Getting your name or business featured in Forbes is one of the strongest credibility markers in the world of media.
It signals to investors, clients, and peers that your work has weight and your story is worth paying attention to.
But a Forbes feature doesn’t happen by chance.
It requires the right mix of narrative, credibility, and timing—along with an understanding of how Forbes actually decides what to publish.
Why Getting Featured in Forbes is a Big Deal
Forbes isn’t just another business magazine. It has become a symbol of authority for entrepreneurs, executives, and thought leaders across the globe.
A single mention can put your name in front of millions of readers, including industry insiders and decision-makers.
Reach and Influence
Forbes.com attracts more than 100 million monthly visitors worldwide. Its print edition and digital channels are consumed by CEOs, investors, and professionals looking for the next big idea.
Being featured means your work is validated by one of the most trusted business platforms on the planet.
Reputation and Trust
A Forbes feature acts as third-party validation. Instead of you saying you’re credible, the recognition comes from an established media brand.
This creates instant trust with potential clients, partners, and investors who may not know you yet.
Business Benefits
- Investor Confidence: Visibility in Forbes strengthens your appeal to venture capitalists and angel investors.
- Networking Opportunities: A feature often sparks connections with leaders who share your industry or values.
- Increased Visibility: Your story becomes searchable and shareable across multiple platforms, boosting organic reach.
Authority Building
Being in Forbes sets you apart from competitors who may still be struggling to gain attention.
It places you in the company of industry disruptors and innovators, framing you as a credible leader worth following.
Understanding How Forbes Publishes Content
Before you pitch or plan, you need to understand how Forbes actually works.
The platform has several content streams, and knowing the difference can save you time and frustration.
Staff-Written Editorial Pieces
These are articles written by full-time Forbes journalists and editors. They decide what stories to cover based on news value, relevance, and alignment with Forbes’ editorial focus.
You cannot pay to be included in these pieces. Editorial coverage is earned, not bought.
The Forbes Contributor Network
Forbes also runs a contributor program where industry experts and writers cover specific beats such as technology, leadership, or small business. Contributors are independent, but their work still goes through Forbes’ editorial system.
Many features and profiles come from this network, which makes it essential to identify contributors writing in your space.
Forbes Councils (Paid Membership)
Separate from editorial is the Forbes Councils program. These are invite-only, paid membership groups for entrepreneurs and executives. Members can publish thought-leadership articles under their own byline on Forbes.com.
While valuable for visibility, Councils content is branded as member-generated and does not carry the same weight as an independent feature.
Why This Matters
Understanding these distinctions helps you avoid common mistakes. Many fall for services that “guarantee” a Forbes article, when in reality those offers are either council placements or outright scams.
Real Forbes coverage comes from relevance, credibility, and relationships—not transactions.
Step 1: Build a Strong Personal and Brand Narrative
If you want to be featured in Forbes, you need more than a resume—you need a story. Journalists and contributors are not looking for generic success tales.
They’re drawn to narratives that connect with readers, highlight impact, and reflect broader trends in business or society.
Clarify Your Value Proposition
Ask yourself: what do you or your business bring to the table that no one else does?
Forbes gravitates toward founders, leaders, and innovators who have carved out a distinct place in their industry. This could be a disruptive technology, a fresh approach to leadership, or a new way of solving an old problem.
Align With Forbes’ Core Themes
Forbes content often revolves around entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, finance, and lifestyle.
If your narrative ties into one of these categories, your chances of being featured increase. A wellness brand breaking into new markets, a tech founder solving inefficiencies with AI, or an executive championing diversity all align well with Forbes’ editorial direction.
Make Your Story Relatable
Readers don’t just want numbers and milestones. They connect with struggles, lessons learned, and turning points.
If you can present your journey as both inspiring and instructive, you’ll give contributors a reason to share it.
Example Angles That Get Attention
- A founder who turned a small startup into a fast-scaling company.
- An entrepreneur using innovation to tackle social or environmental challenges.
- A leader reshaping company culture to reflect modern workforce expectations.
Building a clear, compelling narrative is the foundation. Without it, even the most polished pitch will fall flat.
Step 2: Strengthen Your Digital Presence
A strong digital footprint makes it easier for Forbes contributors and editors to take you seriously.
Before featuring anyone, they often run quick checks online to verify credibility. If your presence is thin or inconsistent, it can undermine your chances.
Build a Professional Website
Your website is often the first stop for fact-checking. It should clearly explain who you are, what your company does, and why your work matters.
Keep it updated with recent achievements, press mentions, and a well-written bio that establishes your expertise.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Forbes contributors frequently use LinkedIn to research sources.
A complete profile with a professional photo, detailed experience, and regular activity helps demonstrate authority. Sharing original insights or commentary on industry trends positions you as a thought leader worth quoting.
Show Social Proof
Contributors look for external validation. Media mentions, podcast appearances, awards, or speaking engagements show that others already recognize your expertise.
Even smaller features in niche industry outlets can make a difference.
Maintain Consistency Across Platforms
Your message should align across your website, LinkedIn, and other social channels.
Conflicting details or outdated information can raise doubts about your credibility. A polished, consistent digital presence signals that you’re ready for the spotlight.
Step 3: Create Newsworthy Angles
Forbes isn’t interested in free advertising. What gets attention is a story that feels timely, relevant, and valuable to readers.
To catch a contributor’s eye, you need to frame your work in a way that connects with a bigger conversation.
Tie Into Broader Trends
Editors and contributors look for stories that fit into the current business climate.
If your company addresses a pressing challenge—like sustainability, digital transformation, or workforce shifts—you’re already closer to the kind of angle Forbes wants to cover.
Use Data and Insights
Numbers tell a story that opinions alone can’t.
Highlight growth statistics, customer impact, or industry benchmarks that make your narrative measurable. Forbes writers often rely on data-driven insights to add weight to their articles.
Focus on Impact
Ask yourself: who benefits from what you’re doing? Stories that show clear impact—whether on an industry, community, or social issue—carry more weight.
Position your achievements not as self-promotion, but as contributions that readers can learn from.
Examples of Newsworthy Angles
- A startup tackling climate challenges with an innovative business model.
- A founder driving record-breaking growth in a traditional industry.
- An executive leading a successful cultural shift inside a large organization.
Framing your story as part of something bigger is what turns it from a personal milestone into a feature-worthy narrative.
Step 4: Build Relationships with Forbes Contributors and Journalists
Cold pitches alone rarely do the trick. Most Forbes contributors and staff writers receive dozens of emails every day.
To stand out, you need to build relationships before you ask for coverage.
Find the Right Contributors
Start by identifying writers who cover your industry or niche. Forbes contributor pages list all their recent articles, and a quick LinkedIn or Twitter/X search will show where they’re active.
Focus only on those whose beat naturally overlaps with your story—relevance matters more than volume.
Engage With Their Work
Read what they’ve published and add thoughtful comments where appropriate.
Share their articles on your channels with genuine insights instead of generic praise. Over time, this positions you as someone who values their work, not just someone who wants something from them.
Build Rapport Before You Pitch
A respectful introduction goes much further than a sudden pitch.
Send a note complimenting a specific piece of writing, or contribute a perspective that could be useful for future articles. Establishing even a small connection increases the chance your name will be remembered when you do have a story worth pitching.
What to Avoid
- Mass emailing every contributor in sight.
- Asking outright to “be featured” without offering a compelling angle.
- Ignoring their body of work and sending irrelevant pitches.
Relationships take time, but the trust you build with journalists and contributors is what eventually opens the door to Forbes coverage.
Step 5: Craft a Pitch That Stands Out
Once you’ve built relationships and refined your story, the next step is putting it into a pitch that a contributor or journalist can actually use.
A strong pitch doesn’t just introduce you—it shows why your story matters to Forbes readers.
Lead With Clarity
Your subject line and opening sentence should tell the writer exactly what the pitch is about.
Skip vague teasers and spell it out: who you are, what the story angle is, and why it’s timely.
Focus on the Reader, Not Yourself
Forbes writers aren’t looking to promote your brand.
They’re looking for insights, lessons, or examples that will engage their audience. Frame your pitch around what readers will learn or take away from your story.
Support With Proof
Back your claims with data, achievements, or milestones that can be independently verified.
If you’ve grown revenue 300% in a year, launched in multiple countries, or attracted notable investors, those details strengthen your pitch.
Make It Easy to Cover You
Include a short bio, links to your website, and a press kit if available.
Keep everything accessible so the writer doesn’t have to chase down details. The easier you make their job, the better your chances.
Tailor Every Pitch
Study the journalist’s recent work and align your pitch with their style and interests.
A one-size-fits-all approach almost always fails. A personalized pitch signals respect for their craft and increases the likelihood of a response.
A good pitch is less about selling yourself and more about presenting a story worth telling. Done right, it becomes the bridge between your narrative and a Forbes feature.
Step 6: Leverage PR and Media Platforms
Even with the right story and pitch, getting noticed often requires tapping into the channels that journalists already use to find sources.
Smart use of PR tools can increase your chances of crossing paths with Forbes contributors.
Use Media Request Platforms
Services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Qwoted connect journalists with expert sources.
Writers frequently post requests for insights on specific topics, and responding with thoughtful, relevant input can land you in articles—including those published on Forbes.
Work With a PR Agency
A seasoned PR agency already knows how to identify the right contributors and frame your story in a way that appeals to them.
They also handle the follow-ups and timing, saving you from common mistakes that come with DIY pitching.
Explore Media Databases
Tools like Muck Rack or Cision allow you to search for journalists and contributors by beat, outlet, or keyword.
This makes it easier to find the people most likely to cover your story and avoid wasted outreach.
Watch Out for Scams
Not all “Forbes opportunities” are legitimate. Be cautious of anyone promising guaranteed placement in exchange for money.
In most cases, they’re offering Forbes Councils access disguised as editorial coverage, or worse, fake placements. Real editorial features cannot be bought.
PR tools are there to help you connect with the right people, but they work best when paired with a strong story and a clear pitch.
Step 7: Consider Forbes Councils (the Paid Option)
Not every path to Forbes is through traditional editorial. For entrepreneurs and executives who qualify, Forbes offers a separate program called Forbes Councils.
It’s important to understand what this is—and what it isn’t—before pursuing it.
What Forbes Councils Are
Forbes Councils are invite-only, paid membership communities designed for business leaders.
Members gain the ability to publish thought-leadership articles on Forbes.com under their own byline. These pieces appear on the site but are clearly marked as council content.
Benefits of Membership
- Publishing Access: A direct platform to share your expertise and insights with Forbes readers.
- Networking: Opportunities to connect with other council members who are often executives, founders, and industry specialists.
- Visibility: Council articles still carry the Forbes name, which can add weight to your personal brand.
What It Is Not
Council content is not the same as being profiled by a Forbes journalist or contributor.
It doesn’t carry the same editorial weight because it’s branded as member-generated.
While useful for visibility and credibility within your industry, it won’t deliver the same impact as an earned feature.
When It Makes Sense
For leaders looking to consistently share expertise and publish regularly under the Forbes banner, a council membership can be valuable.
But if your goal is an independent feature, Councils should be viewed as a supplement—not a shortcut.
What to Avoid When Trying to Get Featured in Forbes
Just as important as knowing what works is knowing what to stay away from.
Many people damage their chances by falling for shortcuts or taking the wrong approach.
Don’t Fall for “Guaranteed Features”
Anyone offering guaranteed placement in Forbes for a fee is selling something misleading.
These services are either council memberships disguised as earned media or outright scams. Real Forbes coverage cannot be purchased.
Avoid Overly Promotional Pitches
Forbes writers are not interested in running free ads. If your pitch reads like marketing copy, it will be ignored.
Focus on insights, impact, and the bigger picture—not self-praise.
Don’t Neglect Your Online Presence
Even with a strong story, a weak or inconsistent digital footprint can cause writers to pass.
If your website is outdated or your LinkedIn is half-empty, it signals you’re not ready for serious coverage.
Skip the Mass Emails
Blasting the same pitch to dozens of contributors shows a lack of effort and usually gets deleted.
Tailored outreach to the right journalist always outperforms generic mass mailing.
Avoiding these mistakes not only protects your credibility but also shows contributors and editors that you understand how professional media works.
Success Stories and Common Traits of Those Featured
When you study people and companies that have been featured in Forbes, patterns emerge.
The coverage may look different on the surface—profiles, expert commentary, or trend stories—but the underlying qualities are strikingly similar.
Industry Disruption
Founders who challenge established norms often catch the eye of Forbes writers.
Whether it’s introducing new technology, rethinking traditional models, or carving out an untapped niche, disruption makes for a compelling angle.
Expertise That Educates
Many features highlight individuals who bring fresh insights into their fields.
These experts aren’t just promoting themselves; they’re contributing knowledge that helps readers understand a complex issue or trend.
Measurable Impact
Stories with tangible outcomes stand out. Entrepreneurs who have scaled quickly, leaders who have transformed workplaces, or companies delivering measurable social or environmental benefits are far more likely to be featured.
Relatable Human Journeys
Forbes isn’t only about numbers. Articles often highlight the human side of success—the obstacles faced, lessons learned, and personal decisions that shaped the outcome.
These details make stories more relatable and memorable.
The consistent thread across all these traits is credibility backed by real achievement.
Those featured in Forbes didn’t chase shortcuts; they built narratives, results, and reputations that naturally attracted media attention.
Final Thoughts
Forbes remains one of the most respected platforms in the world of business and leadership.
Earning a place there requires patience and preparation, but the payoff can be transformative—opening doors to new opportunities, stronger trust, and a level of authority that few other outlets can match.