To get featured in a business publication, you need three things an editor can verify: a specific result with a number and a date, a point of view that is useful to the publication’s readers, and material that is ready to publish. Most pitches fail on the first one. This guide covers how editorial features work, how paid features work and how they must be labelled, and what to prepare before you approach anyone.
Editorial features versus paid features
An editorial feature is chosen and written by the publication at its own cost; you cannot buy it, and the publication decides the angle. A paid feature is commissioned by you, written to the publication’s standards, and labelled as paid. Under the UK Advertising Standards Authority’s CAP Code and the US Federal Trade Commission’s endorsement guides, paid content must be identifiable as such, which is why reputable publications label it “Paid partnership” or “Sponsored” and mark links with the sponsored attribute. A publication that offers to run paid content without a label is exposing you, not helping you.
What editors look for
- A verifiable number. Revenue, customers, funding, a market share, a cost you cut, with the date it was true. Vague scale words are discarded.
- A reason it matters now. A regulation that changed, a market that moved, a problem readers have this quarter.
- Something only you can say. A decision you made and what it cost, a mistake, a comparison across countries you have operated in.
- Clean material. A headshot you own the rights to, a one-paragraph bio, two quotes you are happy to be attributed with, and links to the sources behind your numbers.
How to pitch an editorial feature
Write to a named editor, not a generic inbox. Three sentences: who you are, the one specific thing you can show, and why their readers would care this month. Attach nothing; link to one page that proves the number. If you do not hear back in two weeks, you have your answer; do not chase more than once.
How paid features work
A reputable paid feature follows a fixed process: a questionnaire about your background and milestones, a draft written by the publication, your approval before anything is published, a visible paid label, and sponsored link attributes. Prices in this market typically run from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on reach and extras such as newsletter inclusion or social posts. At Millionaire News the packages and process are set out on the Get Featured page; our editorial policy explains the labelling.
What a feature does and does not do
A feature gives you a permanent, well-structured page about you on a publication’s domain that search engines and AI assistants can read and cite when someone asks about you or your company. It does not pass search-ranking value to your website if it is paid and correctly labelled, and it will not make up for a thin company website or an empty LinkedIn profile. Treat it as the authoritative reference about you, and make sure the facts in it match everything else you publish.
Red flags
- No paid label offered, or an offer to remove it for a fee.
- Guaranteed placement in Google results or AI answers.
- No approval step before publication.
- Links sold as “do-follow” from paid content.
- A site with hundreds of near-identical profiles and no editorial pages, contact address or policy.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to get featured in a business publication?
Editorial features cost nothing but are not for sale. Paid features in business publications typically range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the outlet’s reach and what is included. Millionaire News lists its packages openly: Feature $349, Feature + Reach $749, Founder Package $1,500, all labelled as paid partnership.
Is a paid feature legal?
Yes, provided it is labelled so readers can identify it as paid content. In the UK the CAP Code requires marketing communications to be obviously identifiable; in the US the FTC requires clear disclosure. Unlabelled paid articles breach both.
Will a feature improve my search rankings?
A correctly labelled paid feature carries sponsored links, which do not pass ranking value. Its value is as a citable, well-structured reference about you that search engines and AI assistants can read, and as material you can share with clients, investors and press.
What should I prepare before applying?
Your milestones with dates, one or two numbers with their sources, two quotes you are happy to be attributed with, a headshot you own the rights to, and links to your company website and LinkedIn profile. Publications that take this seriously will ask for all of it.
