I would like to know specifically how many days "a few days" refers to, is it a week or a month? I need a definitive deadline for a response so that I don't have to wait indefinitely. Just like my two old asset packs, which have been waiting for a full three months without any notification on their progress. I don't know what steps I need to take to ensure my asset packs appear normally at the top of the "Newest" list like others' do upon release. Worse still, some of my old asset packs have already been sold, but they still cannot be found through search.
I am sure I have read this post, but unfortunately, I didn't find the information I needed. In the sorting of the "Newest" list, all items are ranked based on their publication time. I can't help but wonder if simply by sharing enough links within minutes or even seconds, projects can quickly appear in the "Newest" list. For instance, I noticed a project named https://project-vr.itch.io/project-vr, which was only published for a few dozen seconds when I checked, yet it was already listed in the "Newest" section.
That's right, not all projects are held for staff review, especially after you've published a few with no trouble. But it depends. The exact criteria are secret, and the waiting queue is prioritized by a number of factors, among which is organic traffic. So your best bet is to do your own promotion so that your project gets seen instead of waiting for itch.io staff to index your project.
...All of which is explained in the post you said you've read. Hope this helps.