How to Make Your Directory AI-Proof
written by Frey Chu How to Make Your Directory AI-Proof A question I’ve asked myself everyday this week is: How do I make my projects AI-proof? What type of information is in-demand, but AI still won’t be able to answer? And what type of websites will still be around for years to come? I actually think there’s a few answers here (will be making a video on this soon), but one thing I can’t stop thinking about is the power of specialized data. Specialized data is just information that’s hard to…
A weird piece of advice that actually works
written by Frey Chu A weird piece of advice that actually works Pressure and expectations can ruin your momentum as a builder. I think that’s obvious. I’ve felt it, and I talk to a lot of people every week who are building stuff online so…I know for a fact some of you have felt it too. So I wanted to share a weird piece of business advice I got from one of my best friends in college that I think about a lot. Especially while I’m building directories (but this applies to any business I want…
First-time directory builders are quietly winning.
written by Frey Chu First-time directory builders are quietly winning. It’s been 4 months since I started sharing everything I know around building profitable directories. Hundreds of people have built a directory in the last few months. But directories are simple, not easy. Those that are learning from their mistakes, pivoting from overly competitive niches, and learning how to curate high-quality, niche-specific data on a website are starting to win. So today’s newsletter is just a gentle…
Pro-Tips for Building a $10k/Month Directory
written by Frey Chu Pro-Tips for Building a $10k/Month Directory Let’s talk about the most real path to a $10k+/month directory. The most reliable route I’ve seen over and over again is lead generation. I see it all the time when I analyze directories (though hundreds of directories do this and earn far more than $10k/month) But here’s the catch. If you’re going to do this well, you have to be willing to play an active role in your business. That means cold outreach, phone calls, or any way…
How I Built a Recession-Proof Directory (and You Can Too)
written by Frey Chu How I Built a Recession-Proof Directory (and You Can Too) One of the secrets to my success in the directory world has been choosing niches that are recession proof and that fall into one of three buckets: Help people save time Help people save money Help people make more money At this point, you might already know that I own a thrifting directory that gets 50k-80k/monthly visitorss. And just to reverse engineer my thinking from a couple years ago when I built it, it was…
High Standards = Slow Starts
written by Frey Chu High Standards = Slow Starts There’s 7 core filters and questions that I run every directory niche idea through before doing anything else. If an idea passes all of these filters, I walk away with a strong sense of confidence that my directory can rank and monetize over time. These include: Keyword difficulty + search volume Strength of competitors What problem am I solving? (i.e. are people having trouble finding specific info around a location) Clarity of search intent…
Proof Simple Directories Can Still Win
written by Frey Chu Proof Simple Directories Can Still Win Someone built this directory…and it ranks on Google. Link to directory It’s a simple directory that helps people find dry ice vendors around the world. Currently, it gets around ~1,500-2,700 monthly visitors. At it’s peak, it was getting around 16,000 monthly visits. My first thought was “why in the world would someone ever use this dry ice directory.” Until I realized that dry ice isn’t just used for haunted houses and high school…
You’re Not Building A Directory
written by Frey Chu You’re Not Building A Directory You’re learning how to distribute ideas on the internet. This is the first thing I told myself in 2022 before creating my first directory (the one that still pays me $2500/mo passively to this day). A simple framework shift that helped me grind through countless days of feeling discouraged. A way to give myself something greater to work towards (not just a target MRR number) as I sacrificed my nights and weekends back when I was working a…
4 Signs To Build A Digital Product For Your Directory
written by Frey Chu 4 Signs To Build A Digital Product For Your Directory This month, one of my directories saw a small downturn in display ad revenue: Display ad revenue from Feb 26th-March 27th, 2025 But back in July 2023, I built a $19 evergreen digital product that I sell on this directory. On average, it brings in ~$500/month in revenue. Yet, for some reason it really popped off this month, bringing in $883.96 month-to-date. Since launching the digital product, I’ve done zero marketing…
Someone Copies Your Niche Idea…Now What?
written by Frey Chu Someone Copies Your Niche Idea…Now What? A common question I get in the Ship Your Directory community is “Someone is building a directory in the same niche as me. What should I do?!” Look, I get it – it’s discouraging to discover new competition going for the same directory niche. You may even feel threatened, especially if you’re convinced that this idea is your super secret find of a lifetime (spoiler: it’s probably not). The truth is, the random person you’re worried…