skills/sales-launch-directory/SKILL.md
Startup directory launch strategy — coordinates submissions across multiple product launch and discovery platforms for maximum visibility, backlinks, and early users. Covers platform selection (Product Hunt, BetaList, Hacker News, Indie Hackers, Peerlist, DevHunt, Uneed, Fazier, MicroLaunch, Open Launch, TAAFT, Futurepedia, and the full long tail in references/platform-guide.md), launch sequencing (instant-list first, editorial-review last), backlink stacking (DA/DR comparison across directories), listing optimization, timing strategy, and multi-platform coordination. Use when not sure which directories are worth submitting to, launch didn't get traction, want more backlinks but don't know where to start, deciding launch order across directories, or overwhelmed by how many directories exist. Do NOT use for a single specific platform (use the platform skill instead). Do NOT use for paid advertising (use /sales-b2b-advertising).
npx skillsauth add sales-skills/sales sales-launch-directoryInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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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.
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
What are you launching?
What stage is your product?
What's your primary goal?
What's your budget for paid listings?
Any timing constraints?
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 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
Toolify-specific questions → /sales-toolify
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
Comparing directory submission services → /sales-directory-submission
Managed directory submission service → /sales-getmorebacklinks
Otherwise, answer directly from the directory 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.
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.md with today's date.
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:
~/.claude/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md exists locally, Read it.sales-* skills, WebFetch directly from this repo: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sales-skills/sales/main/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md — e.g., for sales-mailshake: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sales-skills/sales/main/skills/sales-mailshake/SKILL.md.sales-* skills (third-party), look up {org}/{repo} in ~/.claude/skills/sales-do/references/skill-sources.md if installed and fetch the same skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md path 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.
/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-toolify — Toolify.ai platform help (26K+ AI tools, 450+ categories, ~2-5M visits/mo, $49-99 listing, 6+ dofollow backlinks)/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-doUser 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:
User says: "I have no budget but want to get as many SEO backlinks from startup directories as possible" Skill does:
User says: "I built a Shopify app — which startup directories should I prioritize?" Skill does:
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.
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.
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.
tools
Wizlogo (wizlogo.com) platform help — a budget online logo maker (template/style-variation, marketed as "AI") plus a hub of FREE branding tools (business-name, blog-name and slogan generators, business-card maker, invoice generator, color converter, domain search). The pricing traps: the FREE logo is PERSONAL-USE-ONLY; the two cheap paid tiers are RASTER PNG/JPG only — Single (~€39.99 one-time) and Unlimited (~€3.99 per WEEK, recurring) — and VECTOR (SVG/PDF/EPS) is gated to the ~€299.99 Enterprise tier, which also bundles human designer edits and a social kit. Transparent PNG is on all paid plans. Use when making a Wizlogo logo, understanding free-vs-paid or personal-vs-commercial use, which tier unlocks vector/SVG for print, the weekly-subscription billing trap, its free name/slogan generators, or whether it has an API (UI-only — no public API, webhooks, Zapier or MCP). Do NOT use to just generate the business name (use /sales-namelix) or to compare/validate branding tools (use /sales-idea-validation).
tools
VistaPrint platform help (vistaprint.com, a Cimpress company) — the small-business design + print + digital-marketing platform: a free AI Logomaker (4 generations, 60 more after free sign-up) exporting SVG/PNG/PDF at 4000x4000 with no watermark, a free Brand Kit, business cards/flyers/signage/apparel/promo print, and a website builder. THE RIGHTS TRAP: VistaPrint states NO intellectual-property rights transfer on an AI-generated logo — you get usage rights but CANNOT register it for trademark or copyright; only its human designer service transfers full IP. Use when making a VistaPrint logo, asking if you own or can trademark it, running out of AI logo credits, printed colors not matching the screen, bleed/DPI/font file-prep rejections, or asking whether VistaPrint has an API (the consumer site does not — automation runs through the parent Cimpress Open partner-fulfilment API). Do NOT use for Vista Social scheduling (use /sales-vistasocial) or comparing logo tools market-wide (use /sales-idea-validation).
tools
Turbologo (turbologo.com) platform help — a budget AI/DIY logo maker: enter a business name + industry, pick icons and colors, and it proposes logo concepts you refine in an in-browser editor, then pay a one-time fee to download (designing is free, previews are watermarked, downloading is the paywall). Vector SVG/PDF is gated to the mid tier and up; the top tier adds a brand kit (business cards, letterheads, email signatures, social assets). Use when generating a logo in Turbologo, choosing which download tier to buy, vector SVG vs raster PNG, removing the free watermark, the time-limited edit-after-purchase window, pay-to-download pricing questions, whether an AI logo is yours to trademark, or whether Turbologo has an API to bulk-generate logos (it is UI-only — no public API, webhooks, Zapier, or MCP). Do NOT use to generate the business name (use /sales-namelix), compare or validate branding tools across the market (use /sales-idea-validation), or build wider marketing creative (use /sales-canva).
tools
Online Logo Maker (onlinelogomaker.com) platform help — a long-standing free/freemium DIY logo maker: build the mark yourself from icons, shapes, text, and fonts — MANUAL/template-based, NOT enter-a-name-get-AI-concepts. The free pack downloads a LOW-RES 300px PNG with a background; vector SVG, transparent PNG, and 2000px high-res are gated to a one-time lifetime Premium pack (not a subscription). The free tier's commercial-use rights are disputed by reviewers — clean ownership effectively needs Premium, and a shared-icon mark can be non-distinctive. Use for building/editing a logo here, free download vs Premium, vector SVG or transparent PNG, one-time pricing, commercial-use/trademark terms, near-namesake confusion (NOT LogoMaker.com / LogoMakr / Logomakerr.ai), or whether it has an API (UI-only — no API, webhooks, Zapier, MCP). Do NOT use to generate the business name (use /sales-namelix), compare branding tools across the market (use /sales-idea-validation), or build wider creative (use /sales-canva).