firstthousandusers
  1. Idea and validation
  2. Waitlist
  3. Private beta
  4. Launch
  5. First 100 users
  6. First 1,000 users
Partnerships

List in integration marketplaces

Publish the product in the app directories of tools your users already use, such as Slack, Shopify, Zapier, Notion or the Chrome Web Store.

What's requiredA few days to a few weeks to build, plus review time that varies by platform.
Accounts
A developer or partner account on the platform you pick.
Assets
A working integration, an icon, 3–5 screenshots, a short demo video, a privacy policy and a support page.
Time
A few days to a few weeks to build, plus review time that varies by platform.
Cost
Usually free to list. Some platforms charge a one-time developer fee.
Prerequisites
A product that does something useful with another tool's data or inside its interface.

What to do

  1. Pick the platform your users already have open all day. Ask ten users which tools they use next to yours, or look at what they paste into support chats. Common marketplaces:
    • Slack App Directory, for anything a team does together.
    • Zapier, for anything that has events or data other tools could use.
    • Shopify App Store, for anything that helps online stores.
    • Chrome Web Store, for anything that works on top of web pages.
    • Notion, HubSpot, Figma Community, GitHub Marketplace and the VS Code Marketplace, for tools that live next to those products.
  2. Pick one platform, not five. Each marketplace has its own review process, API and listing rules. One listing done well beats five half-finished ones.
  3. Build the smallest integration that is useful on its own. A Slack app that posts one daily summary. A Zapier trigger for “new record created”. A Figma plugin that does one job. You can ship this in days, not months, and extend it after you see who installs it.
  4. Read the review guidelines before you write code. Most marketplaces review apps before they go live and reject for predictable reasons: missing privacy policy, asking for more permissions than needed, broken install flow, no support contact. Some also require a minimum number of active users or a partner agreement before a public listing; check the current rules on the platform’s developer site.
  5. Write the listing for search inside the marketplace. People find apps by searching the directory, so:
    • put the job in the app name or subtitle, for example “Acme: Client Reports for Slack”, not just “Acme”,
    • make the first sentence say what happens after install,
    • use screenshots that show the result inside the host tool, with a one-line caption on each,
    • add a 30–60 second video if the platform allows it.
  6. Make install to first result take under two minutes. Many marketplace users install, look once and leave. Skip your own signup form if you can, use the host’s login, and show something useful right after install.
  7. Ask your first users for a review. Reviews and install counts drive ranking in most directories. After a user gets a result, send a short personal note with the direct link to the review page. Ten honest reviews make a listing look alive.
  8. Link the listing from your site and docs. Add an “Available on [platform]” badge and a page on your site about the integration. That page can also rank for “[host tool] + [job]” searches. See SEO for early-stage products.

If you are starting from zero

You do not need a big product to list. Start with the platform whose users already search for the exact job you do. Search the marketplace for your problem in plain words and look at the results: if there are only two or three weak apps with few reviews, that is your opening. If the top results have thousands of reviews, pick a narrower job or a different platform.

Why it works

Marketplace users are already looking for a tool to add, and they already trust the host platform. You get shown to people at the exact moment they search for the job, with no audience of your own. A listing also borrows credibility: “on the Shopify App Store” reassures people who have never heard of you.

How it gets users

Unevenly. On a platform with few competing apps, a well-written listing can bring a handful of installs a week from search alone, sometimes more. On crowded platforms, a new listing with no reviews may get almost nothing until you drive the first installs yourself. Review times vary from days to several weeks. Expect the first month to be slow and the listing to improve as reviews come in. Some platforms feature new or staff-picked apps, but do not plan around it.

Common mistakes

  • Building a big integration before checking anyone searches for it.
  • Listing on five platforms at once and maintaining none of them well.
  • A listing that describes your company instead of what happens after install.
  • Asking for broad permissions the app does not need, which gets it rejected or uninstalled.
  • A long signup flow between install and the first result.
  • Never asking for reviews.

Next steps

This guide is connected to these guides on the map. Numbered ones come next; faded ones come before it.

01 Idea02 Waitlist03 Beta04 Launch05 First 10006 First 1kSubmit to startup directoriesSEO for early-stage products1Cross-promote with adjacent products2This guide04 Launch05 First 10006 First 1kSubmit to startup directoriesSEO for early-stage products1Cross-promote with adjacent products2This guide
  1. 106 First 1,000 users · Content and SEOSEO for early-stage productsWrite a small number of pages that answer specific problem searches your users make, instead of competing for broad terms.
  2. 206 First 1,000 users · PartnershipsCross-promote with adjacent productsAgree with a non-competing product that serves the same users to mention each other in emails, docs or onboarding.