Listicle skill
The playbook Moonrank's Writer Agent uses to write list articles worth citing — criteria first, ruthless curation, honest limitations, and a real ranking.
Download the methodology, see how the agent curates and ranks, or run it live inside the Writer Agent.
- Category
- Writer
- Agent
- Writer Agent
- Format
- listicle.md
- Price
- Free to download
The skill file
What is the Listicle skill?
The Listicle skill is how Moonrank's Writer Agent builds list articles that get cited instead of skimmed past: judgment criteria fixed before any item is considered, a candidate pool cut to the honest survivors, templated entries readers can compare, and a disclosed, defensible placement for your own product.
It's written as a SKILL.md, a plain-language instruction format that people and AI agents can both follow. Read it to fix your own comparison content, hand it to writers producing "best X" pages, or let the Writer Agent draft list articles from your briefs.
Downloading the playbook is free with a Moonrank account. Producing and refreshing list content as tools and prices change is what the Writer Agent does.
See it in action
“Our "top 10 tools" post gets traffic but zero conversions, and ChatGPT never cites it. What gives?”
Your list has 10 items because 10 is round: three are padding nobody would shortlist, no entry names a limitation, and your product sits at #1 with no reasoning — which readers and language models both discount. The rebuild: 3 stated criteria, the list cut to the 6 items that clear them, one honest limitation per entry, a summary table with a key number for each, and your product at #2 for the use case where that's true. Fewer items, more citations.
From input to fix list
- 1
You provide the query and candidates
The "N X for Y" query, the reader's selection criteria, and the full candidate pool.
- 2
Moonrank fixes the criteria
3–5 judgment criteria are stated before any item is evaluated — never after.
- 3
It curates and ranks
The pool is cut to the items that clear the bar, ordered deliberately, with the reasoning shown.
- 4
It templates and discloses
Identical entry structure — best for, numbers, limitation — and an honest placement for your product.
Everything it checks
Criteria-first structure
The 3–5 judgment criteria stated before the list, so the ranking is auditable.
Ruthless curation
The candidate pool cut to the honest count — never padded to a round number.
Reasoned ranking
A deliberate order with the why stated — no "in no particular order".
Templated entries
Best for, key numbers, and one honest limitation per item, in the same order every time.
Verdict table
A summary table with a one-line pick per use case, above the first entry.
Product disclosure
Your own product placed where it honestly belongs, with the same limitation field as everyone else.
When to reach for it
- Win a list-shaped SERP without publishing another padded top 10.
- Get cited by language models answering "best X for Y" questions.
- Place your product in comparison content readers actually trust.
- Turn a category's candidate pool into a defensible shortlist.
- Refresh stale list posts when tools, prices, or criteria change.