The 10 Highest Authority Directories to List Your Product

Getting covered by TechCrunch is like winning the startup lottery. Most indie hackers will never make it here unless they've raised serious money or built something genuinely revolutionary. But here's the thing - their paid content options exist, and sometimes that's your only shot. I know founders who've paid for sponsored content and seen immediate investor interest. The organic route needs a compelling story: hitting $1M ARR, solving a massive problem, or having impressive growth metrics. Don't waste time pitching a standard SaaS tool.

Hacker News is where the real techies hang out - engineers from big tech, successful founders, and VCs who actually know what they're talking about. Getting to the front page is pure gold but incredibly hard. I've had posts get 500+ upvotes and others die at 2. The secret sauce? Either solve a technical problem everyone has, share genuine insights from building something, or ask a question that sparks debate. Don't bother with fluff content. The comments can be brutal but they're usually right. Even small discussions here beat most other traffic sources.

AngelList is essential if you're fundraising, but it's also useful for recruiting and getting on investors' radars even when you're not actively raising. I've gotten inbound interest just from having a solid profile. The key is being specific about your traction - actual numbers, not vague growth statements. Update it regularly with new metrics and milestones. Even bootstrap founders should have a presence here because investors browse for interesting companies. The job board side (Wellfound) is solid for startup hiring too.

AlternativeTo is a hidden gem for SaaS founders. People go there specifically looking for alternatives to existing tools, so the traffic is incredibly targeted. I get consistent signups every month from my listing there, and it ranks super well in Google for '[competitor] alternative' searches. The trick is positioning yourself correctly - don't try to be an alternative to everything. Pick 2-3 similar tools and focus on what makes you different. Users leave real reviews, which helps with social proof too.

Indie Hackers is home base for bootstrap founders. This is where you'll find the most honest conversations about building profitable businesses without VC money. Share your revenue milestones, ask for advice on growth tactics, or just vent about the struggles. The community actually helps each other instead of just networking. I've made genuine founder friends here and gotten solid business advice. Post your monthly updates, share what's working, and be transparent about your numbers. The forum discussions often turn into customer discovery goldmines.

About.me is basically a professional homepage that ranks really well in Google when someone searches your name. As a founder, this is crucial when investors, journalists, or potential partners look you up. Mine shows up #2 when you Google my name. Keep it simple - what you're building, your background, and how to reach you. It's especially useful if you have a common name that gets buried in search results. Takes 30 minutes to set up and gives you a clean, professional presence online.

BetaList is perfect for pre-launch and early-stage products. The audience is genuinely interested in trying new tools, not just browsing. I submitted my SaaS 2 weeks before launch and got 800 email signups plus incredibly detailed feedback from beta users. They're picky about what they accept, so make sure your product is actually ready for testing. The traffic isn't massive, but it's high-quality early adopters who'll give you real feedback and become your first advocates if you build something they love.

SaaSHub is another solid option for B2B SaaS tools. It's like AlternativeTo but specifically for software-as-a-service products. The users here are decision-makers researching solutions for their companies, so the leads tend to be more qualified. I get 2-3 demo requests per month from my listing. Make sure your pricing and feature descriptions are accurate because people use this for actual software evaluation. It's not flashy, but it brings consistent, targeted traffic from people with budgets.