Firsto Platform Help
Helps the user with Firsto platform questions — from submitting a product and understanding the tiered backlink system through premium launch options, SEO-optimized pages, and editorial reviews.
Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
-
What do you need help with?
- A) Launching a product — submitting, writing a listing
- B) Getting a backlink — understanding free vs paid backlink conditions
- C) Premium/Pro/SEO Growth — evaluating paid tiers
- D) SEO value — long-term discovery via permanent product pages
- E) Comparing Firsto with Open Launch or other directories
- F) Something else — describe it -
What stage is your product?
- A) Idea stage — haven't built anything yet
- B) MVP / prototype — working but early
- C) Launched — live product with users
- D) Growing — looking for more visibility -
What's your goal?
- A) First users and feedback
- B) SEO backlinks (DR59+ dofollow)
- C) Long-term organic discovery via product pages
- 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 specialized skill, route:
- Launch strategy across multiple directories → /sales-launch-directory
- Product launch strategy and funnels → /sales-funnel
- Email list building / audience growth → /sales-audience-growth
- Email marketing to subscribers → /sales-email-marketing
- Landing page / checkout optimization → /sales-checkout
- Open Launch-specific questions → /sales-openlaunch
- CtrlAlt.cc-specific questions → /sales-ctrlaltcc
- ProductBurst-specific questions → /sales-productburst
- MicroLaunch-specific questions → /sales-microlaunch
- LaunchingNext-specific questions → /sales-launchingnext
- SoloPush-specific questions → /sales-solopush
- SideProjectors buy/sell questions → /sales-sideprojectors
- Huzzler-specific questions → /sales-huzzler
Otherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge below.
Step 3 — Firsto 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
Submission checklist
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prepare your listing | Clear name, problem-focused description, screenshots | First impression + permanent SEO page |
| 2. Choose your tier | Free (patient), Premium ($19.90), Pro ($59.90), or SEO Growth ($149) | Determines backlink guarantee and visibility |
| 3. Optimize for SEO | Write description with keywords your product should rank for | Product page becomes a permanent search asset |
| 4. Time your network | Launches happen at 8:00 UTC — coordinate supporters | Early engagement drives daily ranking |
| 5. Display badge (free tier) | Add Firsto badge to your site if aiming for free backlink | Required for free-tier dofollow backlink |
| 6. Share externally | Post your Firsto listing on Twitter, communities | External traffic drives rankings |
Which tier to choose
Free ($0) when:
- Budget is zero AND you can wait ~180 days
- You're confident you can reach Top 3 daily
- You're willing to display the Firsto badge on your site
Premium ($19.90) when:
- You want the DR59+ backlink guaranteed — no conditions
- You need to launch within 24 hours
- You want direct site links on all product cards
Pro ($59.90) when:
- You want 30-day homepage featured placement (~3K impressions)
- A mini editorial review adds credibility
- Star ratings in Google search results matter for your brand
SEO Growth ($149) when:
- You want a dedicated "[Product] review" article (800-1200 words)
- Long-term Google ranking for "[Your Product] review" keywords
- You're investing seriously in SEO and want content assets
Private Review ($249) when:
- You want honest UI/UX feedback before a major launch
- Bug findings prioritized by severity (P0-P3)
- Confidential — not published publicly
Multi-platform launch strategy
Firsto works best as one platform in a broader launch:
- SoloPush + ProductBurst — instant listings (Day 1)
- Huzzler Launch Arena — submit Monday for weekly competition
- Open Launch Premium ($12) — next-day launch with DR65 backlink (cheapest guaranteed backlink)
- Firsto Premium ($19.90) — 24-hour launch with DR59+ backlink + permanent SEO page
- MicroLaunch — 30-day leaderboard cycle
- CtrlAlt.cc + LaunchingNext — curated directories (queue or pay to skip)
- Product Hunt — save for main launch event
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.
- Free backlink is NOT automatic. Same model as Open Launch — only Top 3 daily get a dofollow backlink, and you must display the Firsto badge. Regular listings get nofollow links.
- ~180 day free queue is extremely long. This is the longest free queue of any launch directory. If timing matters at all, the $19.90 Premium is your only option.
- DR varies wildly by source. LaunchDirectories reports DR57, other sources report DR29. The platform claims "DR59+ backlinks." Don't rely on exact numbers — verify current metrics before purchasing.
- Forked from Open Launch but more expensive. Premium is $19.90 vs Open Launch's $12. SEO article is $149 vs $59. Open Launch also has higher confirmed DR (65). Evaluate whether Firsto's extras (mini reviews, homepage features, alternatives pages) justify the price difference.
- Small platform. 15K monthly visitors and 2K+ projects is modest. Don't expect significant direct traffic — the value is SEO and the permanent product page.
- No public API. Everything is manual through the web interface.
-
5 free slots per day. Combined with the ~180 day queue, getting a free launch slot is very competitive.
-
Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to
references/learnings.mdwith today's date.
Related skills
/sales-launch-directory— Launch strategy across multiple startup directories/sales-openlaunch— Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks — Firsto's parent project)/sales-huzzler— Huzzler platform help (founder community, weekly Launch Arena competition)/sales-ctrlaltcc— CtrlAlt.cc platform help (curated tool directory)/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-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-do
Examples
Example 1: Launch a product on Firsto for SEO
User says: "I want to launch my SaaS tool on Firsto to get long-term search visibility"
Skill does:
1. Walks through submission checklist: name, description optimized for keywords, screenshots
2. Recommends Pro tier ($59.90) for mini review + star ratings in Google search results
3. Explains permanent product page becomes a rankable SEO asset
4. Advises coordinating network for 8:00 UTC launch to maximize daily ranking
5. Suggests pairing with Open Launch ($12) for a second guaranteed backlink
Result: SEO-optimized listing with tier recommendation and long-term discovery strategy
Example 2: Firsto vs Open Launch — which to choose
User says: "Firsto is forked from Open Launch — should I use both or just one?"
Skill does:
1. Compares pricing: Open Launch Premium $12 vs Firsto Premium $19.90
2. Notes Open Launch has higher DR (65 vs 57) and is cheaper
3. Highlights Firsto extras: mini reviews, 30-day homepage feature, alternatives pages, star ratings
4. Recommends using both — Open Launch for the cheapest DR65 backlink, Firsto Pro for the editorial review and SEO features
5. Notes both have the same conditional free backlink model (Top 3 + badge)
Result: Clear comparison with recommendation to use both for complementary value
Example 3: Evaluate if the paid tiers are worth it
User says: "Is Firsto's $149 SEO Growth package worth it compared to the $19.90 Premium?"
Skill does:
1. Breaks down what each tier includes: Premium gets the backlink, SEO Growth adds an 800-1200 word review article
2. Notes the article targets "[Product] review" keywords for long-term Google traffic
3. Compares to Open Launch's SEO Growth at $59 for a similar article
4. Recommends $19.90 Premium if backlink is the only goal, $149 SEO Growth if you're investing in content marketing
5. Suggests the $59.90 Pro as a middle ground: backlink + mini review + homepage feature
Result: Tier-by-tier ROI analysis with clear recommendation
Troubleshooting
Stuck in the ~180 day free queue
Symptom: Submitted for free weeks ago, product hasn't launched
Cause: Firsto limits free launches to 5 slots/day. With a ~180 day queue, free submissions wait approximately 6 months.
Solution: Upgrade to Premium ($19.90) for 24-hour launch. If budget is tight, consider Open Launch's $12 Premium instead — it's cheaper and has higher DR. If you're committed to free, use the wait time to polish your listing and prepare other directory submissions.
Free listing but no dofollow backlink
Symptom: Product is listed on Firsto but backlink is nofollow
Cause: Free-tier dofollow backlinks require BOTH conditions: (1) finishing Top 3 in daily ranking, and (2) displaying the Firsto badge on your website. Default free listings get nofollow links.
Solution: If the backlink matters, upgrade to Premium ($19.90) for guaranteed DR59+ dofollow. Or submit to directories with automatic dofollow backlinks: ProductBurst (DR46), SoloPush (DR46-47), LaunchingNext (DR51).
Unsure if Firsto's DR claims are accurate
Symptom: Different sources show different DR numbers (29, 57, 59+)
Cause: DR changes over time and varies by measurement tool. Firsto is a newer platform whose authority is still growing.
Solution: Use Ahrefs' free Website Authority Checker to check current DR before purchasing. The paid tier guarantees "DR59+ backlinks" but verify independently. For a confirmed DR65 backlink, Open Launch Premium ($12) is a safer bet.
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