How to get your startup covered by ZDNET
TL;DR
ZDNET is a technology news, reviews and advice site owned by Ziff Davis, read by IT professionals and everyday tech buyers. It publishes no submission form and no guest post guidelines, and its coverage is not for sale: a startup gets in when a writer decides its product or news deserves a story. It suits startups with software, devices or security tools that ZDNET's testers can try.
What is ZDNET?
ZDNET has written about technology for about three decades, its About page says. It covers tech news, product reviews, buying advice, business technology, security and AI, for readers from C-level executives to gadget fans. The About page cites 130 million annual global visits, 85 million of them from the US (Adobe Analytics, July 2021 to June 2022) and 1.1 million social media followers.
Its editorial guidelines say ZDNET's writers and editors test hundreds of products every year and only write about the ones worth readers' attention. ZDNET also states that it keeps editorial independence from advertisers and from the companies it covers.
Who should pitch ZDNET?
- Startups with software, apps, devices or security tools that people use at work or at home.
- Founders who can hand a reviewer something to test: a trial account, a review unit or a public beta.
- Skip it if your product has no public launch date yet, or if you sell to a narrow industry ZDNET does not write about. Trade media in that industry will serve you better.
How much does ZDNET cost?
Coverage is free and cannot be bought. The About page puts it plainly: "Our opinions are not for sale to outside sources." ZDNET earns money from advertising and from affiliate commissions when readers buy through its links, and its guidelines say those commissions do not affect what it covers.
How do you pitch your startup to ZDNET?
- Read the ZDNET editorial guidelines to see how ZDNET picks and tests products.
- Find the right writer: search ZDNET for recent reviews and news about products like yours, and note the byline.
- Send that writer a pitch of under 150 words through a channel they list publicly, such as LinkedIn: what launches, the date, the price, who it helps, and an offer of a test account or review unit.
- If you cannot identify a writer, use press@zdnet.com, the address the editorial guidelines give for press inquiries. Keep it to one short email. Factual errors in published stories go to corrections@zdnet.com.
- Follow up once after about a week, then move on.
The old ZDNET "blog" address no longer leads to a contributor page; it now redirects to an archived article.
Tips to get more out of a ZDNET pitch
- Offer hands-on access. ZDNET bases reviews on real-world use, so a test account with sample data gets further than a slide deck.
- Name the competitor your product beats and on what, with a number: price, speed, battery life or setup time.
- Pitch two to three weeks before launch with an embargo date, so a writer has time to test.
- Send survey or usage data with the method explained. Reporters cite numbers they can check.
Our verdict
ZDNET coverage is earned one writer at a time, and nobody at ZDNET owes you a reply. For a startup with a testable product and a clear launch date, a short pitch to the right writer is worth an afternoon. Startups without a public product should wait until they have one.
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.