AI engines don't recommend brands — they recommend brands their sources talk about. Here's how to build your outreach hit list in 15 minutes.

Who this is for

Brands stuck at zero on category queries even with decent content. If competitors dominate every "best tools" answer, the reason is usually citations, not your website.

The problem

When ChatGPT or Perplexity answers "best [category] tools", it leans on roundup articles, review sites, and communities. If you're absent from those sources, you're absent from the answer — no matter how good your product page is.

What you need

Build the list (5 steps)

  1. Pull your citation data: which domains AI engines cite in your category, and how often.
  2. Cross-reference: which of those sources mention competitors but not you?
  3. Prioritise by citation frequency × authority.
  4. Get contact details for each site owner or editor.
  5. Send a short, specific pitch: why your tool belongs in their roundup (and what's in it for their readers).

The exact prompt

1. Use the RankAhead MCP: get_citations for [YOUR DOMAIN] and my category.
2. List the domains AI engines cite most when answering queries in my category.
3. Then web-search each top source: do they mention [MY BRAND]? Do they mention [COMPETITOR 1, 2, 3]?
4. Build me a table: Source | Cited by (engines) | Mentions competitors? | Mentions us? | Outreach priority (1–5)
5. For the top 5 targets, draft a 3-sentence outreach email: personal, specific, and clear on why including us helps their readers.

The rule of thumb

One inclusion in a high-citation roundup can move a category query from 0 to recommended. It's the highest-leverage link building that exists right now — and almost nobody is doing it systematically.