How to Build a Directory Product That Filters by Platform Features (LIVE badges, cashtags, etc.)

Hook: Stop listing agencies — start indexing what they actually do

Creators, publishers and product teams tell us the same thing: general directories flood results with similar-sounding agencies and freelancers. What you need is a directory product that surfaces providers by the platform features they support — LIVE integrations, cashtags commerce, embedded AI tooling, analytics hooks and pricing tiers — not just keywords. This guide gives you a practical product spec for building exactly that in 2026, with modern UX, backend architecture, monetization models and measurement guidance.

Why feature-filtered directories matter in 2026

In the last 18 months the creator economy has evolved from “find a social media manager” to “find someone who can run LIVE shopping on Bluesky with cashtag monetization while integrating AI-driven clips for shorts.” Platforms added new primitives — like Bluesky’s LIVE badges and cashtags announced in late 2025 — and creators expect directories to reflect that nuance. A directory that understands platform features becomes an operational tool for discovery, procurement and onboarding.

Trends to design for (late 2025 – 2026)

• New social primitives: LIVE status badges and cashtags for commerce and finance (e.g., Bluesky), requiring live-integration verification and activity-aware badges.
• AI-first tooling: Providers offering AI-first tooling like AI-assisted content production, prompts-as-a-service, and model access tokens as line items in pricing tiers.
• Creator commerce complexity: Multi-channel payments, cashtag-style micro-payments, and integrated checkout flows becoming standard.
• Trust & safety pressure: Following high-profile deepfake and AI-misuse incidents, vetting and privacy workflows are mandatory for directories that want enterprise customers.

Product goals and user personas

Before you build, define the primary outcomes. A feature-filtered directory typically serves three personas:

• Creators & Publishers — Need vendors who can execute platform-specific features (live shopping on Twitch/Bluesky, cashtag integrations, AI editing).
• Brand Marketers/CMOs — Require agencies that support enterprise integrations, SLAs, and pricing tiers for extended campaigns.
• Vendors/Agencies — Want discoverability, lead quality, and clear pricing display with optional feature badges.

Core product features (MVP)

Start focused. Ship a minimal, usable product that proves value, then layer complexity.

1. Feature taxonomy & tagging

   Design a feature taxonomy first. Example high-level categories: Platform Integrations (Twitch, Bluesky, TikTok LIVE), Commerce Primitives (cashtags, PayLink, wallet support), AI Tools (auto-editing, generative captions), Analytics & Reporting (real-time dashboards, UTM tagging), Security & Compliance (KYC, data retention). Store these as normalized tags and feature flags.

2. Faceted search + multi-select filters

   Users must be able to filter by combinations: e.g., “Agencies that support Bluesky LIVE + cashtag commerce + AI captioning.” Implement dynamic counts and result previews; avoid full page reloads.

3. Realtime LIVE badges

   Show a LIVE badge when a vendor or creator is streaming. Back this with websocket/pubsub or polling via platform APIs (subject to rate limits). Cache a short-lived state (30–60 seconds) to avoid spike costs.

4. Pricing tiers and transparent plans

   Allow vendors to publish structured pricing: hourly, project, subscription tiers, and add-on costs for platform integrations (e.g., Bluesky LIVE set-up fee). Include optional price ranges for lead filtering.

5. Verification & trust badges

   Design badges: Verified Integration (proof of API keys or published integration), KYC Verified, Case Study Verified. Charge a fee for expedited verification or include it in premium vendor tiers.

6. Saved searches & alerts

   Allow buyers to save multi-filter searches and get alerts when a new vendor matches — crucial for fast-moving features like LIVE-enabled sellers.

Data model & API design (practical spec)

Design your database and API to make feature filters efficient and meaningful.

Suggested relational schema (simplified)

• Vendors (id, name, slug, description, location, website, created_at)
• Features (id, key, name, category, meta JSON)
• VendorFeatures (vendor_id, feature_id, detail JSON, verified boolean)
• Plans (id, vendor_id, name, price_min, price_max, billing_interval, included_features JSON)
• LiveStatus (vendor_id, platform, stream_id, is_live, updated_at)
• Badges (vendor_id, badge_type, issued_at, expires_at)
• Reviews (vendor_id, user_id, rating, text, metadata JSON)

Search & filter API endpoints

Expose REST/GraphQL endpoints that accept:

• feature_keys[] (array): e.g., ["bluesky_live", "cashtag_commerce", "ai_editing"]
• pricing_min, pricing_max
• badges[] (e.g., "verified_integration")
• is_live boolean flag
• sort_by (relevance, price_asc, price_desc, rating, recent_activity)

Behind the API use a search engine (Elasticsearch or OpenSearch) with denormalized documents for fast filters. Keep authoritative data in your primary DB and reindex frequently using change-data-capture.

UX patterns for complex filters

Good UX makes feature complexity usable.

• Progressive disclosure: show top 6 filters initially, with an "Advanced filters" reveal for deep platform primitives.
• Chips + count indicators: each active filter appears as a removable chip and displays how many vendors match the filtered set.
• Presets: provide common saved presets such as "LIVE commerce agencies" or "AI-first editors" to shorten discovery time.
• Result snippets: show feature highlights and pricing upfront — e.g., "Supports Bluesky LIVE, cashtag payments; Plans from £800/month."
• Quick-compare: let users select up to 3 vendors and compare supported platforms, pricing, SLAs and past cases.

Verification, trust and safety — mandatory in 2026

Post-2025 incidents involving AI misuse increased buyer sensitivity. Your directory should invest in these controls:

• Integration proofs: require vendors to demonstrate live integrations by connecting an account (OAuth) or providing signed webhook receipts.
• Case study validation: request customer contact or sample assets; allow third-party reviewers to endorse claims.
• KYC and compliance: for financial primitives (cashtags, stock discussions), ensure vendors handling payments or securities comply with local regs — consider device and identity workflows like device identity and approval as part of your verification flow.
• Moderation signals: provide a way for creators to flag vendors for misuse, then surface moderation history in vendor profiles (transparently). See the Marketplace Safety & Fraud Playbook for moderation and rapid defenses.

Monetization models and pricing-tier strategies

Your revenue model should align vendor incentives with buyer outcomes. Mix several revenue streams to diversify:

1. Tiered listing subscriptions

   Basic (free): Standard listing, searchable but lower ranking. Pro (£29–£99/month): Featured spots, verified badges, analytics. Agency/Enterprise (£250–£1,000+/month): API access, priority support, lead routing, SEM credits.

2. Pay-per-lead or commission

   Charge a fixed fee per qualified lead or a percentage of the first invoice for marketplace transactions. Use strict definition of "qualified" to reduce disputes.

3. Featured placements & sponsored filters

   Sell limited featured slots in high-value filters (e.g., "Bluesky LIVE experts"), clearly flagged to comply with transparency rules.

4. Verification fees

   Charge for badge issuance or include it in higher tiers. Verification builds trust and can be a strong conversion vector.

5. Data & API access

   Offer tiered API access to platform/feature metadata for enterprise customers — e.g., CSV exports, webhook leads, or integrated SSO for high-volume buyers. Community co-op and governance patterns are worth studying when building billing/tiers (Community Cloud Co‑ops).

Suggested vendor pricing tiers (example)

• Free — basic listing, 3 feature tags, no badges, limited search impressions
• Pro £69/month — unlimited feature tags, 1 verified badge, analytics dashboard, 5 leads/month
• Agency £349/month — featured slot in 2 filters, 3 verified badges, API access, priority support
• Enterprise custom — SLAs, white-label, channel partnerships, dedicated onboarding

Performance, scale and caching considerations

Feature-driven filters can be heavy on queries. Follow these engineering rules:

• Use a search engine (Elasticsearch/OpenSearch) for faceted filters and full-text. Keep filterable fields as keyword or boolean for speed.
• Cache counts and top results per common filter combination in Redis; invalidate on data updates.
• Batch reindexing and near-real-time sync using change-data-capture (Kafka, Debezium) for low-latency updates.
• For LIVE badges use ephemeral caches (TTL 30–60s) and backoff polling to respect platform API rate limits.

Measurement: KPIs, experiments & ROI

Define metrics that prove the business case and help you iterate:

• Discovery metrics: filter usage rate, saved searches, session depth for filter-select journeys
• Conversion metrics: lead-to-contract conversion, time-to-hire, average deal size by filter type (e.g., AI-first vs LIVE)
• Monetization metrics: ARPA per vendor, lead revenue, churn by tier
• Trust metrics: verified badge uplift (CTR), dispute rate, moderation flags

Experiment ideas

• Test whether verified integration badges increase conversion more than price discounts.
• Run A/B tests for pricing visibility vs. “contact for pricing” to measure lead quality trade-offs.
• Experiment with sponsored filter placements but cap frequency to avoid voter fatigue.

Onboarding and vendor growth playbook

Acquisition for vendors is key. Use a combination of product and sales motions:

• Self-serve onboarding with guided setup: step-by-step to add features, upload case studies and request verification.
• Marketplace outreach: recruit agencies who already support new platform features (e.g., Bluesky integrators) with targeted campaigns.
• Partnerships with platforms and tool vendors: co-marketing with AI tool providers or live-stream platforms to surface your directory as a recommended vendor list.
• Content-led acquisition: publish vertical-specific playbooks (e.g., "How to run LIVE commerce on Bluesky") to capture buyer intent and create demand for vendor services. See how publishers are future-proofing workflows for ideas on scalable content operations (modular publishing workflows).

Case study: Rapid MVP to traction (hypothetical)

Example: Launching 'StreamFound' — a niche directory for LIVE commerce experts.

Month 0–2: Built a two-table MVP (vendors, features) and shipped basic faceted search and LIVE badge via Twitch pubsub. Grew to 150 vendors via targeted outreach to Twitch integrators. Month 3–6: Added Bluesky cashtag filter after the platform introduced cashtags and LIVE badges in late 2025, driving a 22% uplift in buyer conversions for vendors tagged with cashtag commerce. Monetized with a freemium listing and Pro tier at £79/month; verification badges sold for £199 one-time. Within six months average deal size per lead rose 35% for verified vendors.

Privacy, compliance and legal guardrails

Given the regulatory attention on AI and platform misuse in 2026, build defensively:

• Publish clear acceptable-use policies and require vendor attestation for sensitive services (deepfake, synthetic content).
• Implement data minimization for KYC and store only what’s necessary, encrypted at rest.
• Support GDPR-style rights and transparency: vendor data export, deletion requests, and consent logs for integrations.

Implementation roadmap — 6 sprints

1. MVP: vendor profiles, normalized features, faceted search, basic pricing fields.
2. Trust: add verification badges and case study uploads; begin manual verification workflow.
3. Live & realtime: integrate live-status for one platform (Twitch or Bluesky), implement LIVE badge caching.
4. Monetization: launch paid tiers, lead routing, and analytics for vendors.
5. Scale & search: migrate to Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, add saved searches and alerts.
6. Enterprise: API access, SSO, and SLA-backed contracts for large buyers.

Actionable checklist: Ship a feature-filtered directory

• Define feature taxonomy aligned to platforms and commerce primitives.
• Build normalized data model and search index for fast faceted queries.
• Implement vendor pricing fields and visible tiers; require structured pricing where possible.
• Design verification badges and a proof flow for platform integrations.
• Launch a freemium model with paid verification and featured slots.
• Instrument KPIs and run conversion experiments (verified badges vs price visibility).
• Invest in compliance, moderation and identity checks for cashtag/financial primitives.

Final notes and 2026 predictions

Feature-first discovery is the new baseline. As platforms add primitives — more LIVE capabilities, commerce tokens, and model-access APIs — directories must evolve from flat lists into rich product surfaces that map vendor capabilities to those primitives. In 2026 expect more platform-native monetization options (native cashtag purchases, embed commerce) and stricter oversight on AI/consent. Directories that make feature verification transparent and productized will capture the highest-value buyers and vendors.

Call to action

If you’re building a marketplace or directory for creators and agencies, you don’t need to guess which features matter — map them, verify them and monetize them. Start with the checklist above, pick a single high-value platform primitive (e.g., Bluesky LIVE + cashtag support) and ship a focused filter. Need a template or product spec tailored to your stack (Rails, Next.js, or headless search)? Reach out to ContentDirectory.co.uk for a 1-hour roadmap workshop — we’ll help you convert platform features into buyer outcomes.

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