Write for Us

Cerge Media welcomes pitches from freelance journalists, researchers, engineers, security professionals, founders and other people with real knowledge of the subjects we cover. If you have a story that deserves telling, an argument worth making or expertise you can explain clearly, we’d like to hear from you.

Please read these guidelines before you pitch. They’ll save us both time and give your idea the best chance of being accepted.

What we publish

We cover six main areas. Pitches that fit clearly into one or more of them are the easiest for us to say yes to.

• AI: how AI systems are built, used and governed; real-world deployments and their results; research explained for non-specialists; the policy, legal and ethical questions.
• Startups: founders, funding, growth and failure, especially in the UK and Europe; the practical lessons from building a company.
• Tech: software, platforms, infrastructure, telecoms and the big tech companies; explainers on how things work.
• Cybersecurity: threats, incidents and defences; practical security for individuals and small organisations; the security industry itself.
• Gadgets: consumer technology examined critically, beyond the spec sheet.
• Business: the economics of tech, regulation, competition, work and how technology is changing other industries.

Formats

We’re interested in reported features, analysis, explainers, well-argued opinion pieces and first-person accounts from people with direct experience. A first-person piece from a security analyst on what a ransomware recovery actually involves, for example, is much more interesting to us than a general overview of ransomware.

What we’re less likely to take

• Generic listicles and “top tips” pieces that could appear anywhere.
• Product announcements and press releases dressed up as articles.
• Pieces whose main purpose is to promote the author’s company, product or clients.
• Topics we’ve recently covered in depth, unless you have a genuinely new angle.
• Pure speculation without evidence or reporting behind it.

How to pitch

Please don’t send a finished article first. Send a short pitch by email to [email protected] with “Pitch:” followed by a working headline in the subject line. A good pitch includes:

1. The idea in a few sentences. What’s the story or argument, and what will readers learn?
2. Why now. Is there a news hook, a new piece of research, a change in the law or a trend you can evidence?
3. Why you. What access, expertise or experience do you bring? Who will you speak to, and what sources will you use?
4. The format and approximate length you have in mind.
5. A little about yourself, with links to two or three examples of your published writing if you have them. If you haven’t been published before, that’s fine. Tell us about your background instead.
6. Any conflicts of interest, such as your employer, clients, investments or relationships connected to the subject.

Keep it brief. A focused pitch of 150–300 words is usually enough. If you’re pitching several ideas, send them as separate short paragraphs in one email.

What happens next

We read every pitch. We aim to reply within 2–3 working days, although busy news periods can make this longer. If we’re interested, we’ll discuss the angle, length, deadline and terms with you and confirm them in writing before you start work. If we don’t think the idea is right for us, we’ll try to tell you, but we can’t always give detailed feedback. If you haven’t heard back after a week or so, feel free to send a polite follow-up, or pitch the idea elsewhere.

Please don’t pitch the same idea to several publications at once without telling us.

Our standards

Contributors are held to the same standards as our own writers, as set out in our Editorial Policy. In particular:

• Accuracy. Every fact, figure and quote must be checkable. Please give us your sources, with links, when you file. Use the most recent reliable data available, and say what period it covers.
• Sourcing. Prefer primary sources: official data, research papers, filings, documents and people speaking on the record. Credit other journalists’ work properly.
• Fairness. If your piece criticises a person or organisation, they must be given a chance to respond. We’ll help with this.
• Clarity. Write for an intelligent reader who isn’t necessarily a specialist. Explain technical terms, cut jargon, and get to the point.
• Style. We use British English spelling and conventions. Our editors will edit your piece for clarity, length, accuracy and house style, and we’ll consult you on significant changes.
• Disclosure. You must tell us about any financial or professional interest in the companies, products or people you write about.

Originality

Everything you submit must be your own original work and must not have been published elsewhere, including on your own blog, LinkedIn or company website, unless we have agreed to this in advance. You must not copy text from other sources. Short quotations are fine if they are clearly attributed.

You’re welcome to use AI tools to help with tasks like transcription or checking your grammar, but the reporting, analysis, argument and writing must be yours. Tell us if you have used AI tools in preparing your piece and how. Submitting AI-generated text as your own work will end our working relationship. All articles are reviewed by our editors before publication.

If you supply images, you must either own them or have the right to let us use them, and you must tell us the source and licence. We can source free-licensed images ourselves if you don’t have suitable ones. See our Copyright & DMCA Policy for more on how we handle images.

No paid links, no sponsored guest posts

We do not accept paid links, link insertions or sponsored guest posts disguised as editorial content, and we don’t take payment to publish contributed articles. If you’re offering money in exchange for publication or a link, the answer is no, and your message will not receive a reply.

Contributed articles may include links where they genuinely help the reader, such as to sources and research. We decide which links stay in, and we remove links that look promotional. Links to your own company or product will be kept to a minimum, normally limited to a mention in your author description where relevant.

If you represent a company and want to reach our readers commercially, please see our Advertise With Us page. Commercial content is always clearly labelled as such.

Story tips

You don’t have to write the piece yourself to help us. If you have a tip, a document or information about something we should be investigating, email [email protected]. If you need to stay anonymous, tell us at the start of your message. Our Contact Us page has more detail.

We look forward to reading your ideas.