Before you start
For buyer questions like “best email tool for a small online shop”, AI search tools tend to answer from third-party pages: review sites, roundups, directories and forum threads. If your brand isn't on those pages, the answer usually can't name you. (Why that happens.)
This checklist uses the fictional brand Acme Email, a small email marketing tool, as the running example. Plan on a few hours to build the list, then steady work over several weeks.
Step 1: find the pages AI reads and sort themabout 1–2 hours
- 1
Pick 5 to 10 buyer questions
Write them the way a buyer would ask. For Acme Email: “best email tool for a small online shop”, “cheaper Mailchimp alternative”, “email tool with easy automations”. Leave out questions that contain your brand name; they don't show discovery.
- 2
Ask each question several times
Answers and their sources change between runs. Record every source link, not just the first answer.
- 3
Count how often each page shows up
A page used for many questions, across many runs, matters more than one that appears once.
- 4
Mark where you're missing
Open each page and check by hand: does it mention you? Does it mention your competitors? Pages that name competitors but not you go to the top of the list.
Then sort your list by type, because each type needs a different approach:
| Type | Example for Acme Email | Your move | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review profile | Acme Email's page on a software review site | Claim it, complete it, ask real customers for reviews | The platform, plus your customers |
| Roundup | “The 8 best email marketing apps” on a tech blog | Pitch the writer with facts and a trial | The writer or editor |
| Directory | An “email marketing software” category page | Submit or complete a listing | The directory owner |
| Community thread | A forum post asking for newsletter tool advice | Answer helpfully, with disclosure | The community and its moderators |
- g2.com6×Missing
- pcmag.com5×Missing
- hubspot.com4×Missing
- mailchimp.com4×Missing
- zapier.com3×Missing
- techradar.com3×Missing
Step 2: review profiles and directories
These are the fastest wins, because you can usually act on them yourself.
- Claim your profile where the platform allows it. Fill in the category, pricing, main features, integrations and who the product is for.
- Use the buyer's words. If buyers ask about “small online shops”, say clearly that Acme Email is built for small ecommerce teams, if that's true.
- Ask real customers for honest reviews. Ask all of them, not only the happy ones. Follow each platform's rules on incentives.
- Keep facts current. Old prices and dead features on a profile can travel straight into an answer.
- Get into the right category. Being listed under the wrong category can keep you off the page that “best X” searches return.
Step 3: roundup articles
Roundups are often the most valuable pages, because they already answer the “which one should I pick” question. You can't edit them, so you have to give the writer a good reason to include you.
- 1
Check if the article is maintained
Look for a recent “updated” date or a pattern of yearly refreshes. A writer who updates the list is a writer who might add you.
- 2
Find the right person
Usually the named author or the site's editor. Use the contact route the site publishes.
- 3
Send a short, specific note
Say who you are and who you work for. Explain in two lines where Acme Email fits that list (for example, “simple automations for small shops”). Offer a free account so they can test it. No pressure, no payment for placement.
- 4
Make it easy to be accurate
Link a clear pricing page and a feature page. Writers repeat what's easy to verify.
Step 4: community threads
Forum and community threads show up because they hold first-hand experience. That's exactly why spam there backfires.
- Read the community's rules first. Many forums limit or ban self-promotion.
- Answer the question that was asked. Compare honestly, including other tools, and say when Acme Email is not the right fit.
- Disclose every time. “I work on Acme Email” or “my agency works with Acme Email”, in the comment itself.
- Use one real account. Never post as fake customers or upvote your own comments from other accounts.
- Don't revive old threads only to drop a link. Add something useful or leave it.
Step 5: measure with a re-scan
Getting listed is the work. Whether answers change is the result, and it needs a fair test.
- Keep the same questions. Re-run the exact question set from Step 1. New wording means a new test.
- Give it time. A new review or roundup line has to be found by search before an answer can use it. Re-check over weeks, not hours.
- Compare rates, not single answers. “Named in 1 of 3 runs, now 3 of 3” is a signal. One new mention may be noise.
- Check the source too. Did the page you worked on start appearing as a source, and does it now name you?
- Write down what you did and when. Without a log, you can't connect a change to an action.
Even then, be careful with cause and effect. Answers move for many reasons, so report what changed alongside what you did, not as proof that one action caused it.
Common questions
Which page type should I start with?
Start with pages that appear most often in your answers and name competitors but not you. If several are review profiles or directories, start there, because you control more of the work.
Should I pay to be included in a roundup?
That's a business decision, but be honest about it. Paid placements should be labelled by the site, and you shouldn't describe them as independent recommendations.
Will adding llms.txt or schema markup get me cited?
Don't count on it. Google says you don't need special AI files or schema to appear in its AI features (opens in a new tab). Being listed on the pages answers are built from is the more direct lever.
Ready to build your list? Scan your site free to see the pages behind your buyers' answers, then read how the Sources page works.
Found this useful? Share it with your team.
We build Spotlit and write these from how our own scans work, with every outside fact linked to its source.