skills/sales-firsto/SKILL.md
Firsto platform help — fair product launch platform for indie makers, devs, and startups with sustained SEO discovery. Covers free submission (5 slots/day, ~180-day queue, dofollow backlink for Top 3 only + badge required), Premium launch ($19.90 for 24-hour launch with guaranteed DR59+ dofollow backlink), Pro launch ($59.90 — 30-day homepage feature, mini review, star ratings in search), SEO Growth ($149 for 800-1200 word review article), daily 8:00 UTC launches, 72 categories, permanent SEO-optimized product pages, and alternatives pages. Use when you want your product listed on Firsto, wondering if the paid tiers are worth it for the backlink, not sure how long the free queue takes, or deciding between Firsto and Open Launch. Do NOT use for general launch strategy across multiple directories (use /sales-launch-directory), email marketing (use /sales-email-marketing), or audience growth (use /sales-audience-growth).
npx skillsauth add sales-skills/sales sales-firstoInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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Helps the user with Firsto platform questions — from submitting a product and understanding the tiered backlink system through premium launch options, SEO-optimized pages, and editorial reviews.
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
What do you need help with?
What stage is your product?
What's your goal?
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.
If the request maps to a specialized skill, route:
/sales-launch-directory/sales-funnel/sales-audience-growth/sales-email-marketing/sales-checkout/sales-openlaunch/sales-ctrlaltcc/sales-productburst/sales-microlaunch/sales-launchingnext/sales-solopush/sales-sideprojectors/sales-huzzlerOtherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge below.
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 | What to do | Why it matters | |---|---|---| | 1. Prepare your listing | Clear name, problem-focused description, screenshots | First impression + permanent SEO page | | 2. Choose your tier | Free (patient), Premium ($19.90), Pro ($59.90), or SEO Growth ($149) | Determines backlink guarantee and visibility | | 3. Optimize for SEO | Write description with keywords your product should rank for | Product page becomes a permanent search asset | | 4. Time your network | Launches happen at 8:00 UTC — coordinate supporters | Early engagement drives daily ranking | | 5. Display badge (free tier) | Add Firsto badge to your site if aiming for free backlink | Required for free-tier dofollow backlink | | 6. Share externally | Post your Firsto listing on Twitter, communities | External traffic drives rankings |
Free ($0) when:
Premium ($19.90) when:
Pro ($59.90) when:
SEO Growth ($149) when:
Private Review ($249) when:
Firsto works best as one platform in a broader launch:
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.
Free backlink is NOT automatic. Same model as Open Launch — only Top 3 daily get a dofollow backlink, and you must display the Firsto badge. Regular listings get nofollow links.
~180 day free queue is extremely long. This is the longest free queue of any launch directory. If timing matters at all, the $19.90 Premium is your only option.
DR varies wildly by source. LaunchDirectories reports DR57, other sources report DR29. The platform claims "DR59+ backlinks." Don't rely on exact numbers — verify current metrics before purchasing.
Forked from Open Launch but more expensive. Premium is $19.90 vs Open Launch's $12. SEO article is $149 vs $59. Open Launch also has higher confirmed DR (65). Evaluate whether Firsto's extras (mini reviews, homepage features, alternatives pages) justify the price difference.
Small platform. 15K monthly visitors and 2K+ projects is modest. Don't expect significant direct traffic — the value is SEO and the permanent product page.
No public API. Everything is manual through the web interface.
5 free slots per day. Combined with the ~180 day queue, getting a free launch slot is very competitive.
Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to references/learnings.md with today's date.
/sales-launch-directory — Launch strategy across multiple startup directories/sales-openlaunch — Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks — Firsto's parent project)/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-doUser says: "I want to launch my SaaS tool on Firsto to get long-term search visibility" Skill does:
User says: "Firsto is forked from Open Launch — should I use both or just one?" Skill does:
User says: "Is Firsto's $149 SEO Growth package worth it compared to the $19.90 Premium?" Skill does:
Symptom: Submitted for free weeks ago, product hasn't launched Cause: Firsto limits free launches to 5 slots/day. With a ~180 day queue, free submissions wait approximately 6 months. Solution: Upgrade to Premium ($19.90) for 24-hour launch. If budget is tight, consider Open Launch's $12 Premium instead — it's cheaper and has higher DR. If you're committed to free, use the wait time to polish your listing and prepare other directory submissions.
Symptom: Product is listed on Firsto but backlink is nofollow Cause: Free-tier dofollow backlinks require BOTH conditions: (1) finishing Top 3 in daily ranking, and (2) displaying the Firsto badge on your website. Default free listings get nofollow links. Solution: If the backlink matters, upgrade to Premium ($19.90) for guaranteed DR59+ dofollow. Or submit to directories with automatic dofollow backlinks: ProductBurst (DR46), SoloPush (DR46-47), LaunchingNext (DR51).
Symptom: Different sources show different DR numbers (29, 57, 59+) Cause: DR changes over time and varies by measurement tool. Firsto is a newer platform whose authority is still growing. Solution: Use Ahrefs' free Website Authority Checker to check current DR before purchasing. The paid tier guarantees "DR59+ backlinks" but verify independently. For a confirmed DR65 backlink, Open Launch Premium ($12) is a safer bet.
tools
Waitlister platform help — pre-launch waitlist platform with hosted landing pages, points-based viral referrals, built-in email broadcasts, REST API, and five HMAC-signed webhook events. Use when choosing Free (100 subscribers) vs Launch $15/mo (unlimited subs, referrals + broadcasts) vs Growth $49/mo (API, webhooks, Klaviyo/Mailchimp/Kit sync, fraud detection unlock here) vs Business $129/mo, building a webhook handler that verifies X-Webhook-Signature, webhooks auto-disabled after 10 consecutive failures, API signups bypassing referral fraud detection because client_ip/fingerprint weren't forwarded, granting bonus points or pulling top referrers via the API for reward fulfillment, broadcast send caps forcing an ESP handoff, automating without Zapier (Waitlister has none — webhooks/API only), or comparing Waitlister vs LaunchList/KickoffLabs/GetWaitlist/Prefinery. Do NOT use for list-growth strategy (use /sales-audience-growth) or LaunchList help (use /sales-launchlist).
development
LaunchList platform help — viral pre-launch waitlist platform with one-time lifetime pricing, gamified referrals (queue jumping, leaderboard, position inflation), embed widget + custom form POST endpoint, new_user/email_verify webhooks, Zapier, and spam protection. Use when choosing Free (100 submissions) vs Launch $29 (500) vs Grow $79 one-time (10K — webhooks, Zapier, team unlock here), wiring waitlist signups into Mailchimp/Kit/HubSpot or a CRM because LaunchList has no email broadcast system, needing programmatic access when there is no public REST API yet (form POST + webhook workaround), building a webhook handler with referred_by referral attribution, blocking disposable-email or bot signups on a viral waitlist, a custom signup form not submitting or not tracking referrals, or comparing LaunchList vs KickoffLabs/Viral Loops/Prefinery/GetWaitlist on one-time vs subscription pricing. Do NOT use for list-growth strategy (use /sales-audience-growth) or KickoffLabs help (use /sales-kickofflabs).
development
UpViral platform help — viral referral marketing and list-building platform (by Emarky) for viral sweepstakes, giveaway/reward campaigns, pre-launch waiting lists, and milestone referrals, with REST API (`app.upviral.com/api/v1/`, form-encoded `uvapikey` + `uvmethod`), Callback-URL webhooks, IP-based fraud detection, and 30+ ESP/CRM integrations. Use when campaigns aren't tracking referral points, deciding between Starter $79/mo (10K leads, NO API) vs Business $119/mo (API + webhooks) vs Premium $319/mo, the API erroring because you're on Starter where API/webhooks are gated, building a pipeline with `add_contact`/`get_leads`/`get_leads_points`, interpreting same-IP suspicious-referral flags, or picking UpViral over Viral Loops/Vyper/Gleam. Do NOT use for newsletter audience growth (use /sales-audience-growth), KickoffLabs help (use /sales-kickofflabs), merge-tag referrals (use /sales-referralkit), SparkLoop recommendations (use /sales-sparkloop), or multi-level Level 1/2/3 tracking (use /sales-referralhero).
tools
ReferralHero platform help — full-stack referral, affiliate, waitlist, contest, and NPS platform with REST API, webhooks, Zapier, native ESP connectors, multi-level referral tracking (Level 1/2/3), coupon groups, anti-fraud, and a 5,000 calls/hour limit. Use when referrals aren't tracking, deciding between Free (no API) vs PRO $199/mo (API + webhooks) vs PREMIUM $399/mo (ReCaptcha + SMS Verification), auth failing with `no_token` or `Bearer` vs `X-API-Key`, Level 2/3 counts off from calling `level_2_all_referrals` not `level_2_referrals`, bulk 429s from not chunking the 500-transaction `add_bulk_transactions` limit, coupon endpoints 404 without a coupon group, reward fulfillment (`promote` then `unlock_promoted_reward`) failing, or comparing to SparkLoop/ReferralKit/GrowSurf. Do NOT use for newsletter audience growth (use /sales-audience-growth), merge-tag referrals (use /sales-referralkit), SparkLoop recommendations (use /sales-sparkloop), or affiliate strategy across tools (use /sales-affiliate-program).