How to pitch Apple for App Store featuring (and the mistakes that get you ignored)

A feature on the App Store's Today tab or in a themed collection can bring more installs in a week than a quarter of ads. It costs nothing. And despite what developers tell each other, it is not luck. It is editorial: a human reads pitches and chooses. Here is how to write one they will read.

What the editorial team wants

A story they can tell. "An app that tells bedtime stories in a parent's own voice, built by a small studio" is a story. "AI story generator with premium features" is a listing. They are also looking for apps that use the platform well: recent iOS capabilities, good accessibility, native design, localization.

The pitch

• What it is, in one sentence. The same sentence as your subtitle, if your subtitle is good.
• Why now. A launch, a major update, a seasonal moment, a new platform feature you adopted.
• Who it is for, specifically. Parents of children under eight. People who keep a few quiet minutes before sleep. Regulars of a coffee shop.
• What makes it different. One thing, stated plainly.
• Who you are. A small studio with a point of view is interesting. Say so briefly.

Timing

Submit the featuring request through App Store Connect weeks before the date you care about, not the day of. Editorial plans ahead. If a new iOS version is coming and your app adopts one of its headline capabilities, say so; apps that showcase the platform at launch are exactly what the team is assembling.

Assets

Have the artwork ready in the formats the featuring guidelines ask for, with your icon and key visuals in high resolution. A pitch that cannot be acted on because the assets are missing is a pitch that gets skipped.

What gets you ignored

• A feature list instead of a story.
• A store page with weak screenshots or a low rating. Editorial looks at the page before the pitch.
• Pitching the same thing every week.
• Dark patterns in the paywall. The team notices.

Featuring is not a growth strategy on its own, because you cannot schedule it. It is an outcome of building something worth featuring and then telling the right people, properly.