To get your product featured in best-of lists, find lists whose readers match your buyer, show the list owner where your product fits, and let them decide. Owners add what helps their readers, so fit comes before everything else.
The format is worth the effort. In an Ahrefs study of ChatGPT's sources, "best X" blog lists made up 43.8% of all page types cited (Ahrefs, December 2025). Buyers read these lists too, so inclusion brings credibility and discovery.
This guide covers four routes to inclusion, how to judge a list's fit, how to pitch an owner, and how requests work on AY Listicle. TL;DR: You can earn inclusion by outreach, a paid arrangement with a publisher, a swap or credits. On AY Listicle, credits are the default: you request a spot, the list owner approves it for editorial fit, and we recheck the mention every month.
What does it mean to be featured in a best-of list?
Being featured means your product has its own entry, with a name, a link and a short description, in a "best X for Y" article. Readers see it next to the other products they are comparing.
A best-of list is a numbered or grouped page of tools with a line or two on each. An entry works when it is accurate and sits on a list whose readers need what you sell.
Self-promotional lists from a brand's own site showed up in more than a third of the ChatGPT software recommendations Ahrefs studied. A list run by someone else is a different signal, because a third party chose to include you.
Why do best-of lists matter for SaaS?
Best-of lists matter because buyers and AI answers both start from them. In the same Ahrefs study, brands placed higher in comparison lists were more likely to be recommended by ChatGPT, though the effect shrank on lists with 10 or more entries.
Lists also change often. Ahrefs found that 79.1% of 1,100 blog lists had been updated in 2025, and 26% in the previous two months. Inclusion is not a one-time win.
What are the four ways to get featured?
There are four routes to inclusion: outreach to the author, a paid arrangement with a publisher, a swap, and credits on AY Listicle. This table compares them on what decides the choice.
| Route | Who decides | What it costs | Checked after it goes live | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outreach to the list author | The author | Your time | By you, by hand | You have a clear gap on their list |
| Paid arrangement with a publisher | The publisher | Set by the publisher | Depends on the publisher | You want it handled for you and will disclose it |
| Swap with another list owner | Both list owners | No credits, but you need a list to offer | Crawler and AI check, monthly | You run a list of your own |
| Credits on AY Listicle | The list owner | 50 to 400 credits per listicle | Crawler and AI check, monthly | You want to request a spot and have no list to offer |
Outreach costs time, and the author may say no. Paid arrangements vary in quality, so ask how inclusion is disclosed. Swaps need a list of your own and a host who opted in, as covered in how listicle swaps work. Credits reach the lists that member hosts have added to AY Listicle.
How do you tell whether a list is a good fit?
A list is a good fit when its readers are your buyers and your product is something they would expect to see. Start with the lists your buyers already read. Search Google for "best [your category]", ask ChatGPT and Perplexity the same question, and note which pages they cite.
Then check each list against five questions:
- Does the audience match? A list for agencies suits agency software, not developer tools.
- Is the list current? Updated this year beats untouched since 2023.
- Is there a real gap? Your closest competitor is listed and you are not, or your use case is missing.
- How long is the list? A focused list gives each entry more attention.
- Does the owner run it with care? Look for clear criteria, honest cons and recent edits.
A list that fails the first question is not worth a pitch.
How do you pitch a list owner?
Pitch with facts the owner can use in two minutes: what the product does, who it is for, and where it fits on their list. A good pitch has four parts:
- One sentence on the product. "We make X, a tool that does Y for Z."
- The gap. "Your list covers A and B, and does not include a tool for C."
- A ready entry. A plain description in the same format the list uses.
- An easy no. Say the owner owes you nothing.
Do not ask the owner to rank you first. If you pay for inclusion anywhere, say so, and recommend the owner disclose it where required.
How do you request inclusion on AY Listicle?
Credits are the default way to request inclusion on AY Listicle: you spend credits on a request, and the list owner decides. The $79 a month Starter plan includes 400 credits, and a listicle costs 50 to 400 credits depending on the list's authority and reach.
The flow has five steps:
- Pick a list. Members browse the listed listicles. Non-members cannot see them until they get access.
- Describe your product. Write a few plain sentences. We write a ready-to-paste entry from your description.
- Send the request. Your credits are held, not paid out yet.
- The list owner approves. Every request needs a yes for editorial fit. If the owner declines, or the entry is not added in time, the credits are returned automatically.
- The entry goes live and gets checked. Our crawler confirms the name, the link and the spot. An AI check confirms the text matches what was approved.
Hosts earn credits after our crawler verifies the entry and it stays live for 30 days. Credits cannot be cashed out. A request is not a promise of a ranking, traffic or a citation.
If you run a list of your own, a swap may be a better first move. It uses no credits and only works with hosts who opted in to swaps.
Is paying for inclusion allowed?
Paying a publisher for a mention is common, but Google's spam policies prohibit buying or selling links for ranking purposes (Google Search Central). The same page says qualified links are not a violation when they carry rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored".
A mention on a page that buyers and AI search read has value for readers whatever happens to the link. Anything done only to move a ranking carries the risk Google describes.
AY Listicle is built around editorial fit. The list owner approves every inclusion, we write the entry from your description, and we check it after it goes live. We recommend disclosing paid placements where required, and we do not promise rankings, traffic or citations.
How do you keep a spot once you have it?
You keep a spot by checking it on a schedule, because lists are edited often and entries get dropped. With 26% of lists in the Ahrefs sample updated within two months, a spot you won in spring may be gone by autumn.
A monthly check covers four things:
- Is your name still on the page?
- Does the link still point to the right URL?
- Is your entry in the spot you agreed?
- Does the text still match what was approved?
On AY Listicle, the crawler checks the name, the link and the spot, and an AI check reviews the text, every month. Members can also verify listicles with Google Search Console to see real impressions. For your own outreach, keep the same four checks in a spreadsheet.
Ready to request your first spot? Request a spot on AY Listicle and pick a list that fits your product.
FAQ
How do I get my SaaS featured in best-of lists?
Find lists whose readers match your buyer, show the owner where your product fits, and let them decide. You can pitch authors directly, arrange it with a publisher, swap with a list owner or request a spot on AY Listicle, where the owner approves every request.
What is a best-of list inclusion?
A best-of list inclusion is an entry for your product, with a name, a link and a description, in a "best X for Y" article. Ahrefs found "best X" blog lists were 43.8% of the page types ChatGPT cited in its study.
How much does inclusion cost on AY Listicle?
A listicle costs 50 to 400 credits, depending on the list's authority and reach. The $79 a month Starter plan includes 400 credits. Credits are held while the owner decides and returned automatically if the request is declined.
What happens if the list owner says no?
The list owner approves every request, and a decline is a normal outcome. Your credits are held, not paid out, so a decline, or an entry that is not added in time, returns them automatically.
Is paying for inclusion in a best-of list allowed?
Google's spam policies prohibit buying or selling links for ranking purposes, and qualified links are not a violation. Check how any provider handles link attributes, and disclose paid placements where required.
How do I know my entry stays live?
Our crawler checks the name, the link and the spot, and an AI check confirms the text, every month. Members can also verify listicles with Google Search Console. A check that fails shows up in your order.
Can I see which listicles are available before I sign up?
No. Non-members cannot see the listed listicles until they get access. Members browse them and send requests.
Sources: Ahrefs, ChatGPT citation study, Google Search Central, spam policies
