OpenHunts Platform Help
Helps the user with OpenHunts platform questions — from submitting a product and understanding the weekly launch cycle through premium tiers, backlink strategy, and community engagement.
Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
- What do you need help with?
- A) Launching a product — submitting, writing a listing - B) Getting a backlink — understanding free vs paid backlink conditions - C) Premium/Highlight tiers — evaluating paid options - D) Comparing OpenHunts with other launch directories - E) Something else — describe it
- What stage is your product?
- A) Idea stage — haven't built anything yet - B) MVP / prototype — working but early - C) Launched — live product with users - D) Growing — looking for more visibility
- What's your goal?
- A) First users and feedback - B) SEO backlinks (DR50 dofollow) - C) Long-term discovery via weekly rankings - D) All of the above
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 specialized skill, route:
- Launch strategy across multiple directories →
/sales-launch-directory - Product launch strategy and funnels →
/sales-funnel - Email list building / audience growth →
/sales-audience-growth - Email marketing to subscribers →
/sales-email-marketing - Landing page / checkout optimization →
/sales-checkout - Open Launch-specific questions →
/sales-openlaunch - Firsto-specific questions →
/sales-firsto - CtrlAlt.cc-specific questions →
/sales-ctrlaltcc - ProductBurst-specific questions →
/sales-productburst - MicroLaunch-specific questions →
/sales-microlaunch - LaunchingNext-specific questions →
/sales-launchingnext - SoloPush-specific questions →
/sales-solopush - SideProjectors buy/sell questions →
/sales-sideprojectors - Huzzler-specific questions →
/sales-huzzler
Otherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge below.
Step 3 — OpenHunts platform 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.*
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
Submission checklist
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prepare your listing | Clear name, problem-focused description, screenshots | First impression + weekly ranking position |
| 2. Choose your tier | Free (patient), Premium ($9.90), or Highlight ($20) | Determines backlink guarantee and visibility |
| 3. Time your submission | Launches go live on Mondays | Coordinate your community push for Monday |
| 4. Rally your network | Share your OpenHunts listing on launch day | Early votes drive weekly ranking position |
| 5. Engage the community | Comment on other products, respond to feedback | Community engagement improves visibility |
| 6. Share externally | Post your listing link on Twitter, communities | External traffic drives ranking |
Which tier to choose
Free ($0) when:
- Budget is zero AND you can wait ~89 weeks (1.7 years)
- You're confident you can reach Top 3 weekly
- You want to submit and forget — it'll go live eventually
Premium ($9.90) when:
- You want a guaranteed dofollow backlink — no conditions
- You need to launch next Monday
- Best value for a guaranteed backlink among launch directories
Highlight ($20/week) when:
- You want maximum visibility — pinned at top of the page
- Guaranteed Twitter and newsletter shoutout matters for your launch
- You're coordinating a broader launch and want OpenHunts to be a high-impact moment
Multi-platform launch strategy
OpenHunts works best as one platform in a broader launch:
- SoloPush + ProductBurst — instant listings (Day 1)
- Huzzler Launch Arena — submit Monday for weekly competition
- Open Launch Premium ($12) — next-day launch with DR65 backlink (highest DR for the price)
- OpenHunts Premium ($9.90) — next-Monday launch with DR50 backlink + full week voting
- Firsto Premium ($19.90) — 24-hour launch with DR57+ backlink + permanent SEO page
- MicroLaunch — 30-day leaderboard cycle
- CtrlAlt.cc + LaunchingNext — curated directories (queue or pay to skip)
- Product Hunt — save for main launch event
Gotchas
*Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*
- ~89 week free queue is extremely long. This is one of the longest free queues of any launch directory — nearly 2 years. If timing matters at all, the $9.90 Premium is effectively mandatory.
- Free backlink requires Top 3. Regular free listings do not get a dofollow backlink. You must finish in the Top 3 weekly ranking to earn one.
- Weekly cycle means slower results. Your launch competes for a full week, which is good for accumulating votes but means you wait longer for your ranking result compared to daily-cycle platforms.
- DR 50 is mid-range. Higher than CtrlAlt.cc (DA30), ProductBurst (DR46), and SoloPush (DR46-47), but lower than Firsto (DR57), Open Launch (DR65), or Product Hunt (DR91).
- No public API. Everything is manual through the web interface.
- No SEO Growth/article option. Unlike Firsto ($149) and Open Launch ($59), OpenHunts doesn't offer editorial review articles for additional SEO value.
- Small platform. ~11K monthly visitors is modest. Don't expect significant direct traffic — the value is the backlink and category discovery.
- Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to
references/learnings.mdwith today's date.
Related skills
/sales-launch-directory— Launch strategy across multiple startup directories/sales-openlaunch— Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks)/sales-firsto— Firsto platform help (fair launch platform, sustained SEO discovery)/sales-huzzler— Huzzler platform help (founder community, weekly Launch Arena competition)/sales-ctrlaltcc— CtrlAlt.cc platform help (curated tool directory)/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-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: Launch a product on OpenHunts for a backlink
User says: "I want to launch my SaaS tool on OpenHunts to get a dofollow backlink" Skill does:
- Recommends Premium tier ($9.90) since free backlinks require Top 3 weekly finish
- Walks through submission checklist: name, description, screenshots
- Explains the weekly Monday launch cycle and how to time community push
- Compares $9.90 Premium value to Open Launch Premium ($12 for DR65) and Firsto Premium ($19.90 for DR57)
- Suggests submitting to both OpenHunts and Open Launch for two backlinks under $22 Result: Tier recommendation with cost comparison and multi-platform suggestion
Example 2: OpenHunts vs other directories — which to choose
User says: "Should I use OpenHunts or Open Launch or Firsto?" Skill does:
- Compares pricing: OpenHunts $9.90, Open Launch $12, Firsto $19.90
- Compares DR: Open Launch DR65 > Firsto DR57 > OpenHunts DR50
- Notes launch cycle differences: OpenHunts weekly, Open Launch daily, Firsto daily
- Highlights unique features: OpenHunts weekly voting window, Open Launch highest DR for cheapest price, Firsto SEO Growth articles
- Recommends using all three — total $42 for three guaranteed dofollow backlinks from three different domains Result: Clear comparison with recommendation to use all three for complementary backlink value
Example 3: Maximize visibility on OpenHunts
User says: "How do I get the most out of my OpenHunts launch?" Skill does:
- Recommends Highlight tier ($20) for pinned placement + guaranteed newsletter/Twitter shoutout
- Advises optimizing listing description with keywords for long-term category discovery
- Suggests timing network push for Monday when the weekly cycle resets
- Recommends engaging with other products in the community to build visibility
- Notes the founder leaderboard as a way to build presence through multiple product launches Result: Tactical launch plan for maximum OpenHunts visibility
Troubleshooting
Stuck in the ~89 week free queue
Symptom: Submitted for free weeks ago, product hasn't launched Cause: OpenHunts limits free launches to 20 slots/week. With ~89 weeks of backlog, free submissions wait nearly 2 years. Solution: Upgrade to Premium ($9.90) for next-Monday launch. This is one of the cheapest paid options across all directories. If budget is truly zero, use the wait time to submit to instant-listing platforms like SoloPush and ProductBurst where you'll go live immediately.
Free listing but no dofollow backlink
Symptom: Product is listed on OpenHunts but backlink check shows nofollow Cause: Free-tier dofollow backlinks require finishing in the Top 3 weekly ranking. Regular free listings get nofollow links. Solution: If the backlink matters, upgrade to Premium ($9.90) for guaranteed dofollow. Or submit to directories with automatic dofollow backlinks: ProductBurst (DR46), SoloPush (DR46-47), LaunchingNext (DR51).
Not getting votes or engagement
Symptom: Product launched but has few votes after several days Cause: OpenHunts is a smaller platform (~11K monthly visitors). Organic discovery alone may not generate significant engagement. Solution: Actively share your OpenHunts listing URL on Twitter, relevant communities, and with your network. Engage with other products on OpenHunts (comment, vote) to build reciprocal visibility. Consider the Highlight tier ($20) for guaranteed social/newsletter promotion. Set realistic expectations — most value comes from the backlink, not direct traffic.