Compost on top of the seed is fine in my opinion. But really the main factor for success with seed is water--water every day--for 30 days. And do not forget the starter fertilizer. Add "grow-in" fertilizer at 30 and 60 days.
Be sure to use high-quality disease-resistant seed. The good seed costs more--and its worth it. Be sure it is suited for your site, climate, maintenance and irrigation situation.
Don't forget to use the new lawn seeding rate. Germination is not as good when seed is sown on top of existing grass. Seed at above the recommended rate if conditions are less than optimum.

 

the spike aerator basically does the opposite of a core aerator - when you poke a hole in the ground, it compacts the soil around the hole. They are good for spike seeding southern grasses that grow with runners which get cut and ruined by a slice seeder.

A core aerator pulls the plug out leaving a hole so water air and nutrients can get deeper leading to healthier roots.

Putting compost over seeds is great - locks in moisture, keeps birds out, and gets good seed to soil contact (seed won't sprout if not touching soil).

I dunno about putting manure on seeds - that could be way too much nitrogen for seeding. Seeds (and basically all plants) need Phosphorus to root, not nitrogen which is for top growth. Starter fertilizer is high in Phosphorus and is also usually found enough in soils hence why it's now illegal to include phosphorus in 'regular' fertilizer because it's bad for the environment if it's not used up by the lawn. It's only for seeding. A soil test will tell you your phosphorus level. Some seeds are already coated in starter fertilizer, so don't over do the fertilizer.

Watering is most important. Water it a few times a day until it's about 3.5" tall and then water just once a week all at once 1 full inch (rain is included). You just need to keep the soil moist to sprout the seeds up to 3.5" tall. Get a hose time and sprinklers if you don't have sprinklers because manually watering it a few minutes a few times a day to keep it moist for a couple weeks takes much longer than it might sound.

 

dunno about putting manure on seeds - that could be way too much nitrogen for seeding. Se

Composted manure is ok it lists on black cow bag at N.5 P .5 K .5 Thumbs Up

 

If you put compost down, make sure it is not too thick.

 

light compost is excellent for the reason mentioned above,

so it finely shreaded newspaper, or the seed mulch...all of which aim to retain moisture around the seeds for better germination.

yea drop the spike and get yourself a plug core aerator. 1/2 " of water a day until 3.5" is what I try to shoot for or supplement if the rain doesn't come

 

This may be late, but you can consider it for future use.

I use this compost spreader to top dress my lawn with compost. It spreads the compost pretty evenly and light and it beats doing it by hand raking any day. One of the best lawn equipment I purchased in a long time. This and the garden weasel.

Compost Spreader

 

A little off topic question.
Anyone had burn from compost?
Did three lawns in September in the same development, one had a lot of burn. The front yard came back but not the back. We had to resodd the back. First time we have had this problem with compost. Neither of the other two yards showed any signs of burn.
It was a hot week for September, in the 80s.
Thanks in advance, Clay

 

I suggest Milorganite. Use the high rate for seeding. They recommend something like one bag per 1200 sqft. (36 pound bag.)
It is a whole lot easier to apply.
Open the spreader to a large setting and go. Organic. Costs less because the labor cost is so low.
In theory, you can do 1000 sqft per minute--if you have good strength and stamina.

A second possibility is a pelletized chicken manure product.
https://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=27623

Third possibility is "Pennmulch". I has a fairly large pellet that turns to a soft organic layer after rain--or irrigation. Intended for seed.

https://www.amleo.com/penn-mulch-50lb-bag/p/215557/

I am not sure if a "Breakthru" agitator will speed up the application or not.