How to write a one-line description that says what your Mac app does
By Justinas Rolando, maker of MacPip
Name the job the app does and what it works on. Leave out words that could describe any app. If someone who has never seen it can say what it does after one read, the line works.
The line under your app's name does one job. Someone scrolling past has to know what your app is, so they can decide whether to look closer. They haven't heard of you, and they won't work it out for you.
This is my opinion, not research. MacPip is new, so I have no conversion numbers to show you, and I'd be wary of anyone quoting precise ones for a sentence.
Name the job
A good line usually has two parts: a verb or a thing, and what it works on.
| Instead of (made up) | Try (made up) | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Supercharge your workflow | Saves your clipboard history | It says what happens |
| The ultimate writing experience | A Markdown editor for long documents | It names the kind of app |
| Your screen, reimagined | Records your screen and zooms on each click | A stranger could guess the feature |
| Productivity, simplified | Turns a messy Downloads folder into sorted folders | It names what it works on |
Those examples are invented to show the shape. Real ones are at the bottom of this post.
Cut what could describe anyone
Try this test: could your line sit under a competitor's app, or an app in another category, and still be true? "Powerful, seamless and easy to use" fits nearly everything, so it tells a reader nothing.
Words worth a second look:
- Hype: supercharge, seamless, powerful, ultimate, next-gen, game-changing.
- Claims: best, fastest, number one. One line has no room for proof.
- Vague nouns: workflow, solution, platform, experience. Fine beside something specific, empty on their own.
The one-line checker looks for these for you, in your browser. It shows what is left after the hype is gone, which is often the useful part. It can't tell whether a line is good, so the last test is still a person.
Make it fit where it goes
On MacPip the one-line field holds 90 characters. The Mac App Store is tighter, with a subtitle of up to 30 characters, so you may want a short version too. The name sits right next to the line in most listings, so you rarely need to repeat it. "Mac" is useful on general sites like Product Hunt, and you can often spend those characters elsewhere on a Mac-only directory.
Test it on one person
Show the line to someone who doesn't know your app, then hide it. Ask them what the app does. If they guess the job, you're done. If they say "something for productivity?", you know what to fix. It takes a minute, and it tells you more than any checker, ours included.
Where the line goes next
Use the same line everywhere so people recognize it: your site's title, your MacPip listing, your launch posts and the App Store. The launch post helper puts it into drafts for X and Reddit, and the landing page grader shows whether your page title and description carry it. How to submit a Mac app lists what else to have ready. To see lines in context, browse a category such as productivity or screen recording.
Real listings to look at
These lines come live from real listings that a person has checked. Notice how each one tells you what the app does before it says anything about how good it is.
TalkYA teleprompter that keeps your script next to the camera on your Mac.Meetings and Presenting, checked October 30, 2026
VocenaLive captions and translation for any sound on your MacDictation and Transcription, checked November 1, 2026
ScootchOne keyboard and mouse for every computer on your desk, Mac included.Keyboard and Mouse, checked October 30, 2026
TuningMacA system-wide equalizer and per-app volume mixer in your Mac menu bar.Audio and Video, checked October 30, 2026
Sources
Keep reading
- How to launch a Mac app: a checklist that fits on one pageWhat to do before, on and after launch day for a Mac app: signing, your page, directories, Product Hunt, Show HN and what to measure.
- Signing and notarization, in plain words, for people making their first Mac appWhat code signing, notarization and stapling each do, in what order, what your users see without them, and how to check your own build.
- What a dofollow link is honestly worth, from a site that offers oneWhat dofollow means, what Google says about links, why a link from a new directory is worth little today, and what to do instead of buying links.