Free tool
Link prospecting search strings
Describe what you sell and who you compete with. You'll get Google queries that find posts already comparing products like yours, which are the posts most likely to add you.
0 queries
How to turn these queries into a pitch list
Run the "Roundups" and "Alternatives" groups first. Those posts already list products like yours, so adding one more entry is a small, easy edit for the author. Resource pages come next. Audience queries find narrower posts with less competition for the editor's attention.
- Skip anything older than two years unless the post was updated recently. Stale posts rarely get edited.
- Check that the post lists products. An opinion essay with no product mentions is a much harder ask than a list.
- Note the exact spot where you'd fit: "your section on tools for freelancers" beats "your article".
- Find a person. The author byline, then the site's contact or about page. Generic inboxes work, but replies come slower.
- Drop sites that sell links. A "sponsored post" price list or a "write for us, $150" page means the editor will reply with an invoice, not a mention.
Why "alternatives" queries work so well
Someone searching "Asana alternatives" is actively comparing options. Posts that rank for it get steady traffic from people about to choose a tool, and authors update them often because new products launch every month. A short, specific pitch with one line on what makes you different is exactly the kind of update they need.
Once the list is built, the best-of list guide walks through picking the right posts and pitching them, and the alternatives post email template gives you a pitch to start from. For more ways to find lists than search operators alone, read how to find every roundup in your niche, or go deeper on landing a spot in competitor alternatives posts.
Questions people ask
Which search operators matter most for link prospecting?
intitle: (the phrase must be in the page title), inurl: (in the URL), quotes for exact phrases, and a minus sign to exclude sites or words. Most useful prospecting queries combine an exact phrase like "best project management software" with intitle: and a few -site: exclusions for forums and review marketplaces.
Why do these queries exclude Reddit, Quora, G2 and Capterra?
Those pages rank well but you can't pitch them. Nobody edits a Reddit thread or a G2 category page to add your product. Excluding them leaves the blog posts and publisher articles that have an editor you can email.
Does Google limit how many operator searches I can run?
If you run dozens of operator-heavy searches quickly, Google may show a CAPTCHA. Space them out, or run them across a couple of sessions. A SERP API is the scalable option if you prospect every week.
Should I pitch competitors' own blogs?
Usually not. A competitor's "best tools" post rarely adds a rival. The exception is adjacent products that sell to the same audience but don't compete with you, like an invoicing tool writing about project management. Those are often happy to add a useful mention.
What do I do with the results?
Open each post, check it's recent and actually lists products like yours, find who wrote or edits it, and note where your product would fit. That last part matters most. An email that names the exact section gets far more replies than "I'd love to be included".
Related
Link outreach email checker
Paste a pitch and see exactly what a publisher, and a spam filter, will object to: links, paid-link language, length, a missing ask.
Email permutator
Enter an editor's name and their site's domain to get every likely address format, ordered by how often each pattern is used.
How to get listed in best-of articles
The full process from search to pitch to a live link, step by step.
See where your next links could come from.
Paste your URL. The agent finds lists, comparison pages, resource pages and guides where your product fits, checks each site and finds the editor to contact. Free, no card.
