Most Marketplace listings are filled in once and never looked at again. Here’s how to write one that helps the right buyers choose you, and the mistakes we find again and again when we review them.
In September 2025, Microsoft merged AppSource and Azure Marketplace into a single Microsoft Marketplace. It now holds tens of thousands of solutions, including more than 3,000 AI apps and agents.
That’s a lot of competition for your listing. And buyers have good reasons to shop there. A Forrester study, commissioned by Microsoft, found Marketplace customers cut the effort per purchase by half.
Yet most listings we read were written by whoever had time when the product went live. The developers built it, someone filled in the form, and everyone moved on to the next release.
Microsoft has noticed. In 2026 it launched App Advisor, a free AI tool that gives partners feedback on their listings. Run it. Then work through the points below, which cover what a tool can’t see.
1. Know exactly who you’re writing for
“Global teams” or “organisations of every size” sounds inclusive. It gives nobody a reason to stop scrolling.
Name the people most likely to evaluate your product. For an intranet tool, that might be the SharePoint intranet owner, the internal communications team and the content editors who publish updates. When they see their own job described, they know the listing is meant for them.
2. Lead with the outcome, then show how it works
Open with what changes for your buyer. Then walk them through what using your product looks like.
One listing we reviewed promised “one-click translation”. That’s a good start. It became much stronger once it showed the steps: choose your languages, translate the page, review it and publish when you’re ready. Buyers could picture it fitting into their working day.
If you use numbers, use ones you can prove. A customer result with a name attached will do more for you than a big percentage nobody can check.
3. Use your buyers’ words
Keywords matter, but stuffing a listing with them makes it harder to read and does little for you.
Think about the phrases your buyers type when they have the problem you solve. For that translation tool, “SharePoint page translation” and “multilingual intranet” are far more useful than “intelligent automation”.
Microsoft’s own sellers search Marketplace too, so use the terms they’d use to find a solution for their customer. Then test your choices. If you have access to Marketplace Insights, check which terms bring visitors who go on to enquire.
4. Make your screenshots tell a story
Many galleries are a row of screens with captions that say what each one is, and nothing more.
Use your gallery to show the buyer’s journey through the product, with one step or benefit per image. Write captions that explain why it matters. Use current screenshots, and check the important details can still be read at thumbnail size, because that’s how most buyers will first see them.
5. Answer the security and setup questions before they’re asked
For many products, the question that stops a trial is practical. Where is our data processed? What do we need to set up in Azure? Who controls the keys?
If your product has good answers, make them easy to find. A short, plain-English technical and privacy guide linked from your listing can do more for you than another paragraph of benefits.
6. Make your listing and website agree
This is the mistake we find most often. One listing claimed support for more than 100 languages, while the product page said 50. Another company had a useful glossary feature explained on its website and missing from its listing.
Buyers check your website to validate what they’ve read. If the two disagree, you’ve given them a reason to doubt both. Read them side by side, fix any differences, and bring your best features into the listing.
7. Be specific about your AI
With thousands of AI apps and agents listed, “AI-powered” tells a buyer very little. Say what the AI does, which Microsoft technology it’s built on (Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Foundry or Azure AI services, for example), and what stays under the user’s control.
Then show it working. A short video or a customer story will do more than a list of capabilities.
8. Give Microsoft’s sellers and other partners something to repeat
Your listing also needs to work for the resellers, distributors and Microsoft sellers who could recommend you. Keep your description of the product consistent everywhere, and give them a one-pager or a few short lines they can reuse in their own conversations.
9. Keep your listing alive
A listing is a page in your marketing, and it needs the same care as the rest. Link to it from your website, blog and social profiles. Add new customer stories as you get them. Review it at least every quarter, or whenever your product changes.
Track what happens after each change. Impressions and clicks are useful, but the number that matters is qualified demo and trial enquiries.
Want a second pair of eyes on your listing?
We’ll review your Microsoft Marketplace listing alongside your website and supporting content, then tell you what’s working, what’s missing and what we’d change first. One listing, one fixed price, with a walkthrough call and a second look once your changes are live.
Questions we get asked
We’re not transactable yet. Is our listing still worth the effort?
Yes. Buyers and Microsoft’s sellers use your listing to check who you are, whether or not they can buy through it. A clear listing gives them a reason to contact you. It also gives you a head start if you become transactable later.
Can we use Copilot to write our listing?
It can help you draft and tidy. But it doesn’t know your buyers, your product’s limits or what your customers say about you, so the result tends to sound like everyone else’s. Use it on a draft that already contains your real detail, then check every claim.
Who should own our listing internally?
Someone who understands both the product and the buyer. That’s often a marketer working closely with a product manager. Give them time to talk to your developers and customer-facing staff, because the most useful detail usually sits with them.
Should our listing copy match our website word for word?
No. The facts, numbers and product names should match exactly. The writing can differ, because a listing has less space and a buyer reading it is often further along in deciding.
We’re an MSP with a consulting services listing. What’s different for us?
You’re selling expertise, so focus on the problems you solve, who you solve them for and what working with you looks like. Name the outcome of the engagement, what’s included and how long it takes. Link to customer stories wherever you can.
Why did Microsoft combine AppSource and Azure Marketplace?
To give customers one place to find, try and buy cloud and AI solutions, and to give partners a bigger audience. It also means you’re now competing with a much larger catalogue, so a vague listing is easier to overlook.
Related reading:
How to free up Microsoft Partner funding for case studies and marketing
Case study writing for Microsoft Partners
