To get a news-style feature article about your startup without waiting on a cold pitch, you need a publisher that will write a readable product story on its own domain and list it in public. Lede Press is built for that: a daily public edition of product stories, each page written so a reader can understand the product and explore it, with one product link in the article. Community coverage is free with a reciprocal site credit (or free with a nofollow product link). The full editorial and distribution package is $29 and goes live the day it is ready. This guide walks through when a Lede edition page is the right format, what you submit, what you get, and how to check the live link. It does not promise rankings or AI citations.
Plans and live pages were checked on 6 November 2026. Disclosure: Lede Press is run by the same team as EarlyHunt and the other Hunt / Aura++ sites.
Last checked: Nov 6, 2026
What is a Lede Press edition page?
Lede Press is a public daily index of product stories. The homepage is that day's edition. Each edition page names the product, files it by category, and includes one product link in the article so a reader can explore it. That is different from a logo listing in a directory, and it is also different from a short opener-only blurb or a multi-product shortlist.
On the Free and $29 plans the product link is dofollow: one anchor without rel nofollow, sponsored or ugc. On the Nofollow plan that link uses rel=nofollow. After publish, open the live URL and inspect it. The attribute matches the plan. A ranking is not guaranteed; Lede's own pricing page states the domain rating is 0 and that the page does not promise a ranking, a traffic number or a movement in that rating.
When is a news-style feature the right ask?
Use a Lede-style feature when:
You want a stranger to open one URL and understand the product without a sales call.
You have a launch, a clear use case, or a comparison angle that reads like a story, not a feature matrix.
You would rather have one solid product story than a row in a catalog.
Skip it (for now) when you only need a sharp two-line opener, a place inside a buyer shortlist, or a long decision explainer. Those jobs fit Hed Press, Listed Press and Piece Press instead. EarlyHunt's own comparison of editorial vs directory backlinks is still the place to start if you are unsure whether you want an article or a listing at all.
What does it cost on Lede Press?
Plan | Price | Product link | Goes live | Site credit | Limit per project |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free reciprocal | $0 | Dofollow | Shares 5 free slots/day at 08:00 UTC | Required (badge optional) | 1 publication |
Free nofollow | $0 | Nofollow | Same shared free pool | Not required | 1 publication |
Editorial | $29 | Dofollow | Same day it is ready | Not required | Unlimited |
The $29 package adds the SEO/AEO/GEO article pass, FAQ schema, Article and product structured data, llms.txt and Markdown cite twin, a custom featured image, a published Pinterest pin, automatic IndexNow, and up to three schedule-again-for-tomorrow relaunches. Projects themselves are free. A paid page does not take one of the five free slots.
How do you submit a product story?
Create a free project on Lede Press.
Choose reciprocal free, nofollow free, or the $29 editorial package.
Submit the product URL plus the facts an editor needs: what it is, who it is for, and one concrete job it does.
If you chose reciprocal free, add a clear site credit to ledepress.com on your site (badge optional) and leave it up while the page is live.
Wait for the edition page. Free pages join at 08:00 UTC when a free slot is open; $29 pages go live the day they are ready.
Open the public URL, read the story, and inspect the product link.
You do not wait on someone else's blog for a screenshot. Lede Press writes the page and lists it in public on ledepress.com.
What does a live Lede story look like?
Two live edition pages were public when this guide was checked:
Aura++ vs. Product Hunt: Which Startup Launch Platform Delivers More Lasting Value? (Marketing, Sales, SEO)
Addressing Legal Concerns: Is AI-Generated Paperwork from Contract Aura Reliable? (Legal, Productivity, SaaS)
Open either page and you will see a full product story, not a logo tile: headings, context, and a product link inside the writing. That is the bar to expect for your own edition page.
How is Lede Press different from Hed, Listed and Piece?
Lede's own FAQ puts it simply: a daily public edition of product stories, with the homepage as today's index. Hed Press is opener-first. Listed Press is criteria-led shortlists. Piece Press is longer decision explainers. If you want the chooser table across all four formats, start from each desk's get-published page, or from MakerHunt's wider playbook on getting editorial backlinks as an indie maker.
For this EarlyHunt post, the practical rule is: if the thing you want is "a feature a reader can open from today's edition", stay on Lede.
What should you send the desk so the story is accurate?
One sentence that names the buyer and the job.
Two proof points you would be happy to see quoted (a real limit is better than a vague claim).
The exact product URL you want linked.
Category suggestions that match buyer language.
Anything that must not appear (beta flags, regions you do not sell in).
Do not send a 2,000-word pitch deck. The edition page is a product story, not a reprint of your homepage.
How do you verify the backlink after publish?
Open the live edition URL. Find the product link in the body. View source or use your browser inspector on that anchor:
Free reciprocal or $29: you should not see rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" on that product link.
Free nofollow: you should see rel=nofollow.
Aura++ has a separate walkthrough on how to check if a backlink is dofollow. Put the URL, plan and checked-on date in your sheet. Link status can change over time on any site; date every row.
A made-up example: Oakrelay gets a Lede feature
Oakrelay is a made-up tool that turns warehouse radio chatter into searchable notes for small logistics teams. The founder wants one public page that explains the product for a warehouse manager who has never heard of it. They create a Lede project, pick the $29 package so the page can go live the same day without a free-slot wait, and send: who (warehouse supervisors), what (searchable notes from radio chatter), for whom (teams of 5 to 40 that still run shifts on radio). When the edition page is live they inspect the product link, share the URL in their launch email, and add the row to their backlink sheet. They do not claim a ranking move. They only claim a readable public story with a followed product link under the plan they chose.
Where does a Lede feature sit in a launch week?
Treat the edition page as one asset in the week, not the whole launch. A workable pattern:
Before launch day: submit so a $29 page can be ready, or join the free queue early enough for an 08:00 UTC slot.
On launch day: link the edition URL from your launch post, email and project page.
After launch: keep the reciprocal credit up if you used free dofollow, and re-check the product link a week later.
For picking the launch date itself, EarlyHunt already has a separate guide on how to pick a launch date for your startup.
Free queue vs $29 timing for founders
Early-stage teams often care more about timing than about the extra distribution pass. Rules from Lede's pricing page:
Five free edition pages go live each day at 08:00 UTC.
Reciprocal and nofollow share that pool.
A free page that misses the day's five waits in order.
A $29 page goes live the day it is ready and never takes a free slot.
If your launch email goes out Thursday afternoon and you are still in the free queue, you may be linking a page that is not public yet. Either submit earlier, or use $29 when the calendar is tight. Do not promise subscribers a URL you have not opened yourself.
Mistakes that waste a Lede submission
Submitting a waitlist page with no product to explore.
Writing a slogan instead of who / what / for whom.
Choosing reciprocal free and forgetting the site credit.
Expecting the five free slots to always be open the hour you submit.
Treating the page as a ranking purchase. It is a published story.
News-style feature FAQ
Can I get a news-style feature about my startup for free?
On Lede Press, yes, through the free reciprocal plan (site credit required, dofollow product link) or the free nofollow plan. Both share five free edition slots each day at 08:00 UTC. The $29 plan skips the free queue.
Is the Lede Press product link dofollow?
On Free reciprocal and $29, yes. On Free nofollow, no. Always inspect the live page.
Does a Lede page help SEO or AI answers?
The page is public, names the product, and puts the product link in a sentence. A search engine can index that page. On the $29 plan the opening is edited so an answer engine has a specific URL to quote. A ranking and a citation are not guaranteed. Lede states that in its get-published and pricing copy.
How is this different from pitching TechCrunch?
Pitching a major outlet is still earned media when it works, and EarlyHunt / Aura++ coverage of press pitching still applies. Lede is a desk you can submit to that publishes the story on its own site. Different job, different odds, different cost.
Publish one edition page this week
If a news-style product story is what you want, start on the Lede Press get-published page, compare Lede Press pricing, and submit one clear product. Then open the live edition URL and check the link yourself before you count it.