Directory submission vs publication: what should count?

Submitted: the final action was completed

The application reached the directory’s final submission step and that action has evidence. A useful record identifies the product, directory, time and result. A saved draft or a prepared form is not equivalent to a submitted application.

At SubmitSprint, one directory can contribute at most one counted attempt to a campaign. Multiple screenshots can support that attempt; they do not turn it into multiple deliveries.

Approved: the editor accepted it

A directory may review applications after submission. Approval is its editorial decision, and the review may take longer than the submission campaign itself. An approval email is meaningful evidence of that stage, but it does not always mean the page is already public.

A provider should not promise that every directory will approve your product. Accurate descriptions and appropriate targeting improve the quality of an application; they do not transfer editorial control to the submitter.

Published: a listing can be checked

A listing is live when the public page can actually be checked. Keep the URL and the verification date. If a report also makes a claim about a backlink, that link needs its own check rather than an assumption based on publication.

Publication is reported separately from the original submission. A later approval or live URL adds information to the same attempt, not another unit to the purchased count.

Excluded: the route could not be completed

A mandatory fee, required backlink, unavoidable CAPTCHA or failed technical step can stop an application. In SubmitSprint standard packages, an incomplete route does not count as a delivered attempt. We look for a suitable replacement.

An editor rejecting a completed application is different. The submission work was completed and evidenced, so that attempt still counts even though the desired editorial outcome did not happen. This distinction should be clear before purchase.

What to ask for in a submission report

A useful report lets you trace the summary back to individual actions. You should be able to identify the submission, inspect its evidence and see which later outcomes have been checked.

• A row for each directory and its current outcome.
• A timestamp and customer-specific evidence for counted submissions.
• An explicit reason for exclusions.
• Separately checked approval and publication information.
• A clear delivered total and a policy for any shortfall.

Put it into practice.

Inspect the sample submission report, compare campaign packages or see what a submission report contains.

Next field note: Pack once. Submit consistently.