From 10 to 100 Submissions: How NurturingMail Helped Us Scale

From 10 to 100 Submissions: How NurturingMail Helped Us Scale

Growing a product directory is hard. You spend countless hours perfecting the interface, ensuring submission workflows run smoothly, and writing content to please Google. But all of it grinds to a halt if there aren’t enough quality submissions coming in. That was exactly the bottleneck we faced — until we discovered NurturingMail.

Reaching out manually to Product Hunt founders was time-consuming, and most of the time our cold emails went unread or straight to spam. We needed a better way. This blog shares how we scaled from just 10 initial listings to over 100 quality submissions within months — all thanks to this hands-off, automated cold outreach tool built specifically for directory owners.

The Frustration Before NurturingMail

Building, Not Growing

It’s easy to get wrapped up in building a directory: selecting the right categories, tweaking the UX, and perfecting your business model. But very quickly, we realized that our actual problem wasn’t the platform, it was distribution. Just like the founders on Product Hunt – we needed users. In our case, that meant getting people to submit their tools, apps, and platforms to our site.

Cold emailing seemed like the logical next step. We identified relevant Product Hunt launches and got to work. But the obstacles stacked up fast:

• Tracking daily launches was time-consuming.
• Emails lacked personalization and rarely got replies.
• Sending emails too quickly triggered spam filters.
• We couldn’t do this consistently — it just wasn’t sustainable.

After weeks with only marginal improvements, we explored alternatives and landed on NurturingMail — purpose-built to automate exactly what we were trying (and failing) to do manually.

What Is NurturingMail?

At its core, NurturingMail helps directories grow by automating personalized cold email outreach to early-stage founders — especially those launching on Product Hunt. Every day, new products get launched, and NurturingMail makes it easy to stay on top of those launches and connect with the right people at the right moment.

Key Features That Made A Difference

• Automated Daily Outreach: It tracks new Product Hunt launches in real time and initiates outreach automatically.
• Personalized Emails: Each email includes the founder’s name, product name, and a congratulatory note tailored to their launch.
• Inbox Optimization: Messages are paced at 15–20 minute intervals to avoid spam folders.
• Hands-Off Experience: No dashboard needed — everything is done for you. Just connect your email and monitor results.

It was like hiring a full-time SDR specialized in directory submissions — except without actually hiring anyone or lifting a finger.

You can explore all the features on their features page.

How We Setup With NurturingMail

Getting started was surprisingly easy. Here’s what the onboarding looked like:

1. Signed up via the get started page.
2. Connected our email (Gmail in our case) and approved API access.
3. Submitted basic info about our directory — branding, niche, and value proposition.
4. Picked an outreach template from their high-converting library.

And that was it. Within 24 hours, emails started going out to relevant Product Hunt launches. We could even customize the tone and value propositions according to our audience — SaaS founders.

The Results: From 10 to 100+ Submissions

Month-by-Month Impact

Month	Directory Submissions	Replies / Engagement
Month 1	10 → 35	High — 25+ replies, 3 backlink offers
Month 2	35 → 70	Steady — more conversions via email
Month 3	70 → 110+	Explosive — word-of-mouth began spreading

After three months of implementation, we crossed the 100 submission milestone. But more than numbers, the quality of these submissions was outstanding. Because the outreach was targeted to Product Hunt, we were getting innovative, early-stage SaaS startups that actually cared about visibility and backlinks.

Benefits We Didn’t Anticipate

• Increased SEO Authority: With over 90 new indexed listings in three months, our domain authority improved significantly.
• Networking with Founders: Founders we emailed began sharing their experience — many featured us on their blogs, like Praneet Brar did.
• Collaboration Opportunities: Some founders offered integrations, ads, or partnerships once they saw what we were building.

Why NurturingMail Works for Directory Owners

Whether you run a large-scale submission directory or a targeted niche list like Uno Directory, manual outreach just doesn’t scale efficiently. Here’s why tools like NurturingMail perform better:

• They target founders precisely when they’re most engaged — right after launch.
• They personalize the message so it feels genuine, not spammy.
• They eliminate repetitive tasks so you can focus on improving your directory.

Built with Directories in Mind

Unlike traditional outreach automation tools like Lemlist or Mailshake, NurturingMail is 100% focused on one niche — directory owners. Other directories like Aura++ have also started using it, touting massive improvements in organic traffic and daily submissions.

Common Use Cases for NurturingMail

If you’re still wondering if this is for you, check out these proven use cases and how founders have leveraged the system:

1. Launch a New Directory from Scratch: Fill your listing pages within weeks by connecting with fresh launches daily.
2. Grow a Niche Submission Platform: Create micro-directories aligned to trends (Web3, AI, Chrome Extensions).
3. Boost Paid Listings and Backlinks: Monetize your directory faster and bulk up content output for better SEO.
4. Operate Multiple Directories: If you manage more than one platform, scale outreach without burning hours per week.

Lessons We Learned Along the Way

Scaling directory submissions isn’t just about tools; it’s about timing, message, and persistence. NurturingMail mastered those details and removed the friction. But beyond automation, here’s what helped us convert more product founders:

• Be genuinely congratulatory: Never lead with a pitch — validate their journey first.
• Simplify the submission process: A 3-step form is often more effective than a long onboarding workflow.
• Include proof of value: “40k monthly visitors” or “DA50+ backlinks” go a long way in convincing founders.

Getting Started

Ready to scale like we did? If you’re a directory owner, indie hacker or solopreneur looking to grow smarter, get started with NurturingMail today. Plans are designed to be accessible — even for early-stage projects — check their