How to get featured in Dark Reading

How Dark Reading decides what to cover

Dark Reading is a long-running cybersecurity news site for security professionals. Its editors cover breaches, threat actor activity, vulnerabilities, security operations, cloud and application security, and the work of CISOs. Much of its news is built on research: reports from security vendors, independent researchers, and government agencies, examined for what defenders need to know.

The bar is technical relevance. A story fits when it tells practitioners something actionable about a threat, a weakness, or a defensive approach. Funding rounds and product launches rarely fit unless they reflect a meaningful shift in the field.

How to pitch Dark Reading

For research, pitch the editors with real technical substance: what you found, how, which systems are affected, and what defenders should do. Offer the researcher for questions and set a clear embargo so the story can be reported properly. Indicators, timelines, and disclosure status all help.

Dark Reading’s column guide routes product releases and breaking news tips to addresses separate from the Commentary desk. Use the right one. Sending a product release to the column inbox wastes both your time and the editors’.

Contributed articles and op-eds

Dark Reading’s Commentary section is open to outside writers, and its rules are published on its “How to Submit a Column” page. Pieces are unpaid and must be exclusive; once a column runs, you can summarize it on your own blog and link back. Columns should make a clear argument supported by facts and, preferably, personal experience. The current guidance calls for roughly 700 to 800 words, with a maximum of 1,000.

Submissions go to the Commentary desk by email, pasted into the body, because Dark Reading does not open attachments. AI-generated submissions are not accepted. Columns must include links and attribution for data and factual claims, and they must not be used to promote products or trends tied to the author’s business. Editors have publicly noted that submission volume is high.

Frequently asked questions

Does Dark Reading accept guest posts?

Yes, through its Commentary section. Columns are unpaid, exclusive, non-promotional, and must be written without AI.

Can security vendors write for Dark Reading?

Vendors can submit, but columns must not promote products or trends tied to their business. A clear, evidence-backed argument is what gets published.

How should I send threat research to Dark Reading?

Pitch the editors with technical detail and a researcher available for questions, under a clear embargo. Use the news address in the column guide, not the Commentary desk.

Security vendors earn Dark Reading coverage by publishing research that holds up to scrutiny. Packaging that research for reporters is central to how a PR-led agency approaches media relations in cybersecurity.