Marketing in Public
Directories & launch sitesDidn't workDirectory submissions + daily social posts vs communities and 1:1 conversations

22 directories, 10 channels, 23 days: 8 signups and zero paying customers

By Muhammad Haris Zafar · ColdCraft· Sep 27, 2026
8
Signups
0
Paying customers
Not disclosed
Budget
23 days
Duration

Muhammad Haris Zafar pushed ColdCraft across 22 AI directories, about 15 listing sites and daily posts on nine social channels. In 23 days: 8 signups, 0 paying. Directories and social posts produced no traceable signups; community posts and one-on-one conversations produced all of them.

01The problem

Get a new cold-outreach tool its first customers with no audience.

02The experiment

He submitted ColdCraft to 22 AI directories and to AlternativeTo, G2, Capterra, Peerlist, BetaPage and about 15 other listing sites. He posted daily across LinkedIn, Twitter, Quora, Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Threads, wrote two Medium articles, started a LinkedIn newsletter and reached the Indie Hackers front page on day 8.

Separately, he posted a beta-tester call across Skool and Discord communities on one day, and had one-on-one conversations where he ran the product for people on a real prospect.

03Results

MetricResult
Signupsin 23 days8
Paying customers0
AI directories submittedplus about 15 other listing sites22
Signups from directories“zero signups I can trace”0
SpendNot disclosed

“Not disclosed” means the source doesn't say. We never estimate or fill in missing numbers.

04What worked — and what didn't

What worked

  • A beta-tester post across Skool and Discord communities on the same day (12 people on the site at once)
  • One-on-one conversations, offering to run the product on a real prospect

What didn't work

  • 22 AI directories and listing sites: zero traceable signups
  • Daily Reels, Quora and Twitter posts: zero traceable signups
  • Broadcast content with no existing audience

05Lessons

With no audience, skip the content calendar and find 10 people to have real conversations with.

“Posting content daily gives you something to do. It doesn't give you customers.”
— Muhammad Haris Zafar

06Source & evidence

  • Originally shared on Indie Hackers · Aug 7, 2026

    23 days of distributing a SaaS. Here's exactly what happened

    View original

Public source. Extracted from publicly available content by the founder.

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A checklist built from what Muhammad Haris Zafar actually did. Their numbers are a reference, not a promise.

  1. 1

    Pick the channel and tactic

    Directories & launch sites — Directory submissions + daily social posts vs communities and 1:1 conversations.

  2. 2

    Set a budget cap

    Muhammad Haris Zafar didn't say what it cost. Decide your cap before you start.

  3. 3

    Set an end date

    Muhammad Haris Zafar ran it for 23 days. Put your review date in the calendar now.

  4. 4

    Copy what worked

    From Muhammad Haris Zafar's experience:

    • ☐A beta-tester post across Skool and Discord communities on the same day (12 people on the site at once)
    • ☐One-on-one conversations, offering to run the product on a real prospect
  5. 5

    Avoid what didn't

    Where it went wrong:

    • ☐22 AI directories and listing sites: zero traceable signups
    • ☐Daily Reels, Quora and Twitter posts: zero traceable signups
    • ☐Broadcast content with no existing audience
  6. 6

    Track the same numbers

    So you can compare like for like:

    • ☐Signups
    • ☐Paying customers
    • ☐AI directories submitted
    • ☐Signups from directories
  7. 7

    Compare, then share what happened

    Muhammad Haris Zafar's headline result: 8 signups. Yours will differ — that's the point. Win or flop, the result is worth sharing.

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