Content Length Guide for Every Platform.
The optimal character counts, word counts, and lengths for social media, SEO, email, and ads — all in one place.
Download the reference guide
5-page PDF with every platform's limits and optimal lengths.
Social media.
| Platform / format | Max | Optimal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| X / Twitter post | 280 | 71–100 | Highest engagement 71–100 |
| X / Twitter thread | n × 280 | 200–250 each | Leaves room for quotes |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | 1,200–1,600 | First 2–3 lines show only |
| LinkedIn article | 110,000 | 500–1,000 words | Long-form, embeddable |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | 138–150 | First line visible in feed |
| Instagram Reels | 2,200 | 100–150 | Caption below video |
| Facebook post | 63,206 | 40–80 | Short posts get 86% more eng. |
| TikTok caption | 2,200 | 100–150 | Front-load keyword |
| YouTube title | 100 | 60–70 | First 60 show in mobile |
| YouTube description | 5,000 | 200–300 (top) | First 120 chars in results |
| Pinterest title | 100 | 20–30 | Pin card is small |
| Pinterest description | 500 | 100–200 | Keywords help discovery |
| Threads | 500 | 100–200 | Meta-owned, keyword-heavy |
| Bluesky | 300 | 100–200 | Similar to early Twitter |
SEO & search.
| Field | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meta title | 50–60 chars | Under 580px — use Google preview tool |
| Meta description | 120–155 chars | Mobile truncates at 120 |
| URL slug | 3–5 words | Lowercase, hyphens, no stop words |
| H1 heading | 20–70 chars | One per page; match search intent |
| Image alt text | 80–125 chars | Descriptive, context-aware |
| OpenGraph title | 55–70 chars | Used on social share cards |
| OpenGraph description | 55–200 chars | First 80 chars visible on most apps |
| Anchor text | 2–6 words | Descriptive, not "click here" |
Writing a slug? See our SEO Slug Best Practices guide — ten rules plus a printable cheat sheet.
Email marketing.
| Element | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | 28–50 chars | Mobile shows ~30 chars |
| Preview / preheader | 40–90 chars | Appears next to subject line |
| Newsletter body | 200–500 words | Scannable, one idea per section |
| Promotional email | 50–125 words | One CTA, keep it tight |
| Cold outreach | 50–75 words | Personalised, ask for one thing |
| Transactional | 50–100 words | Receipt, confirmation — minimal |
| CTA button text | 2–5 words | Action verb + outcome |
| Sender name | 15–20 chars | Person or brand, not "noreply" |
Advertising copy.
| Ad element | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search headline | 25–30 chars | Max 30; you get 3 headlines |
| Google Search description | 80–90 chars | Max 90; you get 2 descriptions |
| Google Display headline | 20–25 chars | Small ad slots |
| Facebook/IG primary text | 40–80 chars | 125 max before "see more" |
| Facebook ad headline | 25–40 chars | 40 max |
| LinkedIn Sponsored | 100–150 chars | 150 before truncation |
| YouTube ad overlay | 20–30 chars | Small overlay — short text |
Messaging & SMS.
| Channel | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMS single segment | 120–140 chars | 160 max (GSM-7), 70 if emoji |
| SMS with link | 90–100 chars | URL + CTA together |
| Push notification iOS | 40–70 chars | 178 max, 40 in lock preview |
| Push notification Android | 40–65 chars | 240 max, ~65 on lock |
| 100–300 chars | Personal — keep conversational | |
| Slack | 1–3 sentences | Thread longer responses |
Universal rules.
- Front-load the important words. Every platform truncates somewhere — the first 30–60 characters do the heavy lifting.
- Mobile is the default. Two-thirds of social and email traffic is mobile. Design for the small screen first, desktop second.
- Shorter usually wins. On X, 100 characters gets more engagement than 280. On LinkedIn, a tight post beats a meandering one. When in doubt, cut.
- Measure, don’t guess. Optimal lengths shift by audience and niche. Your account’s own data beats any benchmark table.
- Character ≠ word count. “280 characters” is roughly 40–60 English words, not 280 words. When a platform gives a character limit, measure characters.
- Emoji count as characters. Most emoji are 2 UTF-16 units, so a 280-char tweet with 20 emoji has only ~240 characters of text left.
Take it with you
Every platform's character limits in one printable 5-page PDF.
Check your character count instantly
Paste your post, caption, or headline to see if it fits the platform’s limits.
Frequently asked.
Short answers to the questions creators ask us most.
What is the character limit for X (Twitter)?
280 characters per post. However, posts between 71–100 characters tend to get the highest engagement. If you're writing a thread, keep each tweet at 200–250 characters to leave room for quote-tweets and conversation.
How long should a meta description be?
Between 120–155 characters. Google displays about 155 characters on desktop and 120 on mobile before truncating. Include your primary keyword and a compelling reason to click.
What's the optimal length for an email subject line?
Between 28–50 characters. Mobile email clients show only about 30 characters, so front-load the most important words. Subject lines with 6–10 words tend to have the highest open rates.
How many characters is a LinkedIn post?
LinkedIn allows up to 3,000 characters, but the optimal length is 1,200–1,600 characters. Only the first 2–3 lines show before the "see more" button, so put your hook at the very beginning.
Does character count include spaces?
It depends on the platform. X (Twitter), Instagram, and most social networks count spaces as characters. For SEO elements like meta titles, Google measures pixel width rather than character count, but 50–60 characters is a safe guideline.
How do I check my character count quickly?
Use WordInstant's free Character Counter at wordinstant.com/character-counter. Paste your text and see real-time character, word, and sentence counts. It runs entirely in your browser — no sign-up needed.