National news · Tier one
How to get featured in USA Today
Getting featured in USA Today: how its national desks work, how to pitch news and consumer stories, the Opinion column rules, and the USA Today Network reach.
- Website
- usatoday.com
- Owner
- USA TODAY Co.
- Lead time
- Breaking news: same day. Consumer features and trend stories: typically several weeks. Opinion: a reply within three business days if the desk is interested.
- Last verified
At a glance
Audience. A broad national consumer audience reading for news, money, health, travel, and lifestyle, plus readers of the local papers in the USA Today Network.
- National news
- Money and personal finance
- Consumer technology
- Health and wellness
- Travel
- Entertainment and life
- Opinion
- Staff reporting
- National reporters cover beats such as money, tech, health, travel, and life, and the paper shares content with local newsrooms across the USA Today Network.
- Contributed articles
- The newsroom does not publish contributed articles; outside writers appear through the Opinion section's columns.
- Opinion and op-eds
- Opinion accepts exclusive columns of roughly 550 to 750 words by email, pasted into the body, with sourcing links and a short bio; it replies within three business days only if interested.
- Press releases
- Releases are background for reporters. Stories that land usually carry a clear consumer takeaway, data, or a national trend.
Pitching USA Today, step by step
Find the national reporter who covers your consumer category, such as money, tech, travel, or health, through recent bylines.
Frame the pitch around what readers should know or do, not around the company.
Offer original data, a national survey, or real people affected by the story.
Line up a spokesperson who can explain the topic plainly, since the audience is general rather than specialist.
For an argument, write an exclusive column of 550 to 750 words, include source links, and send it to Opinion per its published guidelines.
Consider local USA Today Network papers when the story has a strong regional angle.
How USA Today decides what to cover
USA Today is a national, general-interest newsroom with reporters on beats such as money, personal finance, consumer tech, health, travel, and entertainment. Its parent company, formerly Gannett, renamed itself USA TODAY Co. in November 2025, and the national paper sits at the center of the USA Today Network of local newsrooms. That structure matters: a national story can travel to local papers, and a strong local story can rise to the national site.
The common thread in USA Today coverage is reader usefulness. Stories that land tend to explain what something means for ordinary people: their money, their health, their travel, their devices. Company news earns attention when it fits that frame.
How to pitch USA Today
Find the reporter who covers your consumer category and read their recent pieces. Pitch the reader takeaway first, then the evidence: original survey data, a clear trend, or people who can speak to the experience. Keep the language plain. A spokesperson who can explain a topic without jargon is a real asset with a national general audience.
If your story is regional, consider the local Network paper in that market. Local coverage can be easier to earn and can be picked up more widely.
Contributed articles and op-eds
USA Today does not run contributed articles in the newsroom. Opinion publishes columns from outside writers under published rules. According to the Opinion section’s submission guidelines, columns typically run 550 to 750 words, must be exclusive to USA Today, and are pasted into the body of an email. Pieces need source links for facts and quotes, a two-sentence bio, a photo you have rights to, and full disclosure of any financial interest. The guidelines say submissions containing AI-generated content are not accepted, and that the desk replies within three business days only if it is interested. Accepted columns can run across the USA Today Network.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay to be featured in USA Today?
No. News and Opinion are editorial decisions. Advertising and sponsored content are sold separately and labeled.
Does USA Today accept guest posts?
Opinion accepts exclusive guest columns under its published guidelines. The newsroom does not accept contributed articles.
Who should I pitch at USA Today?
The national reporter who covers your consumer topic, identified through recent bylines. For regional stories, the local USA Today Network newsroom in that market.
A PR-led approach to USA Today starts with the reader benefit and the evidence behind it, then matches the story to the right national beat or local newsroom. That is how we approach media relations for consumer-facing brands.
Mistakes that get pitches ignored
- Submitting a column that has appeared on a blog, social media, or another outlet.
- Using AI-generated text in an Opinion submission; the guidelines say it is not accepted.
- Sending a rebuttal to a USA Today column as an op-ed instead of a letter to the editor.
- Pitching trade jargon or B2B detail with no consumer relevance.
Keep going
Related outlets
Sources for this profile (2)
- USA TODAY Opinion: How to submit content (syndicated copy)
- USA TODAY Co.: Gannett rebrands to USA TODAY Co.
Profiles describe public editorial processes and are reviewed periodically. Digitize is not affiliated with USA Today. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].