National news · Tier one
How to get featured in Time
Getting featured in Time: how its editors and reporters choose stories, pitching news and features, what TIME Ideas accepts, and how its franchise lists work.
- Website
- time.com
- Owner
- Marc and Lynne Benioff
- Lead time
- Breaking news: same day. Features and magazine stories: typically weeks to months. Ideas commentary: tied to the news cycle, often days.
- Last verified
At a glance
Audience. A broad national and international readership following politics, business, technology, health, and culture through Time's magazine, website, and franchises.
- Politics and world affairs
- Business and leadership
- Technology and AI
- Health and science
- Climate
- Culture and ideas
- Staff reporting
- Staff reporters and editors cover politics, business, tech, health, and culture for the website and magazine, and editors curate franchises such as the TIME100 lists.
- Contributed articles
- Time does not run a contributed brand article program; outside voices appear through TIME Ideas, which says it welcomes outside contributions.
- Opinion and op-eds
- TIME Ideas publishes commentary on news, society, and culture from outside contributors. Time does not post a public submission form or address on the Ideas page.
- Press releases
- Releases are background for reporters and editors. Coverage comes from a story with national significance or a strong human angle.
Pitching Time, step by step
Read recent Time coverage in your area to find the reporter or editor who covers it.
Pitch a story with national or global stakes and a clear point of view, not a company update.
Offer exclusive data, access, or a compelling person at the center of the story.
For commentary, prepare an original argument tied to the news and pitch the TIME Ideas editors briefly by email.
Treat franchise lists as editorial selections; do not pitch them as a product placement.
How Time decides what to cover
Time is owned by Marc and Lynne Benioff and publishes across a website, a print magazine, video, and franchises such as the TIME100 lists. Staff reporters and editors cover politics, world affairs, business, technology, health, climate, and culture. Editors favor stories with national or global significance, and stories built around people: leaders, innovators, and individuals whose experience explains a larger shift.
Franchise lists are editorial selections made by Time’s editors. They are not applications or sponsorship products, and the most credible way onto one is sustained, earned coverage and a genuine record of impact.
How to pitch Time
Find the reporter or editor covering your area by reading recent Time stories. Pitch the larger story: what is changing, why it matters beyond your company, and who can explain it. Exclusive data, early access, or a strong central character all improve the odds. Keep pitches short and specific, and expect editors to want independent voices in any story.
We did not find a public news tip page or general pitch address on Time’s website when we checked in October 2026. The realistic route is a direct, well-targeted email to the reporter or editor whose beat matches.
Contributed articles and op-eds
Time does not run contributed brand content. Outside writers appear through TIME Ideas, which describes itself as hosting leading voices commenting on news, society, and culture and says it welcomes outside contributions. The section does not publish a submission form or dedicated address on its page, so pitch the Ideas editors directly with a brief, news-pegged argument and a clear statement of your expertise. Letters to the editor go to the address on Time’s letters page, with full name and contact details and no attachments.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay to be featured in Time?
No. Editorial coverage, Ideas essays, and franchise lists are editorial decisions. Advertising and branded content are sold separately and labeled.
Does Time accept guest posts?
Not as a guest post program. TIME Ideas publishes commentary from outside contributors, chosen and edited by its editors.
Who should I pitch at Time?
The reporter or editor whose recent coverage matches your story. For commentary, the TIME Ideas editors.
A PR-led approach to Time builds the national story and the executive point of view first, then earns the coverage that makes a leader credible to Time’s editors. That is how we approach media relations for tier-one magazines.
Mistakes that get pitches ignored
- Pitching a routine company update with no national significance.
- Assuming a TIME100 or similar list can be bought or applied to as a sponsor.
- Sending long attachments; Time's letters page asks for no attachments.
- Pitching commentary that repeats what Time columnists have already said.
Keep going
Related outlets
Sources for this profile (2)
Profiles describe public editorial processes and are reviewed periodically. Digitize is not affiliated with Time. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].