How to Get Your Tool Featured in Best Tools Lists (2026)

When someone asks Google or ChatGPT for the best tool to do a job, the answer usually comes from "best tools" lists. Those roundups have become the shop window for software. If your tool isn't on the lists your buyers read, you're missing from the moment they make up their mind, and AI assistants that build their answers from those same pages won't mention you either.

This guide explains how best tools lists get made, how to find the ones that matter for your category and how to earn a place on them. I write these lists myself, so I'll tell you what makes me add a tool and what makes me skip a pitch.

How do best tools lists get made?

Most roundups are written by bloggers, publishers and creators who cover a category regularly. They build a shortlist from tools they already know, tools readers ask about, tools that come up in their research, and tools whose makers got in touch. Then they decide who belongs, describe each one and update the list when things change. Getting featured is about being on that shortlist and giving the writer a reason to include you.

How do you find the lists that matter for your tool?

1. Search your category the way buyers do. Try "best", "alternatives" and "vs" searches for your category and your bigger competitors. Note the lists on the first page.
2. Ask AI assistants. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini for the best tools in your category and look at the sources they cite. Those lists shape AI answers.
3. Look at where competitors appear. If a list features three of your competitors and not you, it's a strong candidate.
4. Check the audience fit. A list read by small business owners won't help an enterprise product, however well it ranks.
5. Check the list is maintained. Recently updated lists are more likely to add new tools.

How to get your marketing tool featured on a best tools list

• Make your positioning obvious. Writers need to describe you in one line. Say clearly what the tool does, who it's for and what makes it different.
• Keep your website easy to research. A clear features page, honest plan details and a public changelog help writers describe you accurately.
• Pitch the right list with a reason. Name the list, explain which readers your tool suits and why it fills a gap.
• Offer full access. Let the writer try everything, not a cut-down trial.
• Be honest about limitations. Writers trust makers who say who their tool isn't for.
• Ask about featured places. Some sites offer a formal way for tool makers to be considered for a review or a featured position. Ask what's involved.
• Follow up once, politely. Writers are busy. One reminder is fine. Five isn't.

What do list writers look for when they add a tool?

Speaking for myself, I'm looking for tools that help my readers do a specific job well. I want to understand quickly who the tool suits, what it does better than the others on the list, and what someone should know before they sign up. Smaller and independent tools are welcome, and often make a list more useful, as long as I can confirm what they do from their own site. What puts me off is a pitch that could have been sent to anyone, or a tool that's hard to research.

Getting into AI answers, not only lists

Being featured on lists helps with AI search because assistants lean heavily on roundups and comparison pages. You can strengthen that by keeping your own site clear and consistent about what your tool does, answering common buyer questions on it, and making sure your product name and category are described the same way everywhere. Reviews from independent writers help too. I've covered that in how to get your SaaS tool reviewed by a marketing blogger.

Mistakes that keep tools off best tools lists

• A homepage that doesn't say what the tool does in plain words.
• Pitching lists in the wrong category.
• Mass pitches that don't name the list or the writer.
• Asking to be ranked first before the writer has seen the product.
• Changing your product name or category often, which confuses writers and AI tools alike.

Getting your tool considered for my lists

I'm Lilach Bullock, a British marketer with 21 years in marketing, listed by Forbes in the Top 20 Social Media Power Influencers. I've reviewed and ranked more than three hundred tools across two decades, and I write best tools lists and comparisons for business owners and marketers in the UK, the US and worldwide. You can see the kind of roundup I write in the best marketing tools reviewed.

If you make a marketing, AI or productivity tool, my feature your tool page explains how tool makers can ask to be considered for a review or a featured place on my lists.

Getting on best tools lists: the short version

Find the lists your buyers and AI assistants already use, make your tool easy to describe and research, pitch each list with a clear reason you belong and give writers full access. Do that consistently and your tool starts appearing where buying decisions get made.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my tool on a best tools list?

Find the lists that rank for your category and get cited by AI assistants, make your tool easy to describe and research, and pitch each writer with a clear reason your tool suits their readers.

Do best tools lists help with AI search?

Yes. AI assistants often build their answers from roundups and comparison pages, so appearing on the right lists makes it more likely your tool gets mentioned.

Can small or new tools get featured?

They can. Many writers welcome independent tools because they make a list more useful, as long as the tool's own site makes it easy to confirm what it does.

Should I ask to be ranked first?

No. Let the writer judge. Many good lists don't rank tools at all and simply explain who each one suits.

How often are best tools lists updated?

Well-kept lists are refreshed regularly. Check when a list was last updated before you pitch, because maintained lists are the ones still adding tools.