SaaSSlack and Teams apps playbook
Outpost gets your app ready for the Slack Marketplace and the Microsoft Teams Store, from install thresholds and scopes to privacy and support pages, then builds the search and community presence that brings teams to it. Receipts for every step, $0 extra spend.
01 · DISCOVERY
Teams find workplace apps in three ways: browsing or searching the Slack Marketplace and the Teams Store from inside the tool, searching Google for 'slack app for [task]' or 'standup bot for teams', and seeing a colleague use an app in a shared channel. Admins then approve or block installs, so the listing has to satisfy both the end user and the workspace admin.
One person finds the app, installs it in a channel or requests admin approval, and the team tries it on real work. Admins check permissions requested, privacy policy and security posture. If the app sticks, it spreads to more channels and teams, and paid plans often follow team or workspace size.
02 · CHANNELS
Ranked 5 (essential) to 1 (optional) by the research for this industry.
Listing requires at least 10 active workspace installs maintained through review. Since May 29, 2025, commercially distributed apps outside the Marketplace face much lower rate limits on conversations.history and conversations.replies, so for many apps listing is also a technical necessity.
Teams apps are published through Partner Center after passing validation; Microsoft says apps without issues are typically published within one to two business days. Validation rules include naming restrictions and test accounts for reviewers.
People search for the job, not the app: 'slack standup bot', 'teams approval workflow'. Pages that show the workflow inside Slack or Teams with screenshots rank and convert over months.
Product Hunt and communities such as r/SaaS give early installs that help reach the Slack Marketplace threshold, if you follow each community's rules.
Zapier and similar directories put the app in front of teams automating workflows across tools, once you have a public integration with live users.
03 · YOUR FIRST MONTH
A sample month. Your own plan is built from your audit, stage and goal, and paid options only ever appear as optional boosts.
Week 1 · days 1–7
Week 2 · days 8–14
Week 3 · days 15–21
Week 4 · days 22–30
04 · WHERE TO BE LISTED
Costs are as published by each destination when the research was reviewed; check before you pay for anything.
docs.slack.dev
The in-product directory Slack users browse; listing requires review and at least 10 active workspace installs.
learn.microsoft.com
Where Teams users and admins find apps; requires passing Teams Store validation.
Free to submit
zapier.com
Puts the app in front of teams automating across tools; needs a public integration with live users.
producthunt.com
A launch day for early installs from teams that try new tools.
saashub.com
Software comparison directory where teams look for alternatives.
Free submission
alternativeto.net
Catches teams replacing a Slack or Teams app they have outgrown.
Free; optional priority review fee
g2.com
B2B reviews that admins and buyers check before approving paid plans.
Free claim
05 · SEARCH DEMAND
Primary search
slack app directory
480searches a month
DataForSEO Google Ads, US/en, Oct 2026: 480/mo.
Ready to act: make it easy
Ready to act: make it easy
Looking for a place: be listed there
Learning: answer with guides
06 · AVOID
Slack asks for the fewest, least permissive scopes that deliver the experience and returns submissions that request broad history or admin scopes without need. Admins also block apps that ask for too much.
Since May 2025, commercially distributed apps outside the Slack Marketplace are limited to one conversations.history request per minute with at most 15 objects. Apps that read messages can break for customers.
Slack requires 10 or more active workspace installs throughout review. Dropping below it during review stalls the submission.
Slack requires a public support page with a clear contact method and a privacy policy linked from the landing page. A missing piece returns the app and resets its place in the queue.
Teams Store validation rejects app names that start with core Teams feature words such as Chat, Calendar or Files.
07 · WHAT OUTPOST DOES
Lays out the Slack Marketplace requirements (install count, scopes, landing, privacy and support pages) so you know what to fix before you submit
Prepares the Teams Store listing text from your confirmed facts for you to paste into Partner Center
Writes 'slack app for [task]' and 'teams app for [task]' articles around the workflow
Times a Product Hunt launch to when you can answer comments, to reach the Slack threshold honestly
Prepares Zapier, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo and G2 listings where you qualify, for you to submit, with a receipt per listing
Tracks clicks by source and how AI assistants answer 'best Slack app for [task]'
Every action Outpost takes gets a receipt: the live URL, a timestamp and what it drove, or “nothing yet”.See how receipts work
08 · QUESTIONS
At least 10 active workspaces, maintained throughout review. Slack also considers apps with fewer than 10 active workspaces and fewer than 10 weekly active users unsuitable.
You can, but since May 29, 2025 commercially distributed apps outside the Marketplace get much lower rate limits on conversations.history and conversations.replies. If your app reads messages, listing is close to required.
Microsoft says an app with no issues is typically published within one to two business days. If issues are found, you fix them and resubmit, with guidance from the validation team.
No. Slack's developer policy prohibits using Slack data in advertisements or for targeting ads or contacting users.
If your buyers split between them, yes, but launch on the one your design partners use first. Each has its own review, and passing one does not help with the other.
Usually within months, not weeks. Marketplace listings typically produce the first organic installs; task pages compound over time.
10 · EVIDENCE
Every fact on this page comes from one of these sources.
Active workspace and weekly user thresholds, privacy policy, support page, landing page and scope rules
At least 10 active workspace installs maintained throughout review
Apps returned for missing information lose their place in the review queue
From May 29, 2025, conversations.history limited to 1 request per minute and 15 objects for commercially distributed non-Marketplace apps
Slack data may not be used in advertisements or for targeting ads or contacting users
Partner Center submission and validation process
Apps with no issues publish within one to two business days; fixes go through the validation team
App names must not start with core Teams feature words
Public integration with live users required (registry)
Last reviewed . Search volume: DataForSEO Google Ads, US/en, Oct 2026: 480/mo.
FREE WEBSITE AUDIT
Paste your website. Outpost reads it, scores your visibility, finds your competitors and shows the first fixes, free. Then the playbook above becomes your own campaign, measured in installs.
See plans and pricing