Startup Directory Launch Strategy
Helps the user plan and execute a coordinated launch across multiple startup directories and discovery platforms — choosing which to submit to, in what order, and how to optimize each listing for maximum visibility, backlinks, and early users.
Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
- What are you launching?
- A) SaaS / software tool - B) Mobile app - C) API / developer tool - D) No-code / low-code tool - E) Physical product or service - F) Something else — describe it
- What stage is your product?
- A) Idea / concept — no working product yet - B) MVP / prototype — functional but early - C) Launched — live with some users - D) Growing — looking for more distribution
- What's your primary goal?
- A) First users and feedback - B) SEO backlinks - C) Community visibility and social proof - D) All of the above
- What's your budget for paid listings?
- A) $0 — free submissions only - B) Under $50 — can afford one or two paid options - C) $100-500 — willing to invest in expedited/featured placements - D) Budget is flexible — optimize for results
- Any timing constraints?
- A) ASAP — want listings live as fast as possible - B) Coordinating with a specific launch date - C) No rush — steady rollout over weeks/months
If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
If the request maps to a single platform, route:
- Open Launch-specific questions →
/sales-openlaunch - CtrlAlt.cc-specific questions →
/sales-ctrlaltcc - MicroLaunch-specific questions →
/sales-microlaunch - LaunchingNext-specific questions →
/sales-launchingnext - ProductBurst-specific questions →
/sales-productburst - SoloPush-specific questions →
/sales-solopush - SideProjectors-specific questions →
/sales-sideprojectors - Huzzler-specific questions →
/sales-huzzler - Firsto-specific questions →
/sales-firsto - OpenHunts-specific questions →
/sales-openhunts - Tiny Startups-specific questions →
/sales-tinystartups - DevHunt-specific questions →
/sales-devhunt - TinyLaunch-specific questions →
/sales-tinylaunch - Uneed-specific questions →
/sales-uneed - Fazier-specific questions →
/sales-fazier - Peerlist-specific questions →
/sales-peerlist - Awesome Indie-specific questions →
/sales-awesomeindie - LaunchDay-specific questions →
/sales-launchday - Super Launch-specific questions →
/sales-superlaunch - JustGotFound-specific questions →
/sales-justgotfound - Altern-specific questions →
/sales-altern - StartupBase-specific questions →
/sales-startupbase - Startup Stash-specific questions →
/sales-startupstash - PitchWall-specific questions →
/sales-pitchwall - Futurepedia-specific questions →
/sales-futurepedia - TAAFT-specific questions →
/sales-theresanaiforthat - TopAI.tools-specific questions →
/sales-topai - BetaList-specific questions →
/sales-betalist - LaunchCaster-specific questions →
/sales-launchcaster - SaaSHunt-specific questions →
/sales-saashunt - Resource.fyi-specific questions →
/sales-resourcefyi - LaunchVibe-specific questions →
/sales-launchvibe - Indie Hackers-specific questions →
/sales-indiehackers - Product Hunt-specific questions →
/sales-producthunt - Email marketing to subscribers →
/sales-email-marketing - Landing page optimization →
/sales-checkout - Audience growth strategy →
/sales-audience-growth - Managed directory submission service →
/sales-getmorebacklinks
Otherwise, answer directly from the directory knowledge below.
Step 3 — Directory reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for detailed module documentation, pricing, integrations, and data model.
*You no longer need the platform guide details — focus on the user's specific situation.*
Gotchas
*Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*
- Pricing changes. All prices listed are best-effort snapshots. MicroLaunch Pro, LaunchingNext expedited, CtrlAlt.cc paid launch, and BetaList pricing may change. Verify before purchasing.
- DR/DA numbers fluctuate. Domain ratings change over time. The rankings above are directionally correct but exact numbers may shift.
- Product Hunt is not a directory. It's a launch event. Don't treat it like the others — it requires separate preparation, community building, and timing strategy.
- "Dofollow" claims vary. Some directories report dofollow but individual listings may vary. Always verify after your listing goes live by inspecting the HTML.
- Editorial queues are unpredictable. "Up to 2 months" is a documented worst case, not a guarantee. Some platforms review faster, some slower.
- Small platforms have small traffic. Most directories in this list have modest traffic (5K-25K/mo). Set realistic expectations — directory submissions are a long-term SEO play, not an overnight traffic source.
- Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to
references/learnings.mdwith today's date.
Before recommending a specific platform skill
This skill covers a strategy domain across many platforms. Before pointing the user to any specific platform skill (any /sales-{platform} listed in ## Related skills, e.g., /sales-mailshake, /sales-klaviyo, /sales-apollo), read that platform skill's actual SKILL.md first. The 1-line description in ## Related skills is enough to *identify* a candidate — it's not enough to *commit* to it or to write a prompt that invokes it well.
How to read it:
- If
~/.claude/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.mdexists locally,Readit. - For
sales-*skills,WebFetchdirectly from this repo:https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sales-skills/sales/main/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md— e.g., forsales-mailshake:https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sales-skills/sales/main/skills/sales-mailshake/SKILL.md. - For non-
sales-*skills (third-party), look up{org}/{repo}in~/.claude/skills/sales-do/references/skill-sources.mdif installed and fetch the sameskills/{skill-name}/SKILL.mdpath under that repo.
After reading, ground your recommendation in something concrete from the SKILL.md (its scope, a sub-flow, its argument-hint shape, or a "Do NOT use for..." negative trigger). Align any generated invocation with the platform skill's argument-hint. If the platform skill turns out not to fit the user's situation, swap to another or handle the question here directly rather than recommending a poor fit.
Related skills
/sales-openlaunch— Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks)/sales-ctrlaltcc— CtrlAlt.cc platform help/sales-productburst— ProductBurst platform help (daily/weekly rankings, badges)/sales-microlaunch— MicroLaunch platform help (30-day leaderboard, deals marketplace)/sales-launchingnext— LaunchingNext platform help (curated startup directory)/sales-solopush— SoloPush platform help (indie maker community, no-pressure launch)/sales-sideprojectors— SideProjectors platform help (buy/sell side projects)/sales-huzzler— Huzzler platform help (founder community, weekly Launch Arena competition)/sales-firsto— Firsto platform help (fair launch platform, sustained SEO discovery, Open Launch fork)/sales-openhunts— OpenHunts platform help (weekly launch cycle, DR50 backlinks)/sales-awesomeindie— Awesome Indie platform help (curated indie directory, free submission)/sales-launchday— LaunchDay platform help (24-hour launch events, podcast, influencer promo, $99)/sales-superlaunch— Super Launch platform help (7-day front page, DR59 dofollow for paid, Top 50 leaderboard)/sales-justgotfound— JustGotFound platform help (community-curated PH alternative, DR23 dofollow, free instant listing)/sales-tinystartups— Tiny Startups platform help (curated directory + newsletter, DR50 dofollow, 17,500+ subscribers)/sales-devhunt— DevHunt platform help (developer tool launch platform, DR57-62 dofollow, GitHub-authenticated voting)/sales-tinylaunch— TinyLaunch platform help (weekly launch platform, DR60-71 dofollow for Top 3 or $39 Premium)/sales-uneed— Uneed platform help (social launchpad with daily voting, DR74 dofollow, 64K+ makers, newsletter 15K subs)/sales-fazier— Fazier platform help (product discovery for indie makers, DR81 dofollow, free with badge or $19+ paid)/sales-indiehackers— Indie Hackers platform help (largest founder community, DR75 nofollow, 165K+ entrepreneurs, ~24% trial conversion)/sales-producthunt— Product Hunt platform help (largest launch platform, DR91 dofollow, 5M+ visits/mo, 2026 algorithm)/sales-peerlist— Peerlist platform help (professional network for tech builders, weekly Launchpad, DR76 nofollow, 203K+ users)/sales-altern— Altern platform help (AI tools directory, 10,000+ tools, dofollow backlinks, newsletter)/sales-startupbase— StartupBase platform help (community startup directory, DR39 dofollow, 2-3 month queue, tech startups only)/sales-startupstash— Startup Stash platform help (largest curated tool directory, DR65 nofollow, 10K+ tools, 200+ categories)/sales-pitchwall— PitchWall platform help (AI product discovery, DR60, 65K+ products, 45K+ newsletter subscribers)/sales-theresanaiforthat— TAAFT platform help (#1 AI directory, 42,000+ tools, 3-4M visits/mo, DR76 dofollow, $347 listing, $300 first-launch PPC bonus)/sales-topai— TopAI.tools platform help (curated AI directory, 2,700+ tools, ~1-1.9M visits/mo, $39 Fast Track, $229 Boosted)/sales-futurepedia— Futurepedia platform help (largest AI directory, 5,700+ tools, ~2M visits/mo, $497 Verified, YouTube 2M+ subs)/sales-betalist— BetaList platform help (pre-launch directory, DR67 dofollow, 15K+ startups, $129 Priority skip)/sales-launchcaster— LaunchCaster platform help (Web3 project discovery on Farcaster, free, wallet-connected voting)/sales-saashunt— SaaSHunt platform help (AI-powered B2B SaaS directory, DR49 dofollow, free template-based submission)/sales-resourcefyi— Resource.fyi platform help (curated dev/designer tools directory, 2,519+ resources, 25+ categories, community upvoting)/sales-launchvibe— LaunchVibe platform help (daily launches, XP gamification, DR10 dofollow, 1,000+ founders)/sales-getmorebacklinks— GetMoreBacklinks managed directory submission service ($87-$247, 50-200 directories submitted for you)/sales-funnel— Build and optimize sales funnels for conversion/sales-audience-growth— Grow your email list and subscriber base/sales-checkout— Optimize landing pages and checkout for conversion/sales-do— Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do
Examples
Example 1: Plan a full multi-directory launch
User says: "I built a no-code analytics tool and want to launch it across as many directories as possible to get backlinks and early users" Skill does:
- Recommends Phase 1 instant listings: SoloPush, ProductBurst, Indie Hackers (live in hours)
- Suggests Phase 2 paid fast-track if budget allows: MicroLaunch Pro ($39), CtrlAlt.cc ($39), LaunchingNext ($99)
- Submits to all free editorial queues on Day 1 for long-tail backlinks
- Plans Product Hunt launch for Week 3 after refining listing based on feedback
- Sets up UTM tracking for each platform to measure which drives conversions Result: 10+ directory submissions with staggered timing, 7+ dofollow backlinks, and clear measurement plan
Example 2: Maximize backlinks on zero budget
User says: "I have no budget but want to get as many SEO backlinks from startup directories as possible" Skill does:
- Lists all free-submission directories sorted by backlink strength
- Starts with instant listings (SoloPush, ProductBurst) for immediate backlinks
- Submits to all free editorial queues (CtrlAlt.cc, MicroLaunch, LaunchingNext, SideProjectors)
- Recommends Show HN for high-DR free dofollow backlinks and Indie Hackers for community engagement (nofollow but highest conversion)
- Sets up Google Search Console to track when backlinks are indexed Result: 8+ dofollow backlinks from free submissions, staggered over 1-3 months
Example 3: Choose between directories for a specific product type
User says: "I built a Shopify app — which startup directories should I prioritize?" Skill does:
- Prioritizes directories where e-commerce/Shopify tools get the most traction
- Recommends ProductBurst and CtrlAlt.cc (both have strong tool/SaaS categories)
- Suggests MicroLaunch for the deals marketplace (Shopify merchants love lifetime deals)
- Adds Shopify App Store as the primary channel (not covered by this skill but critical)
- Plans Product Hunt launch timed with a Shopify app update or milestone Result: Platform-specific priority list with rationale for each recommendation
Troubleshooting
Submitted to many directories but getting no traffic
Symptom: Listed on 5+ directories but referral traffic is negligible Cause: Most startup directories have modest traffic (5K-25K/mo). Individual referrals may be single-digit daily visitors. The value is cumulative backlinks and long-tail discovery, not immediate traffic spikes. Solution: Shift expectations — directory submissions are an SEO play (backlinks compound over months) and social proof play (listed on X directories), not a traffic acquisition strategy. For traffic, pair with Reddit, Hacker News Show HN, and Product Hunt. Use /sales-audience-growth for high-traffic acquisition channels.
Not sure which directories to prioritize
Symptom: Overwhelmed by the number of options, limited time Cause: There are 50+ startup directories. Submitting to all of them is time-consuming and most have diminishing returns. Solution: Start with the 7 directories in the first-party skills list — they cover the range of backlink strength and models. Submit to instant-listing platforms first (takes 10 minutes each), then queue the editorial ones. If you have time for more, check the third-party platforms table. Prioritize by backlink strength and relevance to your product category.
Listings going live at random times, ruining coordinated launch
Symptom: Wanted a coordinated launch but editorial queues approved at unpredictable times Cause: Free editorial queues (CtrlAlt.cc, MicroLaunch, LaunchingNext) don't guarantee timing. Your listing may go live weeks before or after you planned. Solution: Only coordinate timing on platforms you control: instant-listing platforms (SoloPush, ProductBurst) and paid fast-track options. Treat free editorial submissions as "bonus" listings that will go live eventually. Don't plan your Product Hunt launch around when editorial queues approve you — those are independent.