To get featured in a best-of list, find an article aimed at your customers, check that your product meets its criteria and give the editor enough evidence to evaluate it. A useful pitch makes the proposed addition easy to understand and verify.

Listicle outreach can put your brand in front of readers who are already choosing between options. Start with a focused set of suitable articles and work through these steps.

Find articles around a buying decision

Build searches around the job your customer needs done. A hypothetical scheduling tool for independent tutors might search for:

  • best scheduling software for tutors
  • online booking tools for teachers
  • scheduling software with recurring appointments
  • alternatives to [competitor] for tutors

Open the results and record the exact article URL, its audience and the products included. Search for competitor names alongside terms such as “best”, “alternatives” and “comparison” to find additional pages. A competitor's backlink report can also uncover lists you missed; inspect each page before adding it to your shortlist.

Use the same customer questions in the AI tools relevant to your market. When an answer provides sources, open them and record which article was shown. This can reveal additional prospects for AI visibility outreach.

Check whether your product belongs in the list

Read the selection criteria and individual entries. An article about free software is a poor fit if your product requires a paid subscription. A guide for local businesses may have little use for a product available only in another country.

For the tutor example, useful checks include recurring lessons, student booking, reminders and the countries where payments work. If the article tests every tool, find out how to provide an evaluation account. If it covers only products with a particular integration, verify that yours supports it before making contact.

Look at the page's maintenance, authorship and existing links. Record a concrete reason to pursue it, such as “covers individual tutors and compares recurring bookings”. Our backlink opportunity guide covers the broader quality checks.

Prepare a brief the editor can use

Collect the facts relevant to this article:

  • Your product name and the best destination URL.
  • The customer it serves and the problem it solves.
  • The specific feature that supports inclusion in this list.
  • A public documentation link, accurate screenshot or useful demonstration.
  • Current pricing or availability if the article compares those details.

Include an important product restriction when it affects the comparison. For example, distinguish automatic recurring appointments from reminders that a tutor must send manually. This saves the editor from publishing a description you later need to correct.

Send a specific, short proposal

Find the editor or contributor responsible for the page, or the publication's stated corrections and submissions contact. Explain your relationship with the product. Refer to the part of the article where it fits and offer evidence the recipient can inspect.

This is an adaptable example for the hypothetical tutor product:

Subject: Recurring lessons in your tutor scheduling guide

Hi [name],

I'm [name] from [product]. Your guide compares scheduling tools for independent tutors, including recurring bookings.

[Product] lets tutors set a weekly lesson series and lets students book from the tutor's availability. The details are here: [documentation URL]. It could be a useful option for that part of the comparison.

I can provide a test account if you're updating the guide.

Thanks, [name]

Replace the example claims with facts about your product. Send a short follow-up if the message may have been missed, and stop if the publisher declines. Ahrefs' link outreach guide offers additional practical advice on finding prospects and writing relevant pitches.

Handle commercial offers clearly

An editor may consider the product independently or offer a sponsored listing. An affiliate arrangement introduces another commercial relationship. Record the terms, cost, disclosure and link treatment before deciding whether the opportunity fits your budget and brand.

Google's spam policies identify paid links used to manipulate rankings as link spam. Paid placements should use appropriate link attributes, such as rel="sponsored" or nofollow. Evaluate sponsorship for its audience and business value.

Verify what went live

Open the published page and check the description, destination link and any disclosure. Record the URL and date. Distinguish a brand mention from a clickable backlink; our mentions and backlinks guide explains the difference.

Then look for referral visits and enquiries in your own analytics. If you also monitor AI answers, record those observations separately. A publisher controls inclusion, and a placement cannot guarantee rankings or a later AI recommendation.

Mentionlane's listicle outreach service manages this research and publisher contact. Share your website to discuss relevant opportunities.