Are Launch Directories Dead? The Uncomfortable Truth Nobody Wants to Talk About

Real talk: we've all submitted to like 47 different launch directories. None of them did anything.

Here's what I think nobody's brave enough to say out loud:

The Real Issues:

• Spam central — So many "directories" are just glorified SEO farms scraping. Your launch just becomes another listing nobody clicks. I have received tons of emails whenever I post here too!

• No discovery actually happens — You submit, get buried under 50 other products, and the only traffic is other founders checking out their own product (it's us, we're the traffic). Sad isn't :(

• Pay-to-play is creeping in — Directory founders are starting to charge for "featured" spots. That's not a directory, that's a mini ad network

• They're a graveyard — Most have zero engagement. Dead comments. Dead upvotes. Just tombstones. Only the top 3 make it, gets engagements.

The Real Questions:
What are we actually trying to solve when we use launch directories? Are we trying to find distribution or just checking a box?

If Product Hunt, Twitter, and HN exist, why do we need a 48th place to list our product?

My take: Most launch directories solve a problem that doesn't exist. They exist to solve a problem directory creators have (getting backlinks and users), not a problem we have.

Would love to be wrong though. Thoughts?

Akash of Peerlist actually just posted "I am intentionally avoiding to list AutoSend on any launch directory because ahref (and probably Google) has started marking most of them as "spam" backlink."

Is this true??? Is there ONE directory that's actually moved the needle for you? Or are they all just noise at this point?

I have the same questions on my new launch, GreenRocket.