How to Collect Hundreds of Tools Without Manual Work

Unlocking Tools at Scale: How to Collect Hundreds of Tools Without Manual Work

In today’s digital-first world, there’s an endless sea of tools popping up across various platforms — from automation apps and SaaS products to AI-powered Chrome extensions. While curating these tools manually can offer a sense of control, it’s hardly sustainable or scalable. What if you could collect hundreds (even thousands) of tools effortlessly — without the grind of manual outreach or scraping? That’s exactly what this post will uncover. Whether you’re running a product directory, side project, or content platform, discover how automation can pull in the tools you need while you focus on growth.

Why Collecting Tools Manually No Longer Makes Sense

The Scale of Modern Product Launches

Platforms like Product Hunt are host to over 50 new product launches per day. Add IndieHackers, BetaList, Hacker News, and emerging marketplaces to the mix, and keeping up becomes overwhelming fast. Manual collection means hours spent searching, filtering, and contacting founders — a process that doesn’t scale and often results in missed opportunities.

The Risk of Burnout

If you’re a solopreneur trying to grow your directory or content platform, juggling product discovery and outreach manually can quickly lead to burnout. Your time is better spent planning growth strategies, building partnerships, and enhancing your SEO footprint — not sending cold emails all day.

Lost Opportunity for Early Engagement

Founders are most responsive within the first few days of launch. Manual outreach typically delays communication — missing the crucial window when they’re actively looking for visibility and backlinks.

Automation to the Rescue: Smart Ways to Collect Tools Effortlessly

Automation isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about working smarter so you can collect the best tools faster, more efficiently, and at scale. Here are leading ways to automate tool collection:

1. Automated Cold Outreach to Founders

Services like Nurturing Mails have revolutionized how directory owners connect with early-stage founders. Instead of scraping for emails and manually crafting outreach messages, you can automate this entire pipeline in a few clicks.

• Trigger-based Outreach: Nurturing Mails automatically detects daily launches from Product Hunt and sends personalized congratulatory emails to founders.
• Personalization at Scale: Messages include product and founder names, creating a warm tone that drives conversions.
• No Spam Triggers: Deliveries are spaced every 15–20 minutes to maintain email deliverability and avoid bulk sending flags.

Visit the Features Page to explore everything it can automate for you, from real-time launch tracking to custom branding in outreach emails.

2. Utilize Tool Aggregator Directories

Several curated directories are already collecting tools in various niches. By aggregating from them (with proper credit or API access), you can scale your database quickly. Notable examples include:

• UNO Directory – A collection of startup tools and indie projects across the web, categorized and up-to-date.
• Aura++ – Spotlighting AI and productivity-focused apps, perfect for modern SaaS or chrome extension directories.
• Praneet Brar – A maker and growth hacker whose collection of resources and tools can give strong leads for your curation campaigns.

Leveraging these sources means you’re not starting from scratch — you’re building on top of what others have collected with precision.

3. Set Up Scraping with Caution

If done correctly, web scraping can still play a role in your strategy. But manual scraping is limiting and often against terms of service. Instead, use APIs or low-footprint scrapers with respect to platform guidelines:

• Use the Product Hunt API for structured data access.
• Monitor subreddit threads like r/SideProject and r/Startup to spot trending tools.
• Set Google Alerts for keyword combinations like “launched today” + “SaaS” or “new Chrome extension.”

Building an Automated Submission Funnel

Once you begin collecting tools at scale, the next crucial step is ensuring those tools convert into listings or submissions on your platform. Here’s how automation helps:

Create Dedicated Submission Pages

Tools like Nurturing Mails don’t just send an email — they invite the founder to list their product on your site. Ensure your submission process is:

• Frictionless: No sign-ups or long forms
• SEO-Optimized: Each submission should generate a dedicated page rich with relevant metadata
• Incentivized: Offer backlink opportunities or upgraded listings for early adopters

Leverage Multi-site Outreach

Managing multiple directories? Nurturing Mails lets you scale outreach for several niches — AI, SaaS, Chrome Extensions — under a unified system. No more bouncing between inboxes. You can learn more on their Pricing page.

Why Directory Owners Love Hands-Free Tool Collection

Time and time again, we hear the same pain points from solopreneurs and indie hackers building directories:

Problem	Old Method	With Nurturing Mails
Manual discovery of new tools	Browsing launch platforms daily	Real-time Product Hunt tracking and capture
Outreach limitations	Sending 10–20 emails per day	Up to 80+ personalized emails daily without spam issues
Low submission rates	Generic cold emails	High-converting templates with founder/product alignment

How To Start: Your 3-Step Quick Launch Plan

1. Create or Choose Your Niche: Decide if you’re focusing on AI tools, productivity apps, SaaS founders, or Chrome extensions.
2. Sign Up at NurturingMail: Create an account and set up deliverability (DKIM/SPF/DMARC if needed).
3. Watch Your Directory Grow: Sit back and monitor as daily outreach fills your directory with high-quality submissions.

Tips for Maximizing Results with Automation

Map Your Ideal Tool Persona

Set custom filters to target only the types of tools relevant to your directory. Use hashtags, descriptions, and launch timing to refine your outreach via Product Hunt APIs or NurturingMail’s targeting algorithms.

Test Multiple Email Copy Variants

Don’t stick with just one template. Test multiple copies to understand what resonates. NurturingMail supports A/B tests — a powerful feature for iterating quickly without burning leads. Learn more about this on their FAQs page.

Engage Past Submitters

Your funnel shouldn’t stop at the first submission. Touchbase with previous tool submitters during product updates or funding news. This deepens relationships and increases your site’s authority.

Final Thoughts: Scale Smarter With Automation

Collecting hundreds of tools doesn’t have to involve a never-ending spreadsheet or cold-email hustle. From AI-curated Product Hunt monitoring to automated founder engagement, the smartest directories today are growing on autopilot — all thanks to powerful automation tools.

With platforms like NurturingMail leading the charge, solopreneurs and directory builders no longer need to wear 10 hats to scale. Take control of your growth engine and begin scaling submissions today.

Explore their suite of automations over at Features, compare plans at the Pricing page, or dive into the FAQs to get started.

For broader insights and inspirations, check out platforms like