OpenHunts Platform Help

Helps the user with OpenHunts platform questions — from submitting a product and understanding the weekly launch cycle through premium tiers, backlink strategy, and community engagement.

Step 1 — Gather context

Ask the user:

1. 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/Highlight tiers — evaluating paid options
   • D) Comparing OpenHunts with other launch directories
   • E) Something else — describe it

2. 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

3. What's your goal?

   • A) First users and feedback
   • B) SEO backlinks (DR50 dofollow)
   • C) Long-term discovery via weekly rankings
   • 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
• Firsto-specific questions → /sales-firsto
• 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 — OpenHunts platform reference

How OpenHunts works

OpenHunts is a product launch and discovery platform positioned as a Product Hunt alternative for indie makers. Products compete in weekly voting cycles that refresh every Monday, giving launches a full 7-day window of visibility — longer than daily-cycle platforms like Product Hunt or Firsto.

Key difference: Weekly launch cadence means your product competes for a full week, not just 24 hours. This gives smaller products more time to accumulate votes and visibility.

Launch flow

1. Create an account on OpenHunts
2. Submit your product: name, description, URL, screenshots
3. Choose a tier: Free (queue), Premium ($9.90), or Highlight ($20)
4. All launches go live on Mondays — weekly cycle
5. Products compete in weekly rankings through community voting
6. Top products get featured in newsletter and Twitter shoutouts

Pricing tiers

Tier	Cost	Queue	Backlink	What you get
Free	$0	~89 weeks, 20 slots/week	Dofollow for Top 3 only	Full week exposure, homepage featured
Premium	$9.90	Next Monday, 25 slots/week	Guaranteed dofollow	5x more exposure, full week visibility
Highlight	$20/week	Instant, pinned at top	Guaranteed dofollow	10x exposure, guaranteed Twitter + newsletter shoutout

Free backlink conditions (important!)

The free tier backlink is not automatic. You must finish in the Top 3 weekly ranking to earn a dofollow backlink. Unlike some other platforms, OpenHunts does not appear to require a badge on your website — just a Top 3 finish.

If you don't finish Top 3, you get the listing but NOT the dofollow backlink.

SEO value

• DR 50 (LaunchDirectories), Moz DA 15
• Free tier: dofollow for Top 3 only
• Paid tiers: guaranteed dofollow backlink
• Traffic: ~34K visits / 72K pageviews per 90 days (~11K monthly)
• Weekly rankings provide ongoing discovery
• 72+ categories for long-tail category browsing

Platform stats

• Projects: 1,040+ in AI alone, 804 Productivity, 519 SaaS, 506 Marketing Tools, 332 Developer Tools
• Claimed conversion rate: 14.3% (from OpenHunts blog, based on 387 launches tracked)
• Audience: Indie makers, solo founders, early-stage startup teams

Comparison with other launch platforms

Feature	OpenHunts	Open Launch	Firsto	ProductBurst	Huzzler
Model	Weekly rankings (Mon-Mon)	Daily rankings (PH-style)	Daily rankings + SEO	Daily/weekly rankings	Weekly competition (Mon-Sun)
Free backlink	Top 3 weekly (dofollow)	Top 3 daily + badge (dofollow)	Top 3 daily + badge (dofollow)	Automatic dofollow	Winners only (dofollow)
Premium cost	$9.90 / $20	$12 / $59	$19.90 / $59.90 / $149	One-time fee	$79 Black / $34 promoted
Backlink DR	DR50	DR65	DR57	DR46	DR41-47
Launch cycle	Weekly (Mondays)	Daily	Daily (8:00 UTC)	Daily	Weekly (Mon-Sun)
Free queue	~89 weeks	Variable	~180 days	None	None
SEO articles	No	Yes ($59)	Yes ($149)	No	No

OpenHunts vs Open Launch

Aspect	OpenHunts	Open Launch
Launch cycle	Weekly (7-day voting window)	Daily (24-hour window)
Premium price	$9.90	$12
Highlight/featured price	$20/week	$59 SEO Growth
DR	50	65
Free backlink condition	Top 3 weekly	Top 3 daily + badge
Queue wait (free)	~89 weeks	Variable (shorter)
Traffic	~11K/mo	Modest

Bottom line: Open Launch has higher DR (65 vs 50) and a slightly lower basic premium ($12 vs $9.90). OpenHunts offers a longer voting window (weekly vs daily) which can benefit products that build momentum slowly. If DR matters most, Open Launch is the better backlink. If you want more time in the voting cycle, OpenHunts gives you a full week.

Platform details

• Contact: hello@openhunts.com, support@openhunts.com
• Social: @openhunts on Twitter, Telegram channel
• Traffic: ~34K visits / 72K pageviews per 90 days
• Categories: 72+ categories covering AI, SaaS, productivity, developer tools, marketing, design, and more
• Newsletter: Active — top products get featured
• Community features: Founder leaderboards (30-day), comments, voting

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 + weekly ranking position
2. Choose your tier	Free (patient), Premium ($9.90), or Highlight ($20)	Determines backlink guarantee and visibility
3. Time your submission	Launches go live on Mondays	Coordinate your community push for Monday
4. Rally your network	Share your OpenHunts listing on launch day	Early votes drive weekly ranking position
5. Engage the community	Comment on other products, respond to feedback	Community engagement improves visibility
6. Share externally	Post your listing link on Twitter, communities	External traffic drives ranking

Which tier to choose

Free ($0) when:

• Budget is zero AND you can wait ~89 weeks (1.7 years)
• You're confident you can reach Top 3 weekly
• You want to submit and forget — it'll go live eventually

Premium ($9.90) when:

• You want a guaranteed dofollow backlink — no conditions
• You need to launch next Monday
• Best value for a guaranteed backlink among launch directories

Highlight ($20/week) when:

• You want maximum visibility — pinned at top of the page
• Guaranteed Twitter and newsletter shoutout matters for your launch
• You're coordinating a broader launch and want OpenHunts to be a high-impact moment

Multi-platform launch strategy

OpenHunts works best as one platform in a broader launch:

1. SoloPush + ProductBurst — instant listings (Day 1)
2. Huzzler Launch Arena — submit Monday for weekly competition
3. Open Launch Premium ($12) — next-day launch with DR65 backlink (highest DR for the price)
4. OpenHunts Premium ($9.90) — next-Monday launch with DR50 backlink + full week voting
5. Firsto Premium ($19.90) — 24-hour launch with DR57+ backlink + permanent SEO page
6. MicroLaunch — 30-day leaderboard cycle
7. CtrlAlt.cc + LaunchingNext — curated directories (queue or pay to skip)
8. 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.

• ~89 week free queue is extremely long. This is one of the longest free queues of any launch directory — nearly 2 years. If timing matters at all, the $9.90 Premium is effectively mandatory.
• Free backlink requires Top 3. Regular free listings do not get a dofollow backlink. You must finish in the Top 3 weekly ranking to earn one.
• Weekly cycle means slower results. Your launch competes for a full week, which is good for accumulating votes but means you wait longer for your ranking result compared to daily-cycle platforms.
• DR 50 is mid-range. Higher than CtrlAlt.cc (DA30), ProductBurst (DR46), and SoloPush (DR46-47), but lower than Firsto (DR57), Open Launch (DR65), or Product Hunt (DR91).
• No public API. Everything is manual through the web interface.
• No SEO Growth/article option. Unlike Firsto ($149) and Open Launch ($59), OpenHunts doesn't offer editorial review articles for additional SEO value.
• Small platform. ~11K monthly visitors is modest. Don't expect significant direct traffic — the value is the backlink and category discovery.

Related skills

• /sales-launch-directory — Launch strategy across multiple startup directories
• /sales-openlaunch — Open Launch platform help (open-source PH alternative, DR65 backlinks)
• /sales-firsto — Firsto platform help (fair launch platform, sustained SEO discovery)
• /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 --skills sales-do

Examples

Example 1: Launch a product on OpenHunts for a backlink

User says: "I want to launch my SaaS tool on OpenHunts to get a dofollow backlink" Skill does:

1. Recommends Premium tier ($9.90) since free backlinks require Top 3 weekly finish
2. Walks through submission checklist: name, description, screenshots
3. Explains the weekly Monday launch cycle and how to time community push
4. Compares $9.90 Premium value to Open Launch Premium ($12 for DR65) and Firsto Premium ($19.90 for DR57)
5. Suggests submitting to both OpenHunts and Open Launch for two backlinks under $22 Result: Tier recommendation with cost comparison and multi-platform suggestion

Example 2: OpenHunts vs other directories — which to choose

User says: "Should I use OpenHunts or Open Launch or Firsto?" Skill does:

1. Compares pricing: OpenHunts $9.90, Open Launch $12, Firsto $19.90
2. Compares DR: Open Launch DR65 > Firsto DR57 > OpenHunts DR50
3. Notes launch cycle differences: OpenHunts weekly, Open Launch daily, Firsto daily
4. Highlights unique features: OpenHunts weekly voting window, Open Launch highest DR for cheapest price, Firsto SEO Growth articles
5. Recommends using all three — total $42 for three guaranteed dofollow backlinks from three different domains Result: Clear comparison with recommendation to use all three for complementary backlink value

Example 3: Maximize visibility on OpenHunts

User says: "How do I get the most out of my OpenHunts launch?" Skill does:

1. Recommends Highlight tier ($20) for pinned placement + guaranteed newsletter/Twitter shoutout
2. Advises optimizing listing description with keywords for long-term category discovery
3. Suggests timing network push for Monday when the weekly cycle resets
4. Recommends engaging with other products in the community to build visibility
5. Notes the founder leaderboard as a way to build presence through multiple product launches Result: Tactical launch plan for maximum OpenHunts visibility

Troubleshooting

Stuck in the ~89 week free queue

Symptom: Submitted for free weeks ago, product hasn't launched Cause: OpenHunts limits free launches to 20 slots/week. With ~89 weeks of backlog, free submissions wait nearly 2 years. Solution: Upgrade to Premium ($9.90) for next-Monday launch. This is one of the cheapest paid options across all directories. If budget is truly zero, use the wait time to submit to instant-listing platforms like SoloPush and ProductBurst where you'll go live immediately.

Free listing but no dofollow backlink

Symptom: Product is listed on OpenHunts but backlink check shows nofollow Cause: Free-tier dofollow backlinks require finishing in the Top 3 weekly ranking. Regular free listings get nofollow links. Solution: If the backlink matters, upgrade to Premium ($9.90) for guaranteed dofollow. Or submit to directories with automatic dofollow backlinks: ProductBurst (DR46), SoloPush (DR46-47), LaunchingNext (DR51).

Not getting votes or engagement

Symptom: Product launched but has few votes after several days Cause: OpenHunts is a smaller platform (~11K monthly visitors). Organic discovery alone may not generate significant engagement. Solution: Actively share your OpenHunts listing URL on Twitter, relevant communities, and with your network. Engage with other products on OpenHunts (comment, vote) to build reciprocal visibility. Consider the Highlight tier ($20) for guaranteed social/newsletter promotion. Set realistic expectations — most value comes from the backlink, not direct traffic.