I've actually seen boosts to my view count and reader gain from hitting in the top 35 before. So long as you are somewhere on the first page of the trending list, or on the upper half of the second page, it will be at least a small benefit to you. Of course, being in the top 9 is about 10 times better than even being at spot #10. Also, spot 7 is twice as good as spot 8 because it is the last spot that a PC user can see without intentionally looking at what else there is, and spot 3 is twice as good as spot 4 because smart phones show you the top 9 in batches of 3, and it is the top 3 that are put in your face without you intentionally looking over the rest of them.