Shipshot guide

How to Prepare Seasonal or Promotional App Store Screenshots

A seasonal or promotional screenshot set has a short-lived message and a long-lived product to represent. Change the parts that belong to the promotion, keep the underlying product story accurate, and preserve an evergreen version so the next release does not start from a temporary layout.

Define the promotion before designing

Write down the dates, audience, offer, and product experience the seasonal frame needs to show. Keep the message factual and tied to the submitted product. Do not use temporary urgency or an offer in a screenshot unless the release and listing actually support it.

  1. Name the seasonal product event or offer in plain language.
  2. Confirm which product screen demonstrates the promoted experience.
  3. Mark copy that must be removed when the promotion ends.

Keep the product story underneath

A seasonal treatment should not make every frame look like a poster. Use one or two frames to explain the timely message, then keep the remaining sequence focused on the product's durable jobs. This makes the set easier to review and easier to return to an evergreen version.

  1. Choose which frame needs the seasonal message.
  2. Leave durable product evidence in the other frames.
  3. Check that the first frame still explains what the app does.

Prepare locale and target variants together

Seasonal copy often changes line length, product names, and offer wording. Select each required language to translate missing editable captions with Qwen, then review every locale and selected Apple or Google target after the update.

  1. List the locales that need the seasonal message.
  2. Translate, edit, and review the changed caption in every required language.
  3. Inspect the target crop, line breaks, format, and transparency after the edit.

Keep an evergreen source version

Do not overwrite the only copy of the durable set with temporary promotion text. Keep the seasonal project or version labeled, preserve the evergreen source, and record which screens and captions changed. Export a ZIP for a manual store upload, or on Pro and Scale push the saved ZIP into the listing version.

  1. Duplicate the current editable project before making seasonal edits.
  2. Label temporary screens and captions so they can be removed later.
  3. Export the reviewed files manually and keep the evergreen source intact.

Review checklist

✓ The seasonal message is accurate for the submitted product and offer.✓ Durable product evidence remains in the set.✓ Every changed locale and target has been reviewed.✓ Temporary copy is labeled and an evergreen source is preserved.✓ The reviewed files are exported for a manual store handoff.

Questions to ask before handoff

Should every screenshot use the seasonal theme?

No. Use the theme where it helps explain the timely message, then keep the rest of the sequence focused on durable product use.

Does Shipshot automatically translate seasonal captions?

Yes, on Pro and Scale. Qwen translates missing editable seasonal captions for the selected language while preserving existing translations; review and edit every result before export.

What happens after the promotion ends?

Return to the preserved evergreen source, remove temporary copy, and review the complete set again before exporting the next version.

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