directory-submissions

Trigger phrases

Phrases that activate this skill when typed to Claude Code:

• directory submissions
• submit to directories
• Product Hunt
• BetaList
• AI directories

What it does

directory-submissions is a Claude Code skill from Corey Haines’s marketing-skills repo. It turns Claude into a directory-distribution planner who sequences submissions across general SaaS directories (Product Hunt, BetaList, SaaSHub), category lists (G2, Capterra, AlternativeTo), and emerging registries (TAAFT, Futurepedia, MCP/agent registries) — sorted by domain rating, dofollow status, and acceptance probability. The skill activates when you mention “directory submissions”, “submit to directories”, “list my product”, or “MCP registry”.

The output of a session is a sequenced submission plan: directories ranked by DR + dofollow + relevance, copy templates per directory format (description, tagline, screenshots), a tracker spreadsheet schema, and a launch-week vs ongoing-campaign split.

When to use it

Reach for it when:

• You’re prepping a launch and want directory submissions sequenced, not random
• You’re in an emerging category (AI agents, MCP servers) and want the whole registry map
• You want a backlink campaign that produces leads, not just DR points

When not to reach for it:

• Your product page isn’t ready — directory submissions hit before you have a working narrative is wasted reputation
• You’re a service business; most directories optimize for product/SaaS

Install

The skill is distributed via Corey Haines’s marketing-skills repo. Install via the repo’s recommended path — copy the directory-submissions SKILL.md into your project’s .claude/skills/directory-submissions/ directory, or use the repo’s plugin install if you’ve set it up.

Once installed, the skill activates on the trigger phrases above. The first time it runs, it will check for .agents/product-marketing-context.md (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md) — populating that file with your product context first dramatically improves output quality across all of Haines’s marketing skills.

What a session looks like

A typical session has three phases:

1. Category mapping. SaaS, AI, MCP, no-code, agent, vertical-specific. Different categories pull from different registries; the skill picks the right shelf.
2. Sequencing. Highest DR + dofollow first, then category-relevant, then long-tail. A tracker schema with status, link, screenshot URL, copy variant.
3. Copy templates. Description per character limit, tagline variations, screenshot specs, launch-day timing for the directories that gate on dates (Product Hunt, BetaList).

The discipline that makes it work: backlinks without leads is vanity. Each directory gets evaluated on whether its visitors actually convert, not just whether it passes link juice.

Receipts

Honest reporting on what directory-submissions produces and where it has limits:

Where it works well:

• Sequencing by DR + dofollow saves you from spraying low-quality directories that hurt more than help
• The tracker schema turns submissions into a measurable program, not a random list
• For emerging categories (MCP, agents) the registry map is genuinely current

Where it backfires:

• Some directories require manual steps (founder photo, video) that the skill can’t automate
• Lead quality varies wildly — Product Hunt traffic looks different than Capterra traffic

Pattern that works: start with the top-five highest-DR dofollow directories before sweeping the long tail. The first five do most of the work; everything after is incremental.

Source and attribution

Originally written by Corey Haines. The canonical SKILL.md and any supporting files live in the directory-submissions folder of his marketing-skills repository.

License: MIT. You can install, adapt, and redistribute the skill, with attribution preserved.

This page documents the skill from a practitioner’s perspective. For the formal spec and any updates, defer to the source repo.