A good tagline says what the product is and who it's for in under 60 characters, in words a stranger understands on first read. Use the formula "what it is + for whom" or "what it does + the result", cut every adjective, and test it by showing it to someone for five seconds and asking what the product does.
What a tagline has to do
On a launch page, in a directory or in a search result, your tagline sits in a list next to thirty others. It has one job: let the right person recognise that this is for them, and let everyone else move on. It doesn't need to be clever, and clever usually costs clarity.
Three formulas that work
- What it is, for whom: "Invoicing for freelance designers".
- What it does and the result: "Turn meeting recordings into action items".
- The known thing, with your difference: "A spreadsheet that runs SQL".
Pick the one that carries your strongest point. If your audience is the selling point, use the first. If the outcome is, use the second. If people already know the category, use the third.
Good and bad, side by side
- Bad: "The future of productivity". Good: "A to-do list that plans your day for you".
- Bad: "AI-powered insights for modern teams". Good: "Weekly churn reports from your Stripe data".
- Bad: "Simple. Fast. Beautiful." Good: "Status pages you can set up in two minutes".
- Bad: "Revolutionising how developers work". Good: "Run GitHub Actions on your own machine".
The bad ones could describe a thousand products. The good ones could only describe one.
Keep it under 60 characters
Most launch platforms and directories limit the tagline to about 60 characters, and search results cut titles at a similar length. Write to that limit from the start so you aren't trimming a different version for every site. Keep a longer 160-character description alongside it for the fields that allow more.
Words to cut
- Adjectives that anyone could claim: simple, powerful, seamless, modern, next-generation.
- "AI-powered", unless AI is the thing the buyer is looking for. Say what it does instead.
- "Platform" and "solution". Name the actual thing: a calendar, an API, a browser extension.
- Your product's name. It's already shown next to the tagline.
How to test it
- Show the tagline alone to someone who doesn't know the product, for five seconds. Ask them what it does. If they can't say, rewrite.
- Write five versions and ask which product people would click in a list.
- Search the tagline. If competitors use nearly the same words, yours doesn't set you apart.
- Use the winner everywhere: home page, launch pages, directories, social bios. The same line in every place also helps search engines and AI assistants agree on what you are.
Once it's written, the rest of your listing follows from it. Our 7-day launch checklist covers what else to prepare.
Put your tagline to work
Launch on IndieLaunch for free and see how your one line reads in a feed next to other products.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a product tagline be?
- Under 60 characters fits almost every launch platform and directory, and reads fully in search results. Shorter is fine if it still says what the product is.
- What is the difference between a tagline and a slogan?
- A tagline describes the product so a stranger understands it. A slogan is a brand line for people who already know you. A new product needs the tagline first.
- Should my tagline include keywords?
- It should include the plain name of what you are, such as invoicing, status page or CRM. That is the keyword. Stuffing in extra search terms makes it harder to read and doesn't help.