Limits taken from the submit form

Launch write-ups get trimmed in different places depending on where you submit them. A line that fits one form can be cut off on another, and a long description can still be rejected when the form also asks for a minimum number of words. This page only lists tagline and description limits that come from the platform's submit form. Roundups, help articles, and guesses are not used.

Product Hunt's post form limits the tagline to 60 characters and the description to 260 characters. EarlyHunt, IndieHunt, MakerHunt, and Sidehunt each limit the short title to 100 characters on the public submit form. EarlyHunt, MakerHunt, and Sidehunt also limit the full description to 6,000 characters. IndieHunt's form does not set a character maximum on the full description. Aura++ and Uno Directory are not in the counter because those submit forms require sign-in, so their character caps are not shown here.

How the counts work

Character counts match a form maxlength check. Spaces, punctuation, and line breaks all count. The counter does not estimate how wide the line will look in a thumbnail or a search result. If you are over the cap, the message tells you how many characters to remove. The box does not stop you from typing past the limit, so you can see the overflow before you edit.

Word counts apply only where the submit form checks words. Tags are stripped, non-breaking spaces are treated as spaces, and the remaining text is split on whitespace. EarlyHunt requires 200 words and recommends 400. IndieHunt's description is optional; if you add one, the form requires 200 words and recommends 400. MakerHunt and Sidehunt require 400 words. A description under 6,000 characters can still fail those forms when the word count is short.

One draft, five forms

Write the short line for the tightest cap first. Product Hunt allows 60 characters, and the hunt forms allow 100. If the Product Hunt tagline is specific, the same sentence usually fits the short title on EarlyHunt, IndieHunt, MakerHunt, and Sidehunt. The description is the opposite problem: Product Hunt stops at 260 characters, while the hunt forms want a full page and, on most of them, hundreds of words. Keep a 260-character Product Hunt description, then expand it for the hunt forms instead of trying to shrink a long page down to 260 at the last minute.

On EarlyHunt, MakerHunt, and Sidehunt the 6,000-character description limit applies to the text the form submits. If that field stores HTML, the tags count toward 6,000 as well. The counter measures the characters in the box on this page. Check the form again after you paste, especially if the form adds formatting.

What a paid launch does not change

The short-title and description checks on EarlyHunt, IndieHunt, MakerHunt, and Sidehunt are the same for the free and premium options on the submit form. Premium on those forms is a one-time $19 launch. A Premium Launcher license is $300 per month for premium launches across the partner directories. It does not raise the character caps on those forms. Read the platform list for where the license works, and pricing for the subscription.

• Product Hunt: tagline 60 characters; description 260 characters.
• EarlyHunt: short title 100 characters; full description 6000 characters, 200 words minimum, 400 recommended.
• IndieHunt: short title 100 characters; full description no character maximum, 200 words minimum, 400 recommended.
• MakerHunt: short title 100 characters; full description 6000 characters, 400 words minimum.
• Sidehunt: short title 100 characters; full description 6000 characters, 400 words minimum.