How to Pitch Business Insider: A Practical Guide to Getting Featured Without Sounding Promotional
Quick answer: To get featured on Business Insider, you need a newsworthy, non-promotional story that fits a specific editorial beat and is pitched to the right editor or journalist. Business Insider’s own guidance says it does not accept promotional or sponsored posts, and outside pitches work best when they align naturally with its existing coverage. Good PR helps, but the real lever is a stronger story with proof.
What does Business Insider actually want?
Business Insider wants journalism, not disguised advertising. Its published guidance says it welcomes outside pitches only when they fit seamlessly with its coverage and explicitly notes that it does not accept promotional or sponsored posts.
That immediately rules out most “look at our company” announcements. If your pitch reads like a sales page with extra commas, it will be ignored for the good of the newsroom and probably civilisation.
- A story tied to a clear editorial beat
- A pitch built on evidence, reporting, or original insight
- A subject line that sounds like a Business Insider-style headline
Why most brands fail to get featured on Business Insider
Most failed pitches are not terrible because they are badly written. They fail because they are not news.
A publication like Business Insider covers what is timely, useful, surprising, or well evidenced. It is not there to publish your funding round from nine months ago, your new logo, or your founder’s thoughts on “the future of innovation” unless those thoughts contain actual reporting.
The most common problems usually look like this:
- The angle is promotional rather than editorial
- The claim has no documents, numbers, or credible sourcing
- The pitch goes to the wrong person or wrong beat
- The publication has already covered the topic recently
- The email is vague, long, or written like legal furniture
Business Insider also advises contributors to read the site before pitching. That sounds obvious because it is obvious, yet many brands skip it and then wonder why the pitch about workplace culture went to someone covering transport or venture capital 🙂
How to build a pitch angle that fits Business Insider
The best pitch angle starts with a real development, not a brand message. Your company is the source, but the story must matter beyond your company.
A useful test is whether a reader would care if your brand name were removed from the first paragraph. If the answer is no, you probably have marketing copy, not a story.
Here are the angles that tend to travel better:
| Angle type | What it looks like | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Data-led trend | Internal data reveals a new pattern in hiring, pricing, spending, or user behaviour | Gives journalists a fresh hook |
| First-person experience | A founder, operator, or executive shares a specific, evidenced lesson | Works when it is concrete, not self-congratulatory |
| Timely reaction | Your business has insight on a current event or market shift | Matches newsroom timing |
| Contrarian evidence | You have proof that a common assumption is wrong | Creates curiosity |
| Document-backed update | Filing, memo, survey, customer data, or operational change with evidence | Improves credibility |
Original reporting helps because it gives the journalist something to work with. If you have customer data, survey results, internal benchmarks, or documents that can be checked, your odds improve.
Specificity beats slogans every time. “We are helping SMEs thrive” is fluff, while “our invoice data shows average payment delays rose 18% in Q1” is a possible story.
How to find the right editor or journalist
A good pitch sent to the wrong person is still a bad pitch. Business Insider’s own guidance points contributors and business leaders to Debbie Strong, and names Lauryn Haas or Manseen Logan for certain freelancer pitches and beats.
That does not mean you should blast all of them at once like a panicked wedding invite. It means you should identify the journalist or editor whose recent coverage most closely matches your angle.
Use this simple process:
- Search Business Insider for recent stories on your topic.
- List recurring bylines and section names.
- Read 5 to 10 articles to understand tone, framing, and what evidence appears in the reporting.
- Check whether your topic was already covered and ask what is genuinely new.
- Pitch one relevant contact with a tailored note.
Reading the site is part of the job, not a nice extra. Business Insider specifically says to avoid pitching stories it has already covered, which is useful advice if you enjoy not wasting everyone’s Tuesday.
For brands using a broader visibility strategy, press release support can still help create a cleaner source asset. A well-structured release distributed through BrandPush can support discoverability, give journalists a reference point, and make your announcement easier to verify, even though editorial coverage still has to be earned.
What should a Business Insider pitch email include?
A strong pitch email is short, specific, and easy to scan. Journalists are not waiting for a five-act narrative arc.
Business Insider advises using a headline-style subject line. That means your subject line should sound like a publishable story, not “Exciting Opportunity for Collaboration”.
A practical pitch structure looks like this:
- Subject line: A clear, headline-style summary
- First line: Why this story matters now
- Second line: The core evidence or reporting behind it
- Third line: Why you are sending it to this person specifically
- Close: Offer assets, interview access, or source material
Example framework:
Subject: Start-ups are delaying hires for longer than expected, according to new payroll data
We analysed anonymised payroll trends across 1,200 UK SMEs and found average time-to-hire rose 22% since January. You’ve covered start-up cost pressure recently, so I thought this might be useful as a data point with a named founder and underlying methodology available.
The best pitch makes the work feel easier for the journalist. Include who can speak, what data exists, how quickly you can respond, and whether there are charts, screenshots, or documents available.
If you are still shaping the underlying announcement, these resources on how to write a press release and how to create the perfect press release headline are useful before outreach starts.
How much proof do you need before pitching?
You need more proof than your marketing team thinks is necessary. A claim without evidence is just optimism wearing office clothes.
Business Insider’s guidance strongly points towards credible evidence and original reporting. That can mean internal data, customer numbers, financial documents, survey methodology, screenshots, public filings, expert commentary, or a first-person account with verifiable details.
A quick evidence checklist:
- Named source who can speak on record
- Numbers with context, dates, and methodology
- Documents or screenshots where appropriate
- Clear timing showing why the story matters now
- No exaggerated claims that collapse under one follow-up question
There is also a difference between available evidence and usable evidence. If your data is messy, biased, too small, or impossible to explain cleanly, it may not survive editorial scrutiny.
That is one reason many brands pair editorial pitching with distribution. A clean release, supporting assets, and wider syndication can make the story easier to validate and easier to find later through search, especially when your newsroom materials are well organised.
What role does press release distribution play?
Press release distribution does not buy you a Business Insider feature. It can, however, strengthen the surrounding ecosystem that supports media outreach.
Distribution helps by creating a crawlable, shareable source asset and broadening visibility around a news announcement. That matters when journalists, partners, or search users look for context after seeing your brand elsewhere.
Here is the realistic breakdown:
| Tactic | What it can do | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Direct editorial pitch | Put a relevant story in front of the right journalist | Guarantee coverage |
| Press release distribution | Publish a structured announcement across multiple outlets | Force a newsroom to care |
| Owned content | Add background, proof, and brand context on your site | Replace a real news hook |
| Social amplification | Show traction and help discovery | Turn weak news into strong news |
This is where expectations need adult supervision. Distribution is useful when you already have something worth announcing and want that announcement discoverable across search, media databases, and syndicated placements.
For that part of the workflow, BrandPush can help with packaging and distribution through its pricing and package options. It is best used as support for discoverability and credibility, while your pitch to Business Insider remains tailored, timely, and genuinely editorial.
What to expect after you send the pitch
Silence is normal. Newsrooms are busy, inboxes are brutal, and even strong pitches often receive no reply.
A non-response does not always mean the story is bad. It may mean the timing was off, the journalist was away, the beat moved on, or the hook was not distinct enough from existing coverage.
A sensible follow-up rhythm looks like this:
- Send the initial pitch with a clear subject line
- Wait 3 to 5 working days
- Follow up once with one new line of value or context
- Stop if there is no reply
Do not send four chasers and a LinkedIn voice note. Restraint is a professional skill, and journalists remember who lacks it.
If the story does not land, improve the angle rather than simply increasing the volume. Review whether the hook was timely, whether the evidence was strong enough, and whether another format such as a contributed expert comment, data note, or first-person insight would fit better.
When are you actually ready to pitch Business Insider?
You are ready when the story can stand on its own without hype. That usually means the angle is newsworthy, the evidence is ready, the spokesperson is briefed, and the target contact is relevant.
You are not ready when the main asset is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm has its place, but it is not generally accepted as documentation.
Use this pre-pitch checklist:
- The story fits a clear Business Insider beat
- The angle is non-promotional and reader relevant
- You have evidence, data, or reporting ready to share
- You checked whether the topic was recently covered
- The subject line reads like a headline
- The email is short and tailored
- A release or media asset exists for background support
There is no guaranteed route to being featured. But there is a very clear route to improving your chances, and it starts with respecting how editorial decisions actually work.
Getting featured on Business Insider is usually less about finding a secret contact and more about behaving like a source worth quoting. Build the story first, support it with proof, and use tools like BrandPush only where they genuinely help the wider visibility plan rather than pretending distribution is magic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you pay to get featured on Business Insider?
Not through normal editorial coverage. Business Insider’s published guidance says it does not accept promotional or sponsored posts as outside editorial pitches.
What kind of stories does Business Insider usually want?
It generally wants stories that fit its beats and feel like journalism rather than promotion. That means timely angles, original reporting, credible evidence, and relevance to its audience.
Does a press release help you get featured on Business Insider?
A press release can help by creating a structured source document and supporting discoverability. It does not guarantee editorial pickup, which still depends on the story quality and pitch fit.
Who should you pitch at Business Insider?
You should pitch the editor or journalist who already covers your topic. Business Insider’s contributor guidance also names Debbie Strong, while Lauryn Haas and Manseen Logan are mentioned for specific freelancer and beat-related pitches.
How long should a pitch email be?
Short. In most cases, 4 to 7 sentences is enough if the angle, evidence, timing, and relevance are clear.
What should the subject line look like?
It should read like a publishable headline, not a generic sales email. Business Insider explicitly advises using a Business Insider-style headline in the subject line.
Should you follow up if nobody replies?
Yes, but only once and only after a few working days. A brief follow-up with one new detail is reasonable, while repeated chasing usually hurts more than it helps.
What is the biggest mistake brands make?
The biggest mistake is pitching something promotional that is not actually news. The second biggest is sending that weak pitch to the wrong person and hoping confidence will do the rest.
