TinyLaunch Platform Help
Helps the user submit to, optimize listings on, and get the most from TinyLaunch — a weekly product launch platform for indie makers and early-stage startups.
Step 1 — Gather context
If
exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
-
What do you need help with?
- A) Submitting a product to TinyLaunch
- B) Understanding the backlink value (DR60-71 dofollow)
- C) Choosing between free and premium launch ($39)
- D) Comparing TinyLaunch with other directories
- E) Newsletter sponsorship or featured placement
- F) Something else — describe it
-
What's your product?
- A) SaaS / software tool
- B) Browser extension
- C) Digital product / productized service
- D) Mobile app
- E) Something else
-
What's your primary goal?
- A) SEO backlinks (dofollow)
- B) Newsletter exposure (~11,000 subscribers)
- C) Community visibility and social proof
- D) All of the above
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.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
If the request maps to a different skill, route:
- Multi-directory launch strategy →
- Product Hunt launch →
- Email marketing to subscribers →
- Landing page optimization →
- Audience growth strategy →
- Other specific directory platforms → hand off to that platform's skill
Otherwise, answer directly from the TinyLaunch reference below.
Step 3 — TinyLaunch platform reference
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 4 — Actionable guidance
For users submitting (free tier)
- Create an account at tinylaunch.com
- Prepare: clear product name, problem-focused tagline, screenshots, working product URL
- Add UTM tracking:
?utm_source=tinylaunch&utm_medium=directory&utm_campaign=launch
- Aim for Top 3 — only Top 3 get the dofollow backlink on free tier. Promote your launch on X/Twitter, especially within the indie maker community where TinyLaunch has strong presence
- Embed the badge properly — the dofollow backlink requires your badge to link back to TinyLaunch's homepage
- Submit early in the week — weekly batches mean timing affects competition level
Note: DR60-71 dofollow is among the highest free directory backlinks available. If you can't make Top 3, the $39 Premium is still excellent value compared to alternatives.
For users considering Premium ($39)
The $39 premium launch is competitive value:
- Guaranteed dofollow backlink from a DR60-71 domain
- Skip the queue — launch sooner
- Showcased between 3rd and 4th place — prominent visibility
Compare with alternatives:
- Open Launch Premium ($12) — DR65 dofollow, cheaper but different audience
- OpenHunts Premium ($9.90) — DR50 dofollow, cheapest guaranteed
- DevHunt Featured ($49) — DR57-62 dofollow, developer tools only
- Super Launch ($49/mo) — DR59 dofollow, recurring cost
At $39 for a DR60-71 dofollow, TinyLaunch Premium offers strong DR-per-dollar value.
For newsletter sponsorship ($50)
The newsletter reaches ~11,000 subscribers with a 33% open rate (~3,600 opens per issue). At $50/issue:
- CPM: ~$4.55 per 1,000 subscribers — very affordable
- Open-rate adjusted CPM: ~$13.89 per 1,000 opens — still cheap
- Compare with Tiny Startups newsletter (17,500+ subscribers, sponsorship pricing not public)
Best for: products targeting indie makers and early-stage founders.
For multi-directory launchers
TinyLaunch fits into Phase 2 — Paid fast-track at $39 for a guaranteed DR60-71 dofollow backlink. For the free tier, it's Phase 3 — Free editorial queues since it uses weekly launch batches. The high DR makes it one of the most valuable backlinks available from a directory, rivaling Open Launch (DR65) and surpassing MicroLaunch (DR59).
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about features and pricing that may change.
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Free backlinks are conditional. Only Top 3 weekly launches get the dofollow backlink on free tier. If you don't make Top 3, you get no backlink (unlike platforms where every submission gets a backlink).
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Badge linking requirement. The dofollow backlink requires your Top 3 badge to embed a link back to TinyLaunch's homepage. If you remove or modify the badge link, you may lose the backlink.
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DR varies significantly by source. LaunchDirectories reports DR71, other sources report DR60. Treat it as "high 60s to low 70s" — either way, it's among the strongest directory backlinks.
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Weekly cadence means waiting. Unlike instant-listing platforms, you'll wait for the next weekly launch window. Premium ($39) skips the queue but still launches in a batch.
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Organic traffic is very modest. ~87/mo per LaunchDirectories (likely undercounted but still small). The real value is the high-DR backlink and newsletter reach, not referral traffic.
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Premium placement is between 3rd and 4th. The $39 premium doesn't guarantee Top 3 ranking — it places you between 3rd and 4th with a guaranteed backlink regardless of votes.
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Submission service is a separate business. The $179/$279 directory submission service is offered by TinyLaunch but submits to other directories, not TinyLaunch itself.
-
Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to
with today's date.
Related skills
- — Coordinates submissions across 10+ startup directories with sequencing, backlink stacking, and budget allocation
- — Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks)
- — OpenHunts platform help (weekly launch cycle, DR50 backlinks)
- — Tiny Startups platform help (curated directory + newsletter, DR50 dofollow)
- — DevHunt platform help (developer tool launch, DR57-62 dofollow)
- — MicroLaunch platform help (30-day leaderboard, DR59)
- — Super Launch platform help (7-day front page, DR59 dofollow for paid)
- — ProductBurst platform help (daily/weekly rankings, DR46)
- — SoloPush platform help (no-pressure indie maker community, DR46)
- — Product Hunt platform help (largest launch platform, DR91 dofollow, 5M+ visits/mo)
- — 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-do
Examples
Example 1: Submit an indie SaaS to TinyLaunch
User says: "I built a solo SaaS tool and want to launch it on TinyLaunch for backlinks"
Skill does:
- Walks through the submission process
- Explains Top 3 requirement for free dofollow backlink
- Recommends promoting on X/Twitter during voting window
- Suggests $39 Premium if guaranteed backlink is important
- Notes the DR60-71 backlink value
Result: Product submitted with strategy to maximize Top 3 chances or clear Premium recommendation
Example 2: Compare TinyLaunch backlink value
User says: "Is TinyLaunch worth it compared to other directories for SEO?"
Skill does:
- Shows DR60-71 dofollow — among the highest directory backlinks
- Compares: Open Launch (DR65), DevHunt (DR57-62), MicroLaunch (DR59), SoloPush (DR46)
- Notes the conditional nature (Top 3 only for free) vs guaranteed ($39)
- Recommends $39 Premium as strong DR-per-dollar value
Result: Clear backlink value assessment positioning TinyLaunch as one of the strongest options
Example 3: Evaluate the $50 newsletter sponsorship
User says: "Should I sponsor the TinyLaunch newsletter?"
Skill does:
- Explains ~11,000 subscribers with 33% open rate (~3,600 opens)
- Calculates CPM: ~$4.55 per 1K subscribers, ~$13.89 per 1K opens
- Compares with Tiny Startups newsletter (17,500+ subs, pricing not public)
- Recommends if product targets indie makers and early-stage founders
Result: Cost-benefit analysis with audience fit assessment
Troubleshooting
Didn't make Top 3 — no backlink
Symptom: Launched on free tier but didn't rank in Top 3, no dofollow backlink received
Cause: Free tier backlinks are conditional on Top 3 placement. Competition during your launch week may have been strong.
Solution: Consider $39 Premium for guaranteed backlink on next launch. Alternatively, promote more aggressively on X/Twitter during voting windows — TinyLaunch's community is active on X. You can also try again in a future week with better promotional preparation.
Badge backlink not appearing in SEO tools
Symptom: Won Top 3 and placed badge, but backlink not showing in Ahrefs/Moz
Cause: The dofollow backlink requires the badge to properly link to TinyLaunch's homepage. Also, new backlinks take time for crawlers to discover.
Solution: Verify your badge HTML includes a proper
link to tinylaunch.com with no
attribute. Wait 2-4 weeks for crawlers to index. DR60-71 domains get crawled regularly.
Not sure whether to pay $39 or submit free
Symptom: Uncertain whether Premium is worth it
Cause: The value depends on your goal and confidence in ranking Top 3.
Solution: If your primary goal is the backlink, $39 is a strong value — DR60-71 dofollow for $39 is cheaper per DR point than most alternatives. If you want to test the waters first, submit free and promote actively. If you don't make Top 3, you can always do a Premium launch later.