The Ethical Concerns of Paid “Top 10” Personal Branding Lists

How It Started

In 2024, I was seriously ramping up my push toward getting featured in tier-one publications and improving my visibility online. At the same time, I was attempting to increase the perception surrounding my name and expertise as a personal branding leader.

Like any good practitioner, I scoured the web for pitching opportunities. It was there that I came across a series of “Top 10 Personal Branding Leaders” and “Top Personal Branding Experts” lists, many of which shared the same author.

To get my foot in the door, I obviously sent that individual a connection request on LinkedIn.

I do my best to practice what I preach. As part of my seamless branding strategy, it was easy for the person to see my profession and that I was involved in the industry they appeared to prominently write about.

Soon after that request was accepted, I received a message in response to one of my posts:

“Love this post, Isaac, and I think your profile came across my research on top personal branding experts.”

Simple enough, right?

So, you would think. To my disappointment, the next two messages the contributor sent took me aback and showed me a side of the industry I hoped was less common than it may be.

Before I talk about what those messages contained, I want to be frank about the place that paid press has, not only within the personal branding industry, but across all industries that engage in public relations.

Paid Press Has a Place

This is different from paying a traditional public relations firm or agent a lump sum or monthly retainer to pitch outlets on your behalf. That is an industry norm, and it has been that way since the early days of Hollywood, although it has not always been this accessible.

There is also a place to pay for placement within disclosed sponsored segments, such as on the radio or television. At least here in the United States, legal requirements call for a degree of transparency.

Imagine if a news host took payment to promote a local business or business owner and acted as if that segment were independent journalism.

That's what we would call, shady.

For U.S. broadcast radio and television, the FCC requires sponsorship identification when programming is aired in exchange for money, services, or other valuable consideration. You can read the FCC’s sponsorship-identification rules here (opens in a new tab).

For promotional content more broadly, the FTC expects disclosure when there is a material connection that could affect how an audience evaluates an endorsement. You can review the FTC’s Endorsement Guides here (opens in a new tab).

The Offer

The second message the person sent me mentioned that they had written several blog posts, in their words, “a long time ago,” that were ranking for the search term “top personal branding experts.” They had decided to revamp those lists to include new names.

By itself, that was perfect, and even commendable.

Establishing domain authority and ranking for keywords can, in some cases, take months or years. As we have gone about launching Personal Branding Agencies (opens in a new tab) and revamping our own sites, we have experienced this firsthand. You likely will not rank No. 1 the second you hit publish.

It was the message that came after which I admittedly was not surprised to receive.

I suppose my previous experience in public relations, discovering the inner workings of undisclosed features in various outlets, and having discussions with less-than-straight-line characters had subconsciously influenced me to expect the worst while being open to the best.

The best, in this case, would have been a legitimately earned feature in a legitimately curated list.

The message that followed asked if I would like to be included and receive direct leads or prospects. They went on to discuss that it was a bottom-funnel, lead-generating keyword and told me to let them know if I would be interested in receiving a custom price or paying a one-time lifetime fee.

My response was hyper-transparent.

I mentioned that those very articles were the reason I chose to connect in the first place. I also disclosed that I had not, and would not, pay for press out of pocket.

At the time, I said that I was not wholly against paid opportunities, but I would much rather become press-worthy than attempt to gamify my reputation.

I proceeded to say that I would be honored to be included, but that I would not pay. I also offered an exchange of value. In my mind, that looked like helping that person with their own personal brand, potentially providing nuanced takes that others in the industry might not offer, and earning my way into the list.

Their response?

A thumbs-up emoji. “Sorry.” Then, later, I was blocked.

I am not sure at what point I was blocked or whether they had a chance to read my final message, which said there was no need to apologize and that I was simply setting professional boundaries.

Takeaways From My Experience

I share this story because it is a grim reminder that the moral compass you hold as a professional is not exclusively shared by others within your own industry.

If the subject were different, it is reasonable to suggest that my perspective might be different.

But I knew the subjects of the articles the author had previously written, and the ones I saw ranking all followed the same general path: “Top 10,” “Best,” and so on.

If a person is truly among the best in their industry, would they need to pay to be included in a list among their peers?

This is where I believe ethical lines begin to blur and move from black and white into gray.

I have admittedly self-published top personal branding lists. I have included people within my own network whom I know, and I have made it very clear that it was an SEO tactic.

Would I ever ask someone to pay me to be included?

Absolutely not.

I question if payment influenced inclusion and that relationship was not disclosed as well. If one or a series of experts or agencies paid to be listed in any of these lists or articles, was that payment disclosed?

What is interesting is that, at the time of writing this article, I am struggling to find the same articles that were written a couple of years ago. Whether they were removed intentionally or simply lost the SEO battle, I do not know.

Nonetheless, if payment influenced inclusion and that relationship was not disclosed, that creates an added point of contention regarding transparency and possible disclosure obligations.

Because I cannot find the articles, I will give the individual the benefit of the doubt.

Still, it makes me question the sorts of practices and recommendations the experts and businesses included on these lists would feel comfortable engaging in, or recommending that their clients engage in.

A beginner in an industry may not understand the ethical implications of what they are doing, but with a seasoned expert, you would assume that more expertise would come with the territory.

Would you not?

This entire conversation transcends public relations and press. You can see similar practices in buying fake followers, inflating engagement, and, in a pre-2020 world, paying a representative at a social media company for a backdoor verification badge.

What Is the Alternative?

The alternative is less rewarding in the short term, but it carries more substantiative and reliable rewards in the end.

There is no shortage of opportunity for landing legitimate placements in 2026 and beyond. Various pitching tools, such as HARO, Muck Rack and Qwoted, as well as other journalist-source platforms, exist.

You can find Muck Rack here (opens in a new tab).

You can find Qwoted here (opens in a new tab).

By building relationships with journalists, I have been quoted in Forbes on multiple occasions, invited onto an early-morning radio show, had a quote appear in a digital newspaper publication, earned dozens upon dozens of other quotes and full-length features, and completed what is approaching or surpassed 100 podcast interviews.

Make it part of your personal branding habits and daily ritual to check your inbox for source opportunities.

Legitimate journalists, reporters, and publications have stories they are already working on and require sources to publish them. A writer interested in personal branding will want to have a conversation with people who can help make their article a success.

Establishing your credibility through client results and testimonials, building in public and documenting your process, and developing your own independent resources and tools (opens in a new tab), essentially owning your name and your platform, will do the speaking for you.

It is my hope that, moving forward, you take the time to do your due diligence before opening your pocketbook.

The same can be said for someone looking to work with a professional who comes across lists such as these, whether in the personal-branding space or not. “Top 10” and “best” lists appear in many capacities across virtually every industry online and I'd encourage you to read our Buyer's Guide (opens in a new tab).

The statement that the internet is like the Wild West could not be truer, especially with the mass adoption of artificial intelligence. Unrelenting access also creates unrelenting opportunity for characters who do not see ethics in the same light that you do.