Use Custom Product Pages Strategically

With CPPs tied to keywords, you can:

• Create niche-specific pages aimed at:
  • Certain professions
  • Certain use cases
  • Certain regions or languages

Then:

• Attach those CPPs via App Store Connect to relevant keywords.
• Give each niche a tailored experience with more relevant screenshots and messaging.

Quick Q&A Highlights at the End

Q: Can Apple interpret long-tail keywords if they’re split across multiple lines of text in screenshots?

Ariel:

• Likely yes.
• Apple probably reads all text it can see, then extracts tokens/phrases from that.
• The bigger issue is tiny or overly dense text, which the system may treat as in-app UI (and thus ignore), rather than marketing text.
• Always prioritize human readability: two-line phrases are fine as long as they’re easily glanceable.

Q: App tags on the App Store?

Ariel:

• Didn’t cover them here.
• Will talk about them in a future session.

Q: Using CPP for organic searches?

Ariel:

• This is now available (as of today or yesterday) in App Store Connect.
• Apple appears to reduce some flexibility vs what Ariel initially imagined.
• Looks like Apple will have some predefined structures for mapping keywords to CPPs, rather than completely free-form.
• Ariel plans to create a dedicated video walking through the best way to use this once it’s fully tested.

Q: Tagline first, then app name – any benefit?

Ariel:

• Yes, and this was Ariel’s idea many years ago.
• In left-to-right languages, Apple’s algorithm reads left to right.
• Keywords on the left have more weight.
• Your brand name is usually unique; it doesn’t need as much algorithmic emphasis.
• Putting the generic or competitive keywords first, and the brand name later, tends to work well.

Q: Multi-sport app – should I stuff all sports in the main screenshots if I plan to use CPPs later?

A viewer mentions sports like basketball, soccer, football, hockey, etc.

Ariel:

• You can include multiple sports, but do it tastefully.
• If you have many use cases (e.g., 15+ sports), focus your main page on:
  • The top few (3–5) most used
  • Or the ones you know get the most traction
• CPPs can then serve narrower segments.

Closing

Ariel wraps up the live teardown emphasizing:

• This session focused heavily on screenshots because of how central they are to both conversion and discovery in iOS 26.
• Future sessions will cover additional topics (including app tags, deeper CPP strategies, etc.).
• For further questions, Ariel asks viewers to leave comments (not chat messages), since comments persist and can be answered later.

That’s the end of this live session. Ariel will be back in a few weeks with a new topic, and more screenshot tear-downs will come after iOS 26 is fully out and more data on CPP + keyword coupling becomes available.

✨ This transcript was generated and enhanced by AI and may differ from the original video.