IndieNeed is a small launch site for indie makers. Free listings are reviewed by a person before they go live.
As of November 7, 2026, the site had 702 products live, 112 scheduled and 54 rejected all-time. We haven't published an analysis of why each rejection happened, so this post doesn't guess. It sets out the rules a listing is checked against, which are public, and the practical check each one implies for any launch.
It must not deceive or harm. IndieNeed's content policy rules out malware, phishing, scams, products "designed to deceive or defraud", IP or privacy infringement, and hate or harassment. Practical check: your landing page should say plainly what the product does and what data it collects.
Regulated claims need care. Products in finance, health or security "must be described accurately and must not make unsupported claims." Practical check: remove any number or guarantee you can't show evidence for.
A relaunch needs a real change. A product can launch again for meaningful updates, but "repeated launches with no real change are not allowed." Practical check: before a relaunch, write one sentence on what's actually new.
Votes must be earned. Makers may tell their audience they launched, but "may not buy, trade, or incentivise votes"; attempts to game votes or reviews remove the launch from ranking. Practical check: share the launch without buying, trading or incentivising votes.
Be there on launch day. The guidelines ask makers to "be present to answer questions" and to keep the listing accurate. Practical check: block an hour after going live for replies.
Which of these do you find hardest to get right before a launch?
This post was drafted with AI assistance from IndieNeed's published policies and a database count, then checked against those sources. Sources: indieneed.com/legal/content-policy and indieneed.com/legal/launch-guidelines.
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