From Manual to Magic: Why I Switched to NurturingMail
praneetbrar7
From Manual to Magic: My Journey to Smarter Outreach
As a directory owner in the ever-evolving digital world, I’ve always believed that consistency, personalization, and timing are the keys to growth. But I learned the hard way that relying solely on manual outreach was keeping me stuck in the past. It wasn’t efficient, scalable, or even sustainable.
After trying countless tools, scheduling endless emails, and sending cold outreach that felt more “cold” than “connecting,” I made the shift — and it changed everything. This is the story of why I switched to NurturingMail and how it unlocked a new level of automation, personalization, and ROI for my directory business.
Why Manual Outreach Wasn’t Working
The Time Sink
Let’s be honest — doing manual outreach is a serious time-suck. Searching for new startups every day, crafting personalized messages, and following up with each founder would eat up countless hours that I could’ve been spending on improving my directory, building new features, or just taking a break.
Inconsistent Messaging
No matter how hard I tried to standardize my approach, things would slip through the cracks. Some emails would be too generic. Others wouldn’t hit the right tone. The result? Low response rates and an inbox full of crickets.
Growth Plateau
I realized that if I wanted to grow my directory from a side hustle into a thriving digital product, I needed a smarter way to do outreach — something that wouldn’t require me to scale a sales team.
Enter NurturingMail: The Game Changer
I was introduced to NurturingMail through the indie hacker community, and at first, I was skeptical. Another outreach tool? Another dashboard to learn? But then I saw the features — and they weren’t just different, they were tailor-made for directory owners like me.
Built for Directory Owners
Unlike generic email platforms, NurturingMail was designed specifically for people running directories. That distinction matters. It understands what selling visibility means, how critical SEO submissions are, and — most importantly — how early-stage founders behave when they launch on Product Hunt.
Features That Made Me Switch (and Stay)
Here’s what stood out within the first week:
- Automated Daily Outreach: Every day, NurturingMail tracked and identified fresh Product Hunt launches and emailed them — on my behalf.
- Hyper-Personalized Cold Emails: Each message included the founder’s name and product name, with a natural, congratulatory tone that didn’t feel sales-y.
- Inbox Delivery Optimization: Emails were spaced 15–20 minutes apart, keeping bounce rates low and inbox deliverability high.
- Custom Branding: The emails came from my domain and reflected my directory’s value — this wasn’t some generic tool brand taking credit for my outreach.
- Proven Templates and Copy: I didn’t have to write a single email from scratch. Templates were included and already optimized for engagement.
Learn more about these features in detail on their features page.
Before and After: Real Results
| Metric | Before NurturingMail | After NurturingMail |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Submissions | 6–10 | 25–30 |
| Cold Email Open Rate | 18% | 42% |
| Response Rate | 3% | 15% |
| Time Spent on Outreach | 10+ hrs/week | Under 30 mins/week |
Within 30 days, my directory submissions more than doubled. Even founders who didn’t submit immediately replied, thanked me, or kept the conversation going. That’s real engagement — not spray-and-pray spam.
How NurturingMail Taps into the Perfect Moment
Imagine this: 50+ new startups launch every single day on Product Hunt. These founders are in launch mode — they want exposure, SEO, and backlinks. That’s your window to connect. With NurturingMail, you hit their inbox within hours of launching — when they’re most open to opportunities.
And because each email is sent in a warm, human tone with real personalization, it doesn’t come across as a pitch. It lands like a congratulatory message from a fellow founder — and that changes everything.
If you’re curious about how the daily tracking works, their FAQs page breaks it down perfectly.
More Use Cases, More Possibilities
I started with one directory, but things escalated quickly. Here’s how NurturingMail helped me scale:
- Launching a New Directory: I used it to pre-fill submissions on my new Chrome extensions directory within a week.
- Validating Niches: Before committing to an AI Tools directory, I tested engagement using daily outreach. The responses confirmed the demand.
- Running Multiple Directories: Managing outreach from one dashboard saved dozens of hours each week.
NurturingMail works for more than just big commercial directories. I’ve seen creators from the Uno Directory and niche platforms like Aura++ benefit from targeting Product Hunt launches. For solo founders and indie creators, it’s a force multiplier.
Competitive Pricing That Makes Sense
For what it offers, NurturingMail’s pricing is a no-brainer. Access to automatic daily outreach and powerful personalization tools would usually cost you a full-time marketer. I explored the price tiers on their pricing page and was pleased to see options for nearly every stage — from indie hackers to larger teams.
I loved the fact that there was no pressure to commit immediately. They even offer a trial period, letting you measure results before going all-in.
Using the Right Tools Makes All the Difference
This journey has reminded me how crucial it is to use tools that match your goals. For founders building solo, like Praneet Brar, optimizing efforts with the right kind of automation is vital. We all want to maximize output without burning out, and that’s where tools like NurturingMail come in.
Other creators are also pairing their outreach automation with SEO tools, community platforms, and even CRM integrations. As a real-world example, using Hunter.io for validated contacts and Zapier for CRM syncing can take your NurturingMail results to the next level.
Final Thoughts: Scaling Smarter, Not Harder
Making the switch from manual outreach felt overdue — but NurturingMail didn’t just automate my existing process, it amplified it. It brought in more submissions, built better connections with founders, and made my directories feel more alive with fresh, high-quality listings.
If you’re a directory owner, indie hacker, or solopreneur looking to scale outreach without scaling stress, then it’s time to stop doing this manually. It’s time to switch to something that works while you sleep.
Check out NurturingMail for yourself: https://nurturingmail.com
Let the results speak for themselves — and say goodbye to doing things the hard way.