How to Get Featured in Forbes

By Sam Harris, Digital Networking Agency · Last updated 9 August 2026

Forbes is the name almost everyone names first. It is also the hardest to get, and the most misunderstood.

Here is how it actually works.

Four different things get called a Forbes feature, and they are not the same product.

  • Staff or contributor editorial. A Forbes writer decides you are worth covering. Free, and entirely their call.
  • Forbes Councils. A paid membership that lets you publish your own bylined posts. Application-based, with published revenue requirements — reported at roughly $2,500–$2,700 a year plus a one-time initiation fee.
  • Forbes BrandVoice. Sponsored content produced for a brand, carrying a paid-content label. Reported from around $50,000.
  • Agency-assisted pitching. An agency develops your story and pitches it to the right writer. You pay for the work, not the outcome.

Knowing which one you are being offered is the single most useful thing on this page.

Why Forbes is worth pursuing — and when it is not

A Forbes link is understood by everyone. No explanation needed, no context required. For some founders that is worth a great deal.

But it is a poor first move. Editorial coverage goes to people who already have a public record — a track record of coverage, data worth citing, a story a writer can verify. Chasing Forbes with no press history is the most common way founders waste a year.

Build the record first. Forbes gets easier from there.

What makes a story Forbes will run

Writers are not looking for successful people. They are looking for stories.

That means a number nobody else has, a trend you can evidence, a genuinely contrarian view, or a moment that makes your story timely. "Founder builds profitable company" is not a story. "Here is what our data shows about why this market is about to break" is.

If you cannot say what the reader learns, it is not ready to pitch.

  • Pitch it. Find the writers who cover your space, read what they actually publish, and send something short and specific. Free, slow, and low odds — but it is the real thing.
  • Use a professional feature service. A team builds the story, identifies the right targets and pitches on your behalf. Faster and far more likely to land, because the work is done properly.

What to expect from the process

We develop the angle with you, write to editorial standard, and pitch the writers who cover your space. You approve the story before anything goes out.

One honest note: no agency controls Forbes editorial. We pitch, we position, and we are good at it — but anyone guaranteeing you a Forbes placement is selling something they cannot deliver. Be careful with that promise wherever you hear it.

Getting started

Digital Networking Agency builds the story and the press record that makes coverage like this possible — starting with publications where we place clients consistently, and building toward the bigger names.

If Forbes is the goal, the fastest route is rarely to start there.

Frequently asked questions

Can you pay to be featured in Forbes?

You can pay for Forbes Councils membership or BrandVoice sponsored content, both of which are official Forbes products. You cannot pay for staff editorial coverage — that is an editorial decision.

How hard is it to get editorial coverage?

Hard. Writers receive far more pitches than they can run, and most go unanswered. A specific story with real evidence behind it dramatically improves the odds.

Should Forbes be my first placement?

Usually not. Coverage tends to follow coverage, so building a genuine press record first makes the bigger names considerably more achievable.