Technology · Trade
How to get featured in CIO
How to get featured in CIO: how its editors cover IT leadership, how to pitch story ideas, and how the Foundry Expert Contributor Network works.
- Website
- cio.com
- Owner
- Foundry
- Lead time
- News analysis: days. Features and case studies: typically several weeks. Contributor articles: depends on editing rounds.
- Last verified
At a glance
Audience. CIOs, CTOs, and senior IT and business decision-makers responsible for technology strategy, budgets, and teams.
- IT leadership and strategy
- Artificial intelligence
- Cloud computing
- Data and analytics
- Enterprise applications
- IT careers and management
- Digital transformation
- Staff reporting
- Staff and freelance writers report features, news analysis, and case studies on IT leadership, often built on interviews with named CIOs and practitioners.
- Contributed articles
- Foundry runs a free Expert Contributor Network for IT practitioners and decision-makers. Accepted writers publish blog-style articles, typically 1,200 to 1,500 words, edited to the brand's style and published across CIO and sister titles.
- Opinion and op-eds
- There is no separate op-ed desk. First-person perspective from IT leaders runs through the Expert Contributor Network.
- Press releases
- Releases are not republished. The contact page directs story ideas to the writer whose byline covers the topic.
Pitching CIO, step by step
Find the writers who cover your topic by reading recent CIO stories and following the links in their bylines, as the contact page advises.
Pitch a story built around a named IT leader and a real decision: what they chose, what it cost, and what happened.
Offer the CIO or IT practitioner as the source, not a vendor spokesperson, and make them available for an interview.
If your expert is a practitioner, register for the Expert Contributor Network with a working title and a few sentences on the article's focus.
Expect editing to the publication's style guide and sign the writer agreement if accepted.
How CIO decides what to cover
CIO is Foundry’s publication for technology leaders. Its readers run IT organizations, so its coverage favors decisions over announcements: how a CIO restructured a team, chose a cloud strategy, governed AI, or cut costs, and what the result was. Named practitioners speaking from experience are the currency of the publication.
That means a vendor story rarely works on its own. A product launch matters to CIO only when a customer’s IT leader can explain why it changed how they operate.
How to pitch CIO
The contact page is direct about this: to submit story ideas, read the site’s stories to see who writes what, and contact them through the links in their bylines. There is no central tips inbox for vendor news.
Build the pitch around a person and a decision. “The CIO of a 40-hospital system moved claims processing off a mainframe and here is what broke” is a story. “Our platform modernizes legacy systems” is not. If the IT leader is your customer, get their approval to speak on record before you pitch, and offer a time window for the interview.
Data helps when it is original. A survey of IT leaders with a clear methodology, or anonymized operating data from a large customer base, can anchor a news analysis piece. State the sample and dates in the first paragraph.
Contributed articles and op-eds
CIO’s route for outside voices is the Foundry Expert Contributor Network. Foundry describes it as a free platform for IT experts to share stories and insights, with articles published across CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. Articles typically run 1,200 to 1,500 words, and an editor helps shape each piece to the audience and style guide.
To join, register interest through the form on the program page. A pitch can be as simple as a working title and a few sentences on the article’s focus. Accepted contributors sign a writer agreement. The network is aimed at IT practitioners and decision-makers, so a first-person account from someone who runs technology will fit far better than a piece written for a vendor’s marketing team.
Frequently asked questions
Does CIO accept guest posts?
Yes, through Foundry’s Expert Contributor Network, which is free to join and aimed at IT practitioners. Articles are edited and may be published on CIO or a sister Foundry title.
Can you pay to be featured in CIO?
Editorial coverage is not paid. CIO does sell sponsor content and advertising, which the contact page routes to a separate sales team, and that is distinct from editorial.
Who should I pitch at CIO?
The writer who covers your topic. The contact page advises finding them through recent stories and contacting them through their bylines.
For enterprise technology companies, the strongest CIO coverage usually starts with a customer’s IT leader willing to tell the story. Building those stories and preparing those leaders is a large part of how a PR-led agency approaches media relations for B2B brands.
Mistakes that get pitches ignored
- Vendor product pitches with no customer or CIO willing to speak on record.
- Submitting a contributed article that reads like marketing copy for your platform.
- Generic AI trend commentary with no first-hand operating experience behind it.
- Sending a press release to a general inbox instead of the writer who covers the beat.
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Profiles describe public editorial processes and are reviewed periodically. Digitize is not affiliated with CIO. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].