Quick answer: To get featured on Business Insider, you need a real story that fits a reporter’s beat, proof that survives fact-checking, and a short pitch sent to the right journalist. Press release distribution can’t put your story in front of the Business Insider newsroom, but a BrandPush release publishes your announcement on 200+ outlets, including affiliates of Yahoo Finance and Business Insider, so journalists and searchers have a credible source to find.
What does it mean to get featured on Business Insider?
“Featured on Business Insider” covers several different things. The route you choose changes the work, the cost and the result, so it’s worth being clear before you start.
Most confusion comes from mixing up earned coverage with paid or distributed placements. Here’s how the main routes compare.
| Route | How it works | Who decides | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earned editorial coverage | A reporter writes about or quotes your company, data or founder because it fits their beat | Business Insider’s journalists and editors | No placement fee, just the time to build and pitch the story |
| Contributed or first-person essay | You pitch a personal or expert essay to an editor | Business Insider’s editors | No placement fee, and it’s judged as journalism |
| Sponsored content | A paid campaign through Business Insider’s advertising side, labeled as sponsored | The commercial team | Advertising rates, quoted privately |
| Press release distribution | Your release is published on news sites, including affiliates of Business Insider | The distribution service and its publishers | BrandPush packages start at $195 |
The first two are earned. They’re what most people mean by a Business Insider feature, and nobody can sell them to you.
The last route is a different product. It gets your announcement published and indexed quickly, but on affiliate sites, not as a story written by the Business Insider newsroom. Both have a place, as long as you know which one you’re working on. If budget is your main question, our guide to what it costs to get featured on Business Insider breaks down each route.
Is it worth trying to get featured in Business Insider?
For many brands, yes, as long as the goal is credibility rather than a guaranteed sales spike. A mention in a recognized business publication helps with buyer trust, investor conversations, hiring and partner outreach long after the article goes live.
The audience is still large, though it moves around. Semrush estimated about 40.5 million visits to businessinsider.com in July 2026, with an average visit of about 4 minutes 52 seconds. Similarweb’s July 2026 snapshot showed traffic down 12.86% from the previous month, which is a useful reminder that reach is meaningful but not fixed.
Coverage also feeds search and AI answers. Buyers and AI answer engines treat recognized publications as trust signals, so a credible mention makes your brand easier to find and cite.
Use this quick test to decide whether the effort fits your situation right now.
| It’s worth it when | It’s probably not worth it yet when |
|---|---|
| You have real news: funding, original data, expansion or a launch with market context | The “news” is a logo refresh, a new website or a minor award |
| You can back every claim with numbers, dates or documents | Your main asset is enthusiasm |
| You’ll reuse coverage on your site, in sales decks and in investor updates | You expect one article to deliver a flood of leads |
| Someone can answer a reporter’s questions within hours | Nobody is free to give interviews or approve quotes |
What kind of stories get featured on Business Insider?
Business Insider covers news that matters beyond the company announcing it. Its reporters work specific beats such as tech, finance, markets, retail, startups and careers, so relevance to a desk matters before anything else.
Most brand news isn’t really news. A product update with a few adjectives is still a product update. A useful test is to remove your brand name from the first paragraph: if the story stops being interesting, you have marketing copy, not a story.
These story types tend to travel, and each needs its own kind of proof.
| Story type | Why it works | Proof that helps |
|---|---|---|
| Original data or survey | Gives reporters something new to cite | Methodology, sample size, date range |
| Funding round | Signals momentum and outside validation | Round size, investors, use of funds |
| Launch with market context | Answers “why now” | Problem solved, user numbers, launch date |
| Executive move | Matters when it changes strategy | Bio, remit, what changes for the company |
| Expansion or hiring | Shows growth and intent | Markets entered, roles, timeline |
| Timely reaction | Adds insight to a story already in the news | A credible spokesperson and specific evidence |
Specificity beats slogans. “We launched a new feature” is forgettable. “New feature cut onboarding time by a measured percentage across a stated number of accounts” gives a reporter something to check, as long as the numbers are your real, verified figures.
Build a proof stack before you write a word
Proof is what turns a claim into a story. Editors filter for credibility fast, and anything they can’t verify is a risk.
Your proof stack might include:
- Internal data with clear date ranges and a short methodology note
- Customer numbers, retention changes or usage trends
- A named spokesperson who can speak on the record
- Documents, screenshots or public filings where appropriate
- Outside context from primary sources such as government data or Statista
Be honest about weak spots. If your sample is small or the data is messy, say so or don’t lead with it, because a claim that collapses after one follow-up question ends the conversation.
How do you pitch Business Insider?
Business Insider’s own guidance for outside pitches is refreshingly direct. It says it doesn’t accept promotional or sponsored posts, it wants pitches that fit its existing coverage, and it asks people to read the site and avoid stories it has already covered. It also suggests writing your subject line like a Business Insider headline.
Find the right reporter
A good pitch sent to the wrong person is still a bad pitch. Take an hour to find the one or two reporters whose recent work matches your angle.
- Search Business Insider for recent stories on your topic.
- Note the bylines that keep appearing and the section they write for.
- Read 5 to 10 of their recent articles to understand the framing and the evidence they use.
- Check whether your topic was covered recently, and work out what’s genuinely new.
- Pitch one relevant reporter with a tailored note instead of emailing the whole newsroom.
Write a short, specific pitch
Keep it short enough to read on a phone, roughly 150 to 250 words. One angle, one timely hook and one reason this reporter should care.
- Subject line: a plain, headline-style summary of the story
- First line: the news and why it matters now
- Second line: the evidence behind it
- Third line: why you’re sending it to this reporter, such as a related story they wrote
- Close: what you can offer, such as data, interview access or images, and how fast you can respond
Here’s a simple frame to adapt:
Subject: [Specific finding], according to new data from [number] [customers or companies]
We analyzed [dataset] and found [finding] since [date]. You covered [related topic] recently, so this may be a useful data point. Our [title], [name], is available today, and the full methodology is linked below.
Link to assets instead of attaching them. Have a founder bio, headshot and proof of credentials ready, because editors may ask for them.
Time it well and follow up once
- Pitch close to the event, not weeks after everyone stopped caring.
- Early in the week and morning in the reporter’s time zone is usually easier to process than a Friday afternoon.
- Avoid days when a major story is swallowing the news cycle.
- For significant data or company news, offer an embargo so the reporter has time to check it.
- Follow up once after 3 to 5 working days with one new detail, then stop.
Can you submit a press release to Business Insider?
Not in the sense of emailing a release to the newsroom and seeing it published. Business Insider’s journalists don’t run press releases as articles, and its guidance rules out promotional posts.
What you can do is use a release in two ways. It works as the source document behind your pitch, and you can distribute it through a service whose network includes affiliates of Business Insider.
This is what “press release distribution for Business Insider” really means. A BrandPush release is published on 200+ outlets from a 400+ outlet network, including affiliates of Yahoo Finance and Business Insider, with 185M+ potential readers. Publishing takes about 5 days, packages start at $195 with no monthly fees, every order includes a report with live links (here’s a sample report), and there’s a money-back guarantee if the article isn’t published.
Here’s what each tactic can and can’t do, so you can plan around the gaps.
| Tactic | What it can do | What it can’t do |
|---|---|---|
| Direct pitch to a Business Insider reporter | Earn an editorial story or a quote | Guarantee a reply or coverage |
| BrandPush press release distribution | Publish your announcement on 200+ outlets, including affiliates of Yahoo Finance and Business Insider, with a report of live links | Assign your story to a Business Insider reporter |
| Your own newsroom page or blog | Give background, proof and context | Replace a real news hook |
| Social sharing | Show traction and help discovery | Turn weak news into strong news |
Most brands do best with both. Publish the release, then pitch the strongest angle to one or two reporters while the news is fresh. The published release gives a reporter a page to verify facts, and it keeps working in search after the pitch window closes. Our guide to how press release distribution works covers the mechanics in more detail.
How should the release be written?
A readable release lets a busy editor grasp the news, the angle and the evidence in seconds. Structure beats flourish, and 400 to 800 words is usually enough.
- Headline with the actual news, not a vague boast
- Subheading that adds context, scale or outcome
- First paragraph with who, what, when and why it matters now
- Second paragraph with proof, numbers or market context
- Quote that adds analysis or intent, not “we’re thrilled”
- Boilerplate explaining what the company does
BrandPush articles are written to publisher standards, and writing can be included in your package. If you’re drafting it yourself, the guide on how to create the perfect press release headline and the complete press release writing guide will tighten the structure, and the press release templates save time.
What stops a pitch or press release from getting picked up?
Most failed pitches aren’t unlucky. They’re vague, thin on proof, sent to the wrong person or written as if adjectives were evidence. The fixes are usually boring, which is good news.
- Treating an advert as if it were news
- A headline that hides the news behind slogans
- No data, dates, customer evidence or documents
- A quote that says nothing beyond “we’re excited”
- Pitching a topic Business Insider covered last week
- Following up again and again until you’re remembered for the wrong reason
- A weak website or missing landing page that makes the company hard to verify
For a longer list, these common press release mistakes are painfully familiar for a reason.
A readiness checklist before you hit send
- Is the main claim supported by numbers, dates or named evidence?
- Does the headline state the actual news in plain English?
- Is there a timely reason this matters now?
- Does the story fit a specific Business Insider beat?
- Can a reader verify the company, spokesperson and product quickly?
- Does the release link to a live page on your site?
- Would the first paragraph still make sense with your brand name removed?
If you’re also targeting other outlets, the same process applies to getting featured in publications more broadly and to getting featured on Yahoo Finance.
What results should you expect after you get featured?
A feature is an asset, not a miracle. Earned coverage can bring credibility, referral traffic, branded search and follow-on media interest, while distributed placements give you indexed pages and a public record of your news.
Neither route guarantees rankings, sales or editorial pickup. Results depend on the story, the timing and what you do with the coverage afterward.
Describe placements accurately. An article on an affiliate site is not a story written by Business Insider’s newsroom, so don’t label it as one on your site or in sales decks.
Track a baseline before you publish, then compare over 30 to 90 days:
- Referral sessions from coverage pages
- Branded search impressions in Google Search Console
- Assisted conversions and demo or quote requests
- Prospects or investors mentioning the coverage
- Inbound requests from other journalists or podcasts
Coverage you don’t use is wasted. Add it to your site, share it with customers and partners, and use it in sales and investor materials. For a fuller framework, see our guide on whether press release distribution is worth it and how to measure results.
What to do next
Write your news in one sentence and run it through the readiness checklist above. If it passes, pitch one Business Insider reporter whose beat fits, and choose a BrandPush package to publish the release on affiliates of Yahoo Finance and Business Insider at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay to get featured on Business Insider?
Not for editorial coverage. Business Insider sells advertising and sponsored content, which is labeled as such, but its newsroom decides what it covers and its guidance says it doesn’t accept promotional or sponsored posts as pitches.
Can a press release guarantee Business Insider coverage?
No. No credible service can guarantee editorial pickup on a specific publication. BrandPush offers a money-back guarantee if your article isn’t published, but a story by Business Insider’s own reporters has to be earned.
Does Business Insider accept guest posts?
Not in the link-building sense. It publishes first-person and contributed essays when an editor accepts the pitch, and those are judged as journalism, so promotional guest posts won’t get through.
How long should a pitch to Business Insider be?
Short enough to read on a phone, roughly 150 to 250 words. Lead with the news, show the evidence, explain why it fits that reporter, and link to supporting material instead of attaching it.
Does Business Insider only cover large companies?
No. Smaller brands get coverage when the story is timely and backed by evidence, such as original data, a sharp niche trend or a founder lesson with measurable results. The strength of the angle matters more than company size.
How long does it take to get featured?
Earned coverage has no fixed timeline, and many pitches get no reply at all. A BrandPush release takes about 5 days to publish once your order is placed.
Does Business Insider coverage help SEO?
It can help indirectly through branded search, referral traffic, citations and secondary mentions. Treat it as part of a wider digital PR plan rather than a shortcut to rankings.
When should I use a service like BrandPush?
Use it when you have a clear announcement, supporting proof and a live page that matches the release. It’s most useful when you want your news published widely and quickly while you pitch reporters directly.
