For a Product Hunt launch you need a square thumbnail (240 × 240 px recommended, under 3 MB, GIF allowed), at least two gallery images at 1270 × 760 px, an optional YouTube video, a tagline of 60 characters or fewer, a short description and a first comment. Everything else is optional.
Below: every field on the submission form, what Product Hunt actually says about each, and how to make the visuals do their job.
The short answer
- Thumbnail: square, 240 × 240 px recommended, under 3 MB. Required. GIFs only animate on hover.
- Gallery: 1270 × 760 px recommended. At least 2 images, or the gallery won't show. Images and animated GIFs.
- Video: optional. YouTube links only, full URL, not set to private.
- Tagline: 60 characters or fewer.
- Description: 500 characters per the Launch Guide, 260 per the older help article. Write to 260 and you're safe either way.
- Launch tags: up to 3.
- First comment: optional on the form, but Product Hunt strongly recommends it.
Every field on the form
Product Hunt auto-saves your submission as a draft, so you can fill it in over a few days.
| Field | Spec | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| URL | Direct link to your product page or app store listing. No shortened links, no UTM tags | Yes |
| Name | The product name only. No description, no emoji unless it's part of the name | Yes |
| Tagline | Max 60 characters | Yes |
| Description | Max 500 characters (Launch Guide) or 260 (help article) | Yes |
| Launch tags | Up to 3 | Recommended |
| Thumbnail | Square, 240 × 240 px recommended, under 3 MB, GIF allowed | Yes |
| Gallery | 1270 × 760 px recommended, 2 or more images | Yes, at least 2 |
| Video | Full YouTube URL, not private | No |
| Interactive demo | Link from Arcade, Storylane, Hexus, Supademo, Layerpath or ScreenSpace | No |
| Makers | Co-makers added by their Product Hunt username | No |
| Shoutouts | Up to 3 tools you built with | No |
| Pricing | Free, paid, or paid with a free trial or plan | Choose one |
| Promo | Offer, code and expiry date (all three if you add one) | No |
| First comment | Your intro, posted with the launch | Strongly recommended |
You need a personal account to post. Company accounts can't hunt or post products.
The thumbnail
The thumbnail is the small square next to your name and tagline in the feed. It is a separate upload, not a crop of your first gallery image, whatever some guides say.
- Keep it square. Product Hunt recommends 240 × 240 px. Export at that size or a clean multiple of it.
- Stay under 3 MB. That applies to every image, animated or not.
- Design the first frame. GIFs don't autoplay. They animate only when someone hovers, so the first frame is what most people see. Make it your logo or mark, on its own, clearly.
- Keep motion calm. Product Hunt says GIFs with strobing, quick cuts or unreadable text aren't recommended and may be edited by its team.
- Don't count on the GIF. Product Hunt notes that fewer than a third of Product of the Day winners used an animated thumbnail. A crisp static mark is fine.
Gallery images
The gallery is the large carousel at the top of your launch page. This is where people decide whether to click through to your site.
- Size: 1270 × 760 px. That's roughly 5:3, wider than a phone and a little wider than 16:10. Export everything at the same size so the carousel doesn't jump.
- Count: at least 2. Product Hunt sets no published maximum. Some guides say 8; we couldn't confirm that in Product Hunt's docs, so check the form when you upload.
- Format: still images or animated GIFs. Keep each under 3 MB to be safe.
- Order: drag and drop after uploading. The first slot is what loads first on your page, so treat it as the cover.
What to put in them
- Slot one: the product, working. A real screen showing the moment your app pays off, with a short headline. Not a logo on a gradient.
- One idea per image after that. The core flow, then the two or three features people will ask about in the comments.
- Show mobile apps in landscape frames. A 9:16 phone screen inside a 1270 × 760 canvas leaves room for a headline beside it. Two or three phones side by side work too.
- Make text readable small. The gallery also shows on phones. If a caption needs zooming, cut it.
- No fake numbers. Ratings, user counts and "#1" claims you can't back up read badly to a crowd that checks.
If you already have store screenshots, reuse the screens, not the files. App Store and Google Play images are portrait; the gallery is landscape. Our guides to App Store screenshot sizes and Google Play screenshot sizes cover those sets.
The video
The video is optional. Product Hunt says about 53% of Product of the Day winners since 2021 included one, so it helps, but it isn't required.
- YouTube only. Paste the full youtube.com URL. Shortened links won't load.
- Not private. Product Hunt only says it must not be private, so public or unlisted both work. Upload it a few days early and test the link.
- Loom is fine as a source. Product Hunt suggests a quick Loom demo if you have no budget, but you still have to put it on YouTube to add it.
- Shoot it landscape. It plays inside the landscape gallery. A 16:9 cut fits; a 9:16 phone video will sit between black bars.
- Length: Product Hunt sets no limit. Short wins. Show the app in the first few seconds, and caption it, since plenty of people watch with the sound off.
If your launch video is vertical for TikTok, Reels or Shorts, you need a separate 16:9 edit for Product Hunt. Our guide to the app promo video covers how to structure one.
Tagline, description and tags
- Tagline (60 characters): say what the product does, plainly. Product Hunt's own example of a bad one is "The most ameozing app in the app store." The tagline is the main thing that gets a click from the homepage.
- Description: lead with who it's for and the problem it solves, then two or three features. The Launch Guide allows 500 characters, the help article 260. Keep the key sentence inside the first 260.
- Launch tags: pick up to 3 that strongly match. They decide which tag pages you appear on.
- Name: just the name. "Meow On-Demand App" is fine; "The best cat app" isn't.
The first comment
It appears right under your gallery. Product Hunt says 70% of products that reached Product of the Day, Week or Month had one from the maker. You write it during submission, so it's live the moment you launch.
Cover who you are, who the product is for, why you built it, any launch offer, and what feedback you want. Ask for feedback, not upvotes. Images, video and GIFs are allowed in comments too, so a short clip of a feature can go here.
Makers and timing
- Makers: add co-makers by Product Hunt username. Have them create accounts well before launch day so they can reply in the comments.
- Timing: the day runs on Pacific Time. Scheduling for 12:01 AM PT gives you the full 24 hours. You can schedule up to a month ahead.
- Launching again: Product Hunt allows relaunches after real updates, so a launch isn't a one-shot bet.
Featuring and upvotes
- Featuring is selective. Product Hunt says not everything can be featured on the homepage. It looks for products that are useful, novel, well crafted or creative. Unfeatured launches still appear in the All feed, under "See all of today's products".
- Launch when people can use it. Product Hunt doesn't feature waitlisted products unless they give immediate access. If your app is still behind a waitlist, launch here after it's in the stores.
- Don't ask for upvotes. Product Hunt says asking for or rewarding upvotes "may trigger the algorithm to drop the product in the ranks or remove it from the homepage entirely." Share the link and ask for feedback instead.
For everything around launch day, from store listings to posts, see the app launch checklist.
Get the video and posts made
We make app promo videos and launch posts from your real screens, in your brand. Plans include promo videos and social posts, plus covers on Starter and Launch Kit. A 16:9 cut for YouTube and your Product Hunt gallery is a $29 extra format if your plan's video is vertical. See samples of the style, and every kit starts with a free 10-second teaser.