Earn a place in the "best X for Y" articles, review sites and roundups that Google ranks and AI assistants quote.
The Wirecutter built its business on one format, "the best X". Founder Brian Lam said it drove $150 million of e-commerce transactions for retailers in 2015, and The New York Times bought it for more than $30 million in 2016 (Nieman Lab, 24 October 2016).
For one brand, Retail Brew found that Wirecutter had brought the flower company UrbanStems 22% of its affiliate revenue since the article was published, more than any other source, and that in the 60 days to 24 July 2024 customers referred by Wirecutter had a lifetime value 68% higher than customers from elsewhere (Retail Brew, 5 August 2024).
SaaS, e-commerce brands and service firms with a defined category.
Buyers shortlist from lists, and AI assistants build their answers from the same sources: Forbes, G2, Yelp and TechRadar all sit in the ten most cited domains in AI answers (Peec, March 2026). In G2's survey of 1,076 B2B buyers, 51% now start software research in an AI chatbot, and a third bought from a vendor they had never heard of before an AI surfaced it (G2, April 2026).
Reported. Wirecutter from Nieman Lab (24 October 2016), UrbanStems from Retail Brew (5 August 2024). Vendor. Peec's analysis of 30 million AI search sources (March 2026) and G2's Answer Economy survey of 1,076 B2B decision-makers (published April 2026).
Cost to test. Free to claim profiles and pitch writers. A few hours a week for a quarter.
Kill it if after two quarters you appear on no more lists, and in no more AI answers, than when you started.
Paid placement in "best of" lists exists and readers increasingly know it, so disclose it. Fake reviews are detectable and penalised, and incentivised reviews breach most platforms' rules. Writers expect something in return: data, a quote or an exclusive.
The Reddit Presence, The Review Engine, The Comparison Hub
A 30-minute call first. If it fits, two calls in one week and a written growth plan you keep.