Directory Submissions
Plan and execute startup, SaaS, AI, and MCP directory submissions for dofollow backlinks and qualified discovery traffic—not vanity listings.
Overview
Directory Submissions is an agent skill most often used in Launch (also Grow) that plans ordered startup and AI-directory listings for backlinks and real discovery leads.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill directory-submissionsWhat is this skill?
- Maps startup, SaaS, AI, agent, MCP, no-code, and review directories with ordering and positioning guidance
- Ties submissions to leads and discovery—not vanity DR scores alone
- Checks for existing product-marketing context before re-asking positioning questions
- Cross-links to launch, programmatic-seo, and ai-seo skills for a full launch stack
- Supports ongoing backlink campaigns after the initial launch window
- Checks product-marketing context files before re-prompting (`.agents/product-marketing.md` and legacy paths)
Adoption & trust: 26.6k installs on skills.sh; 32.4k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You are launching or growing a product but have no prioritized directory list, submission order, or positioning—so you waste time on low-value listings.
Who is it for?
SaaS, AI tools, agents, and MCP products ready for a structured launch or monthly directory/backlink push.
Skip if: Builders with no live product URL, no one-line positioning, or who only want generic SEO copy without listing work.
When should I use this skill?
User wants directory submissions, backlinks from directories, MCP/agent directory listings, or a directory tracker for launch or ongoing campaigns.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with a ranked submission plan, consistent positioning, and a directory layer that supports launch distribution and compounding backlinks—then extend with launch, programmatic-seo, or ai-seo skills as needed.
- Prioritized directory submission list and order
- Per-directory positioning notes
- Launch vs ongoing backlink campaign plan
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Directory work is the canonical launch-layer distribution motion: timed submissions, positioning, and tracker discipline when you are getting the product in front of curated lists and review sites. Distribution is where outbound listing strategy, launch sequencing (Product Hunt, BetaList, niche AI/MCP registries), and backlink prioritization belong in the solo-builder journey.
Where it fits
Decide which directory tiers are worth the effort before you commit launch-week capacity.
Sequence Product Hunt, niche AI directories, and review-site listings with consistent positioning.
Align directory anchor text and landing URLs with pages you will build via programmatic-seo.
Refresh listings and add new registries as part of a quarterly backlink and discovery pass.
How it compares
Use for curated directory campaigns and listing ops—not as a substitute for on-site programmatic SEO or AI citation optimization alone.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is directory-submissions for?
Solo and indie builders shipping software, AI tools, agents, or MCP servers who want backlinks and directory discovery without guessing which lists matter first.
When should I use directory-submissions?
At launch when planning Product Hunt, BetaList, AI/MCP registries, and review sites; during validate when scoping where early listings fit; and in grow when running an ongoing directory tracker and backlink campaign.
Is directory-submissions safe to install?
It is procedural marketing guidance; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page before installing and avoid pasting secrets into listing forms the agent drafts.
Workflow Chain
Then invoke: launch, programmatic seo
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Directory Submissions
# Directory Submissions You are an expert in directory-driven distribution for software products. Your goal is to help the user build a compounding backlink + discovery foundation by submitting to the right directories, in the right order, with the right positioning — and to make sure that foundation actually produces leads instead of vanity backlinks. ## Before Starting **Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task. --- ## Core Philosophy Directory submissions are the **foundation layer** of distribution — never the whole strategy. They do three things well: 1. **Pass dofollow backlinks** from high domain-rating sites into your marketing pages. This raises your DR, which makes your entire site easier to rank for competitive keywords. 2. **Create discovery surface area** — people browsing AI/SaaS directories are in-market buyers, not random traffic. 3. **Get cited by AI engines** — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews all pull heavily from high-DR directories when answering "what's the best [category]?" queries. AI-referred traffic converts **6–27× higher** than traditional search traffic. But directories alone will not generate meaningful leads. They exist to pass link equity into the pages that DO generate leads — template galleries, comparison pages, alternative pages, blog posts. **Build the destination pages first, then submit to directories so the link equity has somewhere useful to land.** The full directory catalog lives in `references/directory-list.md`. The positioning variant library lives in `references/positioning-variations.md`. The submission tracker template lives in `references/submission-tracker-template.csv`. --- ## The Three Hard Rules ### Rule 1: Foundation before submission Never submit to a directory until the landing page it will link to is live, indexed, and has: - A single `<h1>` and sequential heading hierarchy — pages with clean hierarchy have **2.8× higher AI citation rates**, and 87% of ChatGPT-cited pages use a single H1. - A real pricing page (even "free while in beta" counts — most Tier 1 directories require one). - Privacy policy + terms. - Logo assets in PNG + SVG + square 1024×1024 + favicon. - 5–8 real product screenshots at 1920×1080 (not marketing mockups). - A 60–90 second demo video — products with video on Product Hunt get **2.7× more upvotes**. - FAQ schema markup (AI engines heavily weight `FAQPage` JSON-LD for answer extraction). - Structured data: `Organization`, `Product`, `SoftwareApplication`. ### Rule 2: Destination pages before directories Directories are the *source* of link equity. You need *destinations* that can convert the resulting traffic. Minimum destinations before submitting to anything: - 3–5 competitor alternative pages (`/alternatives/[competitor]`) targeting "[competitor] alternative" keyw