How to get your startup covered by CNET
TL;DR
CNET is a consumer tech publication owned by Ziff Davis, known for product reviews, buying guides and tech news. There is no submission form and no paid listing: coverage is an editorial decision, and the realistic way in is a short pitch to the right reporter or to CNET's editors address. It suits startups with a consumer product that CNET readers can buy or use.
What is CNET?
CNET has reviewed technology for nearly 30 years: phones, laptops, TVs, streaming services and smart home devices. Over time it expanded into home products, energy, health and personal finance. Its About page cites 28 million average monthly visitors (Comscore, January 2024) and 73 million monthly US page views. CNET states that it is editorially independent: no company or source may view, edit or comment on a story before publication, and writers ask the companies they cover for comment.
Who should pitch CNET?
- Startups with a consumer hardware product, app or service that people buy, such as a gadget, a smart home device or a personal finance app.
- Founders with original data on how people use technology. A survey of 2,000 users gets further than an opinion.
- Startups launching at events CNET covers, such as CES.
- Skip it for B2B software, enterprise tools and fundraising news. CNET writes for consumers deciding what to buy.
How much does CNET coverage cost?
Editorial coverage is free and cannot be bought. CNET earns money from advertising, affiliate links and partner content, and its editorial process page says it clearly labels paid content. Advertising runs through the marketers contact on the About page, separate from the newsroom.
How do you pitch your startup to CNET?
- Read the CNET editorial process page. For reviews, CNET picks products based on pricing, popularity and new features, and manufacturers supply many review units on short or long-term loan.
- Find the reporter who covers your category: open recent CNET tech stories about similar products and note the byline.
- Send a pitch of under 150 words: what launches, the price, the ship date, why CNET readers care, and one link to a press kit with photos.
- If you cannot identify the right reporter, write to editors@cnet.com, the address CNET lists on its editorial process page.
- Offer a review unit or a test account. CNET returns loaned products once the loan period ends.
Leave press@cnet.com alone: it belongs to CNET's own press team, which books CNET experts for other media.
Tips to get more out of a CNET pitch
- Lead with the consumer angle: price, availability and what the product does better than the market leader.
- Pitch two to four weeks before launch with an embargo date, so a reviewer has time to test.
- Send data a journalist can cite: survey results, usage numbers, or test results with the method explained.
- Follow up once, about a week later, and then move on.
- Prepare for the request for comment: CNET contacts the companies it writes about, so have a spokesperson ready to answer within a day.
Our verdict
CNET coverage is hard to get, impossible to buy, and CNET has no obligation to answer your pitch. For a consumer product with a clear price and launch date, a sharp pitch to the right reviewer is worth an afternoon. B2B founders get more from trade media in their own sector.
More options: see all tech media, blogs and newsletters. Planning a launch around press coverage? The Fe/male Switch startup game walks women founders from idea to first customers.