App Store Featuring Nomination: How to Submit a Strong Pitch

An App Store featuring nomination is a pitch you submit to Apple’s Editorial team through App Store Connect for an app launch, significant enhancement, or new content. Choose the matching nomination type, describe what is changing and why it matters, set the planned publish window, add relevant platforms and regions, attach proof, then submit the nomination for consideration.

Submitting doesn’t guarantee a feature. Apple says there is no requirements checklist that guarantees selection, and its editors consider factors such as user experience, design, innovation, uniqueness, accessibility, localization, and the App Store product page.

This guide turns Apple’s form into an evidence-first workflow: decide whether the release is worth nominating, prepare a compact brief, submit it early enough, and keep every claim tied to something the Editorial team can inspect.

What an App Store featuring nomination does

Featuring Nominations give Apple advance context about an upcoming moment in your app or game. Apple’s current nomination instructions support three types:

• New Content: New content, offers, or events inside an existing app or game
• App Enhancements: New features, functionality, or another significant update
• App Launch: A new app or game launch, including a pre-order

The nomination is not an App Review submission, a request to expedite review, or a reservation for editorial placement. It doesn’t replace the app version, metadata, screenshots, In-App Event, or pre-order configuration in App Store Connect.

Treat it as a sourced editorial brief. Your release remains the evidence behind the story.

Check three gates before you write the nomination

A nomination takes time to prepare, but not every update produces a useful pitch. Check these gates first.

1. Is there a specific upcoming moment?

Name one event the nomination is about:

• A first launch or pre-order
• A substantial feature or redesign
• A meaningful expansion to another Apple platform
• New content, an offer, or an In-App Event
• A timely story connected to the app, its users, or its developer

“We update the app regularly” isn’t a moment. “Version 3.0 adds an offline field guide before the autumn hiking season” gives Apple a change, audience, and time frame to evaluate.

If you’re still coordinating the whole release, complete an iOS app launch checklist before turning the plan into an editorial pitch.

2. Will the evidence be ready on the planned date?

List what supports the nomination:

• A TestFlight public link, if external testing is appropriate
• A product or press page
• A short demo or documentation page
• Art assets that show the actual experience
• A published or approved In-App Event
• Current localized product-page materials

Apple allows up to five supplemental URLs and explicitly includes documents, files, art assets, and TestFlight public links as examples. A link should help an editor verify the story, not send them through an unexplained folder.

3. Does the App Store product page tell the same story?

Check the app name, subtitle, description, screenshots, previews, localizations, and support links against the nominated release. Apple identifies the product page as one of its featuring considerations.

You don’t need to rewrite every field for the pitch. Fix the contradictions instead. If the nomination leads with a new iPad workflow while the screenshots only show iPhone, decide whether the product page will be updated before the proposed date. Use the App Store metadata management workflow to keep those changes tied to the release.

If one of these gates fails, postpone the nomination or narrow its scope. A smaller, verifiable story is stronger than a broad pitch built around unfinished work.

Choose the nomination type from the release, not the headline

Pick the type that describes the underlying App Store event:

Release situation	Nomination type	What to emphasize
A new app will become available for the first time	App Launch	Audience, core experience, launch timing, supported platforms
An existing app adds a substantial capability or redesign	App Enhancements	What changed, who benefits, why the update is significant
An app adds a season, challenge, offer, or other timely material	New Content	Content, availability window, participation, relevant In-App Event
A pre-order leads to a first public release	App Launch	Pre-order context, launch date, complete launch experience
A routine maintenance update fixes minor defects	Usually no nomination	Keep the release accurate; don’t manufacture an editorial angle

The last row is an important filter. A featuring nomination is not another mandatory submission field. If you can’t explain the user-facing significance without inflating the release, skip it.

For a pre-order, keep the nomination brief separate from the operational steps in the App Store pre-order guide. The nomination describes the launch to Editorial; App Store Connect still controls the pre-order and release.

Build a reverse timeline

Apple’s public guidance uses two related timing recommendations. Its Getting Featured overview asks for at least two weeks’ notice and recommends nominating up to three months ahead for wider consideration. The App Store Connect nomination instructions and CSV reference recommend a minimum lead time of three weeks.

Use three weeks as the practical floor, not a guaranteed deadline. Submit earlier when the date, story, and evidence are stable.

8–12 weeks before the planned date
- Decide whether the release has a nomination-worthy moment
- Choose the nomination type
- Identify platforms, regions, and localizations
- List missing evidence and product-page work

4–6 weeks before
- Confirm release scope
- Draft the nomination brief
- Prepare supplemental links
- Check TestFlight, In-App Event, and pre-order dependencies

At least 3 weeks before
- Verify every claim against the current build and release plan
- Confirm the publish date or range
- Submit the nomination

After submission
- Update permitted details if the plan changes
- Keep the release, links, and contact information current
- Prepare promotional assets only if Apple requests them

That schedule prevents a common mismatch: sending an ambitious pitch early, then quietly cutting the feature that justified it.

Write an evidence-first nomination brief

Draft outside the form first. The goal is not to produce polished marketing copy before the release is stable; it is to expose unsupported claims.

Use this working brief:

Nomination name:
Type: New Content | App Enhancements | App Launch
Planned publish date or range:

Audience:
Who is this release for?

Change:
What will be available that is not available today?

User value:
What can people do or understand because of the change?

Timing:
Why does this date or season matter?

Evidence:
- Build or TestFlight link:
- Product or documentation link:
- Visual or supporting material:

Platforms:
Countries or regions:
Localizations:
Related apps:
Related In-App Events:

Helpful details:
Accessibility:
Localization:
Developer or community story:
Other distinctive context:

Unresolved before submission:
- Claim:
- Owner:
- Verification date:

Keep the “Unresolved” section internal. Don’t move a claim into App Store Connect until its owner can verify it.

How to submit a single nomination in App Store Connect

Apple says the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, or Marketing role can create a nomination. With an eligible role:

1. Open Apps in App Store Connect and select the app.
2. Under Featuring, open Nominations.
3. Select the plus button, then Create Nomination. The first-use flow may show Get Started first.
4. Enter a memorable internal name.
5. Select New Content, App Enhancements, or App Launch.
6. Describe the upcoming change and its objective.
7. Choose a specific publish date or a custom date range. Apple bases this date on the device’s local time-zone setting.
8. Review the nomination and add relevant supporting information:
   • Up to ten related apps from the same developer account
   • Platforms
   • Countries or regions
   • Localizations
   • An approved or published In-App Event, when applicable
   • Up to five supplemental URLs
   • Helpful details such as accessibility, inclusivity, priority, or a distinctive app or team story
9. Save it as a draft if facts are still unresolved.
10. When the brief and release agree, choose Submit Nomination and confirm.
11. Verify the success banner and confirm that the nomination appears under Submitted.

Don’t count “the form is complete” as done. Record the submitted state and the evidence version you checked. That makes later release changes easier to audit.

Make each field earn its place

Apple’s bulk-import nominations template documents useful limits even when you’re creating one nomination in the interface: a 60-character nomination name, a 1,000-character description, up to five supplemental URLs, and a 500-character Helpful Details field.

Nomination name: make it recognizable

Use a short internal label that identifies the app moment:

Trail Ledger 3.0 — Offline Route Journals

Avoid a generic name such as “Big Update.” The name should still make sense when it appears beside older drafts and submitted nominations.

Description: lead with the concrete change

A useful order is:

1. What is launching or changing
2. Who it helps
3. What the experience lets them do
4. Why the timing matters
5. What supporting evidence is available

Don’t spend the opening on the company’s history if the release itself remains unclear. Avoid claims such as “best,” “revolutionary,” or “guaranteed to improve” unless the phrase is a verifiable fact, which it rarely is.

Helpful Details: add context, not leftovers

Use Helpful Details for information that changes how Editorial understands the app or team: an accessibility approach, meaningful localization, an inclusive design decision, or a distinctive developer story.

Don’t use it as an overflow field for a description that lacks focus.

Supplemental URLs: create a proof path

Order links by the question they answer:

1. What is the experience?      Product or release page
2. Can it be tried?             TestFlight public link
3. How does it work?            Short demo or documentation
4. What does it look like?      Focused art or media page
5. Why is the story credible?   Relevant background material

Open every URL in a signed-out browser before submission. Remove expired, permission-gated, unrelated, or contradictory material.

Worked example: turn release facts into a pitch

Imagine a fictional hiking journal is preparing version 3.0. The verified release scope includes offline route journals, VoiceOver improvements, and localized onboarding in two additional languages.

A weak description would be:

Our biggest update ever makes hiking better for everyone with an innovative new experience.

It doesn’t identify the experience, explain who benefits, or offer anything Apple can verify.

A stronger working draft would be:

Trail Ledger 3.0 adds offline route journals for hikers who document trips beyond reliable mobile coverage. People can prepare a journal before leaving, add notes and photos while offline, and sync it when a connection returns. The update also improves VoiceOver navigation across the journal flow and adds localized onboarding for [verified locales]. We plan to publish between [start date] and [end date]. A TestFlight public link and a short walkthrough are included in Supplemental Materials.

Before submission, the developer still needs to replace every bracketed item, verify that the described flow exists in the nominated build, and confirm that the linked walkthrough matches it. The draft is stronger because each sentence has an evidence check.

Run a final App Store featuring nomination checklist

Fit
- The nomination covers one specific upcoming moment
- The selected type matches the release
- The pitch doesn't exaggerate routine maintenance

Release
- Scope is stable enough to describe
- Planned date or range is realistic
- The nominated experience is in the verified build
- Product-page changes are scheduled

Editorial brief
- Audience, change, value, and timing are clear
- Claims are specific and supportable
- Helpful Details adds relevant context
- Platforms, regions, and localizations are accurate

Evidence
- Every supplemental URL opens without special access
- TestFlight or demo material matches the current release
- Visuals show the actual experience
- No private credentials or user data are exposed

Submission
- An eligible App Store Connect role owns the nomination
- The nomination is submitted with useful lead time
- The success state is verified under Submitted
- A follow-up owner will update the nomination if plans change

If the nominated feature is cut after submission, update the nomination rather than hoping the old description won’t matter. Apple allows submitted nominations to be edited, but the nomination type and related apps can’t be changed after submission.

What happens after submission

A submitted nomination appears in the Submitted section of the Featuring Nominations dashboard. Apple reviews it for potential opportunities, but submission doesn’t promise a response, placement, market, or date.

If Apple considers the app for featuring, team members with Admin, App Manager, or Marketing roles may receive a request for promotional assets. Apple’s guidance is to review its promotional artwork specifications and respond to the request; don’t assume supplemental nomination materials replace that later asset process.

Meanwhile, continue the normal release path. App Review, availability, metadata, and release timing remain separate App Store Connect workflows. Keep any reviewer-only instructions in App Review notes, not in the editorial nomination.

Where LaunchBuddy fits—and where it doesn’t

LaunchBuddy can keep the nomination’s preparation work with the app release:

• Add release tasks to draft the nomination, verify evidence links, review the product page, and meet the submit-by date
• Track the launch or enhancement as a named version
• Keep the same plan current across iPhone, iPad, and Mac through private iCloud sync
• Separate unfinished nomination work from later follow-up tasks

Release planning and taskboards are available on LaunchBuddy’s free plan, which supports up to two apps and two releases. A custom reusable checklist requires Pro; default App Store submission checklists are free.

LaunchBuddy doesn’t submit Featuring Nominations, choose editorial placements, prepare App Store promotional artwork, or guarantee selection. App Store Connect remains the place to create and submit the nomination. LaunchBuddy’s useful role is narrower: tracking the release tasks that keep the pitch, evidence, and deadline aligned.

Submit a story the release can prove

A strong nomination is not the most dramatic description you can fit into the form. It is a timely, specific story backed by an experience Apple can inspect.

Choose the correct type, work backward from the planned date, verify each claim, and make the supplemental links answer real editorial questions. If the release changes, update the nomination. If the update doesn’t justify a clear story, skip the pitch instead of inflating it.

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