If you are looking for where to get editorial backlinks for a startup, start by deciding what kind of page you want a reader to open: a news-style product story, a short opener-first write-up, a criteria-led shortlist, or a longer decision explainer. Four small press sites publish those formats on their own domains, with one product link in the article: Lede Press, Hed Press, Listed Press and Piece Press. Each one is free with a reciprocal site credit (or free with a nofollow product link), or $29 for the full editorial and distribution package. None of them promise a ranking or an AI citation. This comparison is so you can pick the format that matches the search intent you care about.
Prices, plans and live pages were checked on 6 November 2026. Disclosure: Lede Press, Hed Press, Listed Press and Piece Press are run by the same team as Aura++, EarlyHunt, IndieHunt, MakerHunt and SideHunt.
Last checked: Nov 6, 2026
What counts as an editorial backlink here?
An editorial backlink, on these four sites, means a link that sits inside a readable article about your product, not a logo row in a directory. The page names the product, says what it does, and places one product link in a sentence a reader can follow. That is different from a catalog listing, and it is also different from pitching a third-party journalist who may never reply.
For the broader how-to on pitching journalists, guest posts and press networks, MakerHunt already covers how to get editorial backlinks as an indie maker. For the difference between an editorial page and a directory listing, EarlyHunt has editorial vs directory backlinks. This Aura++ post is the chooser: which of the four desks fits which intent.
The four press sites at a glance
Site | What it publishes | Best when you want | Free plan | $29 plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A daily public edition of product stories | A news-style feature a reader can open from today's index | 1 reciprocal page per project (dofollow) or 1 nofollow page; shares 5 free slots/day at 08:00 UTC | Same-day page, SEO/AEO/GEO pass, FAQ schema, Pinterest pin, IndexNow, up to 3 relaunches | |
Opener-first product stories | A short write-up that states who, what and for whom in the first lines | Same free structure | Same $29 extras | |
Criteria-led shortlists and roundups | A place on a comparison page a buyer is already reading | Same free structure | Same $29 extras | |
Longer decision explainers | A deeper piece that walks through one buyer question | Same free structure | Same $29 extras |
On every Free and $29 page, the product link in the article is dofollow: the HTML does not use rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc". On the Nofollow plan that link uses rel=nofollow. Each pricing page states the domain rating of the site is 0, and that the page does not promise a Google ranking, a traffic number or a change in that rating. Open the live URL after publish and inspect the anchor yourself.
How do you choose which press site to use?
Match the format to the job, not the brand name:
Pick Lede Press when you want a product story listed in a public daily edition, closer to a short feature than a blurb.
Pick Hed Press when the first two lines matter most: who it is, what it is, who it is for, then the link.
Pick Listed Press when buyers compare options by criteria and you want to sit inside that shortlist.
Pick Piece Press when one buyer question needs a longer explainer with tradeoffs and fit.
You can publish on more than one desk over time. Plans are per project: one reciprocal free page, one nofollow free page, and unlimited $29 pages on each site. Free pages share five slots a day at 08:00 UTC; a $29 page goes live the day it is ready and does not take a free slot.
What does the free plan actually require?
On the reciprocal free plan, your site credits that press domain while the page is live. A natural text link is enough; the official badge image is optional. The product link in the article is dofollow. On the free nofollow plan there is no site credit, and the product link uses rel=nofollow. Both free plans share the five daily slots. If those five are already filled, a ready free page waits in the free queue and goes live on a later day in the order it joined.
What does the $29 package add?
The $29 editorial package, on each of the four sites, adds the search and answer-engine editing pass: title, summary and headings structured so a crawler can tell what the product is; a direct-answer opening; FAQ schema; Article and product structured data; an llms.txt listing; a richer Markdown twin; a custom featured image; a published Pinterest pin; automatic IndexNow for the HTML and Markdown URLs; and up to three "schedule again for tomorrow" relaunches from the dashboard. That is editing and markup. It is not a promise that Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity or any other system will rank or cite the page.
Agencies commonly quote $500 to $1,000 for coverage on a site you do not run. These desks publish the page on their own domain, so you can open the URL the day it goes live and check the link attribute yourself.
What does a live editorial page look like?
As of 6 November 2026, Lede Press already has live edition pages you can open. One example is Aura++ vs. Product Hunt: Which Startup Launch Platform Delivers More Lasting Value?, filed under Marketing, Sales and SEO. Another is a Contract Aura legal explainer under Legal, Productivity and SaaS. Hed Press, Listed Press and Piece Press were still showing empty "today / yesterday / last week / last month" sections when checked, which is expected for new desks: the formats and plans are live even when the day's edition is empty.
Editorial pages vs directory listings
A directory listing is a logo, a name and a link in a catalog. There is little to read, so the link has almost no sentence around it. An editorial page on these four sites is an article: criteria or story first, product named in context, one product link inside that writing. If your goal is a followed link in a listing grid, that is a different job; IndieHunt covers free startup directories that still give a followed link, and Aura++ covers dofollow backlinks for new startups.
A simple decision checklist
Write one sentence: what should a stranger understand after thirty seconds on the page?
Pick the format that matches that sentence (story, opener, shortlist, or explainer).
Decide free reciprocal, free nofollow, or $29 same-day.
Create a project on that site, submit the product URL and the facts an editor needs.
When the page is live, open it and inspect the product link's rel attribute.
Keep a row in your backlink sheet with the URL, plan, checked-on date and whether the link is still followed.
A made-up example: which desk would Finchlane pick?
Finchlane is a made-up scheduling tool for freelance tutors. The founder wants one public page a parent can open and understand in a minute, plus a second page for parents comparing "tools for booking tutoring slots". The first job fits Lede Press or Hed Press. The second job fits Listed Press. A longer "should I switch from Google Calendar?" piece would fit Piece Press. Finchlane starts with one Hed Press page on the free reciprocal plan, then a Listed Press shortlist entry on the $29 plan once the comparison criteria are clear. No rankings are assumed; the founder only checks that both pages are public and that the product links match the plan.
What should you prepare before you submit?
Every desk still needs the same raw materials, even though the finished page differs:
One clear product URL that a stranger can open without a login wall on the first screen.
A one-sentence who / what / for whom in plain language, not a slogan.
Two or three concrete jobs the product does (not a feature dump).
Category hints that match how a buyer would search, not how your org chart is named.
Anything the editor should not invent: pricing model in one line, platforms, and a honest limit.
If you cannot write that sentence without hedging, fix the positioning first. A press page will not invent clarity you have not earned on your own homepage.
How should you measure whether the page helped?
Track only what you can verify without inventing traffic claims:
The live URL loads and stays public.
The product link's rel attribute still matches the plan you paid for or chose.
Referral visits in your analytics, if any, from that host.
Whether anyone mentioned the page in a support chat, sales call or social reply.
Do not put a Domain Rating change or an AI citation on the success checklist. Those are outside what the publisher controls, and each pricing page already says so.
Suggested path for a brand-new startup
If you have never published on any of these desks:
Write the who / what / for whom sentence until a stranger understands it.
Ship one Hed Press or Lede Press page so you have a single-product story URL.
When buyers start asking for comparisons, add a Listed Press shortlist.
When one decision keeps coming up in sales or support, add a Piece Press explainer.
Keep inspecting live links and dating your sheet.
That sequence matches how buyer questions usually mature. Jumping straight to four pages on day one mostly creates four thin briefs.
Common mistakes when shopping for editorial backlinks
Buying a format you do not need. A shortlist will not replace a feature story, and an explainer is wasted if you only needed a sharp opener.
Counting the link before you inspect it. Plans differ. Open the live page and check rel.
Treating DR 0 as a secret. Each pricing page states it. Plan for a readable URL, not a borrowed authority score.
Skipping the reciprocal credit on the free dofollow plan. If you choose reciprocal free, leave the credit up while the page is live.
Expecting citations. The $29 pass builds cite-ready surfaces. A citation is still a separate decision by the answer engine.
Editorial backlinks FAQ
Where can a startup get editorial backlinks without an agency?
One path is these four small press sites: Lede, Hed, Listed and Piece Press. Each publishes a readable page about your product with one product link in the article. Free reciprocal, free nofollow and $29 plans are listed on each pricing page. Other paths include journalist pitches, guest posts and third-party roundups, covered in the MakerHunt editorial-backlinks guide linked above.
Are the product links dofollow?
On Free reciprocal and $29 plans, yes: one product link without rel nofollow, sponsored or ugc. On the Nofollow plan the product link uses rel=nofollow. The live page is the record.
Do these sites promise rankings or AI citations?
No. Each get-published and pricing page says a ranking is a separate decision and a citation is not promised. The page is public and specific so those systems have a URL to consider.
Are these press sites related to Aura++?
Yes. They are run by the same team as Aura++ and the Hunt launch sites. That is why this comparison can quote their pricing pages directly and link to live Lede Press editions.
Pick a format, then publish one page
Start with one desk that matches the page you actually want a reader to open. Compare plans on Lede Press pricing, Hed Press pricing, Listed Press pricing or Piece Press pricing, submit the product, and verify the live link. If you later need a different format, use a second desk instead of forcing one article to do every job.