Marketing SkillsView repo

Marketing Skill

Directory Submissions

Plans the directory layer of a launch — which of 13 tiers to submit to, in what order, with distinct positioning per surface — and makes sure the backlinks land on pages that actually convert. Point your agent at it when you're prepping a Product Hunt launch or building a compounding backlink foundation.

Maintained by Corey Hainesv2.0.0Updated 2026-05-132 references
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Installs the full library — Directory Submissions included

MarkdownView source

Directory submissions are the foundation layer of distribution, not the whole strategy: they pass dofollow backlinks that raise your domain rating, create discovery surface area, and get you cited by AI engines answering "what's the best [category]?" queries. Three hard rules govern it: build the destination page before you submit anything to it, ship 3-5 competitor alternative pages and 3-5 use-case pages first (so link equity has somewhere useful to land), and vary your positioning per directory type — never copy-paste the same description, because AI engines penalize duplicate content. Product Hunt is the anchor event, but the 2026 algorithm weights comment quality over upvotes, so ask for feedback, never upvotes.

When to use it

Your agent reaches for this skill when you ask for things like:

“directory submissions,”“submit to directories,”“backlinks from directories,”“list my product,”“submit to Product Hunt,”“BetaList,”“TAAFT,”“Futurepedia,”

What's inside

The playbook covers

Before StartingCore PhilosophyThe Three Hard RulesWorkflowProduct Hunt Deep Dive (The Anchor Event)Reviews Playbook (G2 / Capterra / TrustRadius)Destination Pages Strategy (What the Backlinks Point At)GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)Community & Ongoing DistributionKPIs & TrackingWhat NOT to DoTask-Specific QuestionsOutput Format

Reference library — 2 deep-dives

Directory List — Full ReferenceCanonical list of directories organized by tier. DR values are approximate and drift over time — verify via Ahrefs or Moz before building a plan around them.Positioning Variations LibraryDirectory audiences respond to different framings. Never copy-paste the same description everywhere — AI engines penalize duplicate content, and each directory type rewards a different opener.

Key data

The recommendations are grounded in benchmarks, not opinion:

Tagline (under 10 words):**
Short description (60 chars):**
Long description (150 words):**

See it in action

You ask

We're launching our AI SaaS in 3 weeks. Help me plan all the directories we should submit to.

The skill delivers
Submission plan

Week 1 — Tier 1 flagship (~15): Product Hunt (anchor), BetaList, Show HN, Fazier, DevHunt Week 1 rolling — Tier 2 startup/SaaS (~50): AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, G2, Capterra, F6S Week 1-3 — Tier 3 AI (~40): TAAFT, Futurepedia, Toolify, Future Tools Build first: /alternatives/[competitor] x3-5, /for/[audience] x3-5

PH prep timeline

Day -21: warm up account, comment on 3 launches/day Day -14: create Upcoming page Day -7: draft assets (1270×760 gallery, tagline, 260-char desc, first comment) Day -1: incognito check Launch: 12:01 AM PT, Tue/Wed/Thu — 50+ supporters in first 2 hours

FAQ

Can I copy-paste the same description into every directory?

No. AI engines cross-reference directories and down-weight duplicate content, and each audience responds to different framing. Startup directories should lead with the outcome, SaaS directories with alternative framing, AI directories with AI-first architecture, agent/MCP registries with the agent angle, and B2B review sites with ROI and use cases. Prep distinct variants per tier: a tagline under 10 words, a 60-character short description, and a 150-word long description.

Should I pay for a service that submits to 200 directories for $99?

No. The whole point is these directories are free — it's an afternoon of copy-paste. Mass-submission services typically target low-quality spam directories (DR under 10, no traffic, no editorial standards) that dilute your backlink profile and can trigger Google's spam detection. Manually submit to quality Tier 1-4 directories with proper positioning instead.

Is it worth listing on G2 with only a few customers?

Not yet — G2 and Capterra listings are worthless without reviews, and 10 reviews is the threshold for Grid appearance. Claim the listing but run the 10-in-30 protocol: identify 20 users who completed a meaningful action, email each a direct review link, offer a modest thank-you (a $25 gift card is allowed), and follow up once after 5 days to hit ~50% conversion. Skip the paid G2 plan ($2,999+/year) in year one; the free Users Love Us badge (20 reviews at 4.0+) is enough.

Build a tool for this workflow?

Marketers run this skill mid-task — the exact moment your tool matters. Partner tiers put your tool inside the skill their agent runs.

See partner tiers