Get featured in Rolling Stone
Music, culture and politics, written to its standard
We write a custom feature about you and manage the placement. You approve every word before it goes live.
- You approve every word
- Unlimited revisions
- Reply within 24 hours
How do I get featured in Rolling Stone?
We develop your story, write the feature to editorial standard, and manage the placement. You approve every word before anything goes live.
About Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and Ralph J. Gleason and is now based in New York. It is owned by Penske Media Corporation and covers music, politics, film, television and wider culture.
Why a feature here matters
Rolling Stone is one of the best-known names in music and culture journalism, so a feature there gives artists, founders and creative businesses a reference that fans, partners and industry contacts recognise.
Best for: Musicians and bands, music and entertainment executives, founders in music technology, fashion and culture, creative agencies, and personalities whose story reaches beyond their niche.
How coverage happens at Rolling Stone
There are two ways in. You can pitch Rolling Stone yourself: find the writer or editor who covers your genre or subject, read what they have written recently, and send a short, specific pitch, usually through a publicist, label or manager if you are an artist. That route is free, but it is slow, competition is intense and the editors decide what runs. There is no widely known open portal for unsolicited music, so simply sending tracks rarely works. The second way is to work with DNA. We develop the angle with you, write the feature to Rolling Stone's standard and manage the placement. You approve every word before it goes live.
The kind of story that lands
Rolling Stone wants stories with a point of view and a clear place in culture. Its music pages suit artists, producers and executives with a genuine turning point: a breakthrough record, an unusual route into the industry or a scene they helped build. Its culture coverage suits founders whose products change how people listen, create, dress or connect, told through people rather than features lists. Film and television stories need a link to a show, a film or the people behind them. Politics coverage is reported and argued, so it rarely suits a personal profile. Strong pieces are specific about names, places and decisions, and honest about the stakes. Thin biographies, generic launch announcements and inflated claims do not fit.
How to Get Featured in Rolling Stone
To get featured in Rolling Stone, you either give one of its writers or editors a story they want to cover, or have a feature developed and placed with professional help. Most coverage starts with a pitch to the person who covers your genre or subject, often sent by a publicist, label or management team, and the editors decide what runs.
That direct route is free but slow, and competition for space is intense. DNA offers another way in: we develop the story with you, write it to Rolling Stone's standard, manage the placement, and you approve every word before it goes live.
What Rolling Stone is
Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and Ralph J. Gleason, and it built its name on long-form music journalism, artist interviews and political reporting. It is now based in New York and owned by Penske Media Corporation. Alongside the magazine, its website publishes news, reviews, interviews and lists every day, and its ranked lists of albums and songs are among the most widely discussed in music.
What Rolling Stone covers
The site is organised around a handful of core areas:
- Music: news, album and live reviews, interviews, features and lists across rock, pop, hip-hop, country, Latin and other genres.
- Politics: reporting and commentary on American politics and policy.
- TV and film: news, reviews and interviews about shows, films and the people who make them.
- Culture: stories about technology, sport, style, the internet and the wider forces shaping popular culture.
How to get featured in Rolling Stone
There are three practical routes. The first is news: a release, tour, signing or launch that one of its writers judges worth reporting. The second is a feature or interview, which depends on a story with real weight, such as a career turning point, an unusual background or a cultural moment you are part of. The third is a developed feature, where DNA shapes the story and manages the placement while you keep approval of every word.
For the first two, research matters more than volume. Read what the relevant writer has covered recently, keep the pitch short, and lead with what is new and why a Rolling Stone reader would care now. Mass emails to every name on the masthead rarely get a reply.
How to submit music to Rolling Stone
Many people search for a way to submit music to Rolling Stone. There is no widely known open portal for unsolicited tracks, and its music coverage tends to follow artists who already have momentum: a growing audience, a strong live following, a respected label or a story that stands on its own. For an emerging artist, the realistic path is to build that momentum first, then have a publicist or manager pitch the writer who covers your genre with a link to the music, a short biography and one clear reason the story matters now.
How to write for Rolling Stone
Writing for Rolling Stone as a contributor is a different goal from being featured in it. Freelance writers usually build a portfolio in other music and culture titles, then pitch specific, reported story ideas to the relevant section editor. A strong freelance pitch names the story, the access the writer has and why it suits Rolling Stone rather than a general outlet. It is not a route for promoting your own business or music.
What makes a strong piece for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone favours stories with a point of view and a clear place in culture. A producer explaining how a regional scene broke through, a founder whose music technology changed how artists release work, or an artist with an unusual route into the industry all have a natural home. Generic announcements, inflated claims and thin biographies do not. Specifics carry the piece: names, places, real decisions and honest stakes. If your story is rooted in the British scene, the separate edition covered on our Rolling Stone UK page may be the better fit, and film or television industry stories can suit The Hollywood Reporter.
How the process works
With DNA, the work follows four steps. We look at your story and tell you honestly whether it suits Rolling Stone or another title. You share the substance: your background, your work and what is coming next. We draft the feature to Rolling Stone's standard and revise it with you. Once you approve every word, we manage the placement and send you the live link.
How long it takes
Expect weeks rather than days. The timeline depends on how quickly the angle comes together, how long your review takes and the placement itself. We will tell you plainly if your story needs more work first.
How we get you in Rolling Stone
Questions about Rolling Stone
Is the Rolling Stone coverage a real, published feature?
Yes. It is a genuine article published on the outlet, written about you and your work — not an ad you design yourself.
How long does it take?
Most placements take weeks rather than days. We give you a realistic timeline for Rolling Stone before we start, and never promise a date we cannot control.
What if I am not happy with the draft?
You review and revise until it is right. Nothing publishes without your approval.
How do I get published in Rolling Stone?
Pitch the writer or editor who covers your subject with a short, specific story that is new and relevant to its readers, usually through a publicist if you are an artist. The editors decide what runs. Alternatively, DNA can develop the feature with you and manage the placement, with your approval on every word.
Can I submit my music to Rolling Stone?
There is no widely known open submission portal for unsolicited music. Coverage usually follows momentum, so the most realistic route is a targeted pitch from a publicist or manager to the writer who covers your genre.
Is Rolling Stone the same as Rolling Stone UK?
No. Rolling Stone UK is a separate British edition with its own editors and coverage. A story rooted in the British music scene may suit it better than the American title.