How to Become a Forbes Contributor in 2026

Do You Really Want to Be a Forbes Contributor? Contributions vs. Features

A lot of our clients confuse being a Forbes contributor with getting featured. There are pretty substantial differences between the two that you should absolutely consider before you proceed. So, let us start by explaining what it actually means to be a Forbes contributor, and double-check if that's what you really want.

Being a contributor requires you to write thought-provoking pieces, do extensive research, and for the most part, provide unbiased perspectives. After the December 2025 contributor cull, Forbes formalized the requirement: contributors must publish at least two "impactful" articles per month or risk being moved to "former contributor" status. Assistant managing editor Jeffrey Marcus framed the trim as keeping the "contributor model financially sound."

That's a lot of writing. And if you're not a writer, or already have too much on your plate, it may be too big of an ask - especially because, as of 2024, contributors are no longer paid via Forbes' old pageview revenue-share. Most contributors today are either unpaid or on small per-piece fees.

Besides that, you should also consider how (and if) it serves your business goals.

• Becoming a Forbes contributor mainly builds your credibility as a writer, a journalist, or a researcher, but it doesn't necessarily do much for your business. Of course, we shouldn't underestimate the impact of a credible personal brand, but if your goal is to grow your business directly, being featured might be a better route.
• Being featured in Forbes, on the other hand, lets you voice more subjective perspectives and thoughts, openly promote your business, and build credibility for both yourself and your company.

SEO note: Forbes nofollows all external contributor links (and has since August 2017). Google treats nofollow as a hint, so the SEO value is real but indirect - it comes from brand exposure, E-E-A-T signals, and downstream citations rather than direct PageRank flow. If you're picking between Forbes and a smaller publication that gives followed links, the Forbes brand value usually still wins, but go in with eyes open.

So, before we move on, you should consider if you really want to be a Forbes contributor or just get featured in a popular magazine. 

(We’ll provide tips for both.)

‍Can Anyone Become A Forbes Contributor?

In theory, yes; anyone can become a Forbes contributor. 

In reality, though, Forbes usually only chooses people who:

• are experts in their field, and/or
• already have a large following.

Forbes wants their contributors to provide value their readers can’t get anywhere else, so it makes sense they only accept experts. 

But they also want to extend their reach through their contributors. So, ideally, aspiring contributors should already have solid follower base. 

With that said, you can become a contributor even if you don’t perfectly meet these requirements.

It’s just going to be a bit harder - but we’ll share some tactics you can try. 

Forbes Contributor Program: What's Different in 2026

Three changes since 2023 are worth knowing before you spend any time chasing this:

1. Open applications closed in 2024. Forbes moved to invite-only / editor-led recruitment. There's no longer a public application form to fill in. You get in either because an editor sources you, because a current contributor refers you, or through the paid Forbes Councils route covered below.
2. The pageview revenue-share ended in 2024. The "$50/article + $250 monthly bonus" pay structure described in older guides is gone. Most contributors today are unpaid or on small per-piece fees negotiated case-by-case.
3. December 2025: Forbes culled dozens of contributors. Existing contributors who weren't publishing at least two "impactful" articles per month were moved to "former contributor" status. The bar to stay on the platform is now meaningfully higher than it was when most older guides on this topic were written.

Forbes' assistant managing editor Jeffrey Marcus described the December 2025 cull as keeping the contributor model "financially sound." The takeaway: this is no longer a low-effort credibility play. You either commit to real, regular output, or you go the Council route, or you aim for being featured rather than contributing.

For context on how the program operated when it was more open, here's contributor Jodie Cook's explanation from when she joined:

The high-level rules from her account still hold:

• Contributors are expected to publish regularly - now codified as at least 2 impactful articles/month.
• The old "5 posts/month qualifies you for payment" rule no longer applies (the revenue-share model that backed it ended in 2024).
• There must be no conflict of interest - self-promotion of your own products or services is off the table.

Forbes also has public editorial guidelines that echo the “no conflict of interest” policy. They also imply that Forbes contributors must:

• be unbiased, 
• stick to facts, 
• adhere to fair and ethical journalism principles, and 
• maintain journalistic integrity. 

👉 So, again, if you wanted to get on Forbes to promote your business, or share views that explicitly help you market it, getting featured is probably a better option. So, let's first see how you can get your feature.

How To Get Featured In Forbes In 2026

So, let's say you’ve realized you don’t actually want to join Forbes’ contributor network, or that you have low chances of getting accepted. Now what?

Well, you can still get featured. Many other people have done it, even without the backing of huge companies, big brand names, or extensive recognition. The two people whose examples we'll share below - a YouTuber and an owner of a studio producing film props - illustrate this perfectly. And the real kicker? Forbes reached out to them.

1. Memeulous, a YouTuber who goes by the name George, got interviewed by Forbes on his experience with a company that allegedly didn’t pay influencers, including George, on time. 

‍Here’s what we can learn from George.

To get featured in Forbes, you should:

• Have first-hand experience with a topic
• Share itonline (because, otherwise, no one will know) - For example, George published a video about the situation prior to being contacted by Forbes.

2. Frank Ippolito, the owner of an LA-based studio that uses a new kind of 3D printing to produce film props, got to discuss his innovative approach in a Forbes article.

Here’s what we can learn from him.

To get featured in Forbes, you should:

• Have something newsworthy to share, like innovative products, approaches, etc. 
• Do something not a lot of companies or individuals are doing - that’s how you position yourself as the go-to expert on the topic

But, let’s face it: these are probably not the strategies you’re looking for. 

You probably don’t want to rely on pure luck and pray that Forbes contacts you. You want a more proactive strategy.

If that’s the case, here’s how you may be able to speed up the process of getting featured: 

1) Contact The Contributors

As Cook herself says, you should reach out to Forbes’ contributors directly if you want to get featured. 

To find the right contributors to contact, use our step-by-step playbook:

1. Go to the Forbes website and have a look at the different content categories on the left:

Choose one or several categories that best suit your area of expertise.

2. Next, open and read a few articles that seem interesting to you.

As you read, consider if there’s anything you could leverage in your future pitch. Perhaps you could mention you liked the examples the author used or chime in on a topic they covered. Take a mental note of whatever springs to mind and use it in your pitch later.

3. When you find a contributor you like, look up their contact info. 

To do that, click on the author’s name (just below the headline). You’ll land on a new page that contains the author’s bio and, if you’re lucky, their social profiles. 

(If you don’t find any contact info there, try googling the author’s name.) 

BONUS: Alternatively, you can use this query string on Google to find relevant contributors: 

• site:forbes.com “niche-related keyword” 

This string lets you find Forbes articles that tackle a specific topic:

(You’ll get similar results if you search for your keyword directly on Forbes’ website.)

4. The last thing to check is if a contributor still actively writes for Forbes. If not, they probably won’t be able to help you. 

So, always check if a contributor has recently published new articles before you reach out. If yes, then you’ll know you’ve found a good prospect. If not, keep searching. 

2) Contact The Editors

Alternatively, you can send your pitch to Forbes’ editors. 

Forbes publicly shares the contact info of some of them. 

• Find it here.

You can also use tools like Hunter.io to scrape email addresses from Forbes. 

Just enter forbes.com in the search bar and wait for your results to load. 

Ideally, you’ll find emails belonging to editors or assistant editors at Forbes. But don’t worry - you won’t have to manually check who each address belongs to. 

👉 In most cases, Hunter will show you the job title of every contact.

The only problem is you won't know if the editors you find are in charge of the sections you’d want to write for. That’s why you still need to check who they are and what they do by googling them or looking them up on Forbes.

However, that can take a lot of time, especially if you need to analyze multiple contacts.

Because of that, we prefer finding suitable editors via Google. 

By using query strings like this one, you can ensure you get relevant results only:

• site:forbes.com “niche-related keyword” + “editor”

We’ve just found two great matches for financial experts - and it took us just 0.38 seconds.

⚠️ However, keep in mind that reaching out to editors often doesn't work.

Editors get many unsolicited pitches, most of which go unread. If you're worried that your pitch will suffer the same fate, perhaps it's time to consider partnering with an agency.

3) Work With Link-Building/PR Agencies

‍PR and link building agencies can act as the middleman between you and Forbes. Many of them have inside connections, so they can easily get you featured. 

This the easiest and most failproof method. Agencies like ours do all of the work for you, from writing your content to doing manual outreach.

Our packages start at $180/placement. You can check them out here.

How To Write For Forbes In 2026

If you still want to become a Forbes contributor, here are 5 methods to try. 

1) Become A Forbes Councils Member

Forbes Councils is a network of senior-level professionals - executives, C-Suite leaders, Owners, Founders, and Partners - run by The Community Company under license from Forbes. Members get to publish bylined "Council Posts" on Forbes.com.

One important nuance many guides skip: Council Posts are clearly labeled as fee-based content, and being a Council member can actually disqualify you from being sourced in Forbes' editorial articles (the editors treat Councils membership as a financial relationship). If editorial credibility matters more to you than self-publishing rights, this trade-off matters.

Criteria have loosened slightly since 2023 - and pricing has gone up:

If you want to join Forbes Business Council:

• You must be a senior executive at a business with at least $500K in annual revenue or financing (down from the $1M threshold of a few years ago), OR
• You must qualify under the council-specific criteria (e.g. Forbes Coaches Council requires 3+ years of publicly recognized coaching experience).

Meeting the minimum criteria gets your application reviewed - it doesn't guarantee acceptance. Forbes Councils' team still vets every applicant.

2026 Forbes Councils pricing (all tiers include a one-time $600 initiation fee):

• 1-year standard membership: $2,700/year + $600 initiation = $3,300 first year
• 2-year membership: $4,550 + $600 initiation = $5,150 over two years
• Premium membership (includes ghostwriting support): $6,800/year + $600 initiation = $7,400 first year

That's a meaningful step up from the ~$2,000 figure that circulated a few years ago. The cost-benefit math has changed too: now that Forbes' regular contributor network is invite-only, Councils is one of the few remaining ways to reliably publish on Forbes.com - but you're paying a premium for a placement that's transparently labeled as paid.

If Councils isn't right for you, the alternatives below are worth considering:

2) Get Noticed

Becoming a Forbes contributor can be extra challenging if you have zero proof of your writing skills. Just think about it: would you let anyone and everyone write on your website? 

Probably not. 

You’d want to know they have a firm grasp on grammar, storytelling, formatting, and more. And you can imagine Forbes has even higher standards for their contributors.

That’s why they’ll want to evaluate your skills in advance and ask you to submit your previous work.

To ensure you have something to show, get your writing published on other sites. This will prove that you can write but also build your credibility.

You could publish your writing on:

• Your own blog - Writing for your own blog lets you experiment with different styles and topics until you find what sticks.
• Medium/Substack - Getting on Medium or Substack is a good idea when you’re ready for feedback and more visibility. You can even get paid for your writing.
• Your LinkedIn profile - You can publish posts or articles on LinkedIn, but combining the two may be the best strategy. 
• Other online publications - Many sites accept guest posts. Start by pitching yours to lesser-known sites until you work your way up to high-authority websites like Inc., Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, etc.

Having some of your work published will make Forbes likelier to accept your application. 

Besides, publishing your content online always pays off. 

Content can help you build links, increase brand awareness, and sell more - even if it’s published in a publication other than Forbes.

3) Contact The Contributors

You can apply the same strategy we suggested for getting featured in Forbes:

1. Find contributors that are relevant to what you want to write about. - Check out the previous section for a step-by-step guide. 
2. Contact them and ask if they can connect you with their editors.

Contributors sometimes openly ask for pitches on social media:

So, another strategy is to follow them on Twitter and/or LinkedIn, turn on notifications for their posts, and arm yourself with patience.

4) Contact The Editors

Again, this is the same strategy we suggested for getting featured in Forbes. 

Contact the editors directly and send them your pitch. - Check out the previous section for more information.

5) Work With Link-Building/PR Agencies

Finally, if you want to publish your content regularly on Forbes, you can also work with link-building or PR agencies with inside connections. 

Contact us for more information about this option.

How To Write A Forbes-Worthy Article (And Pitch)

Forbes expects contributors to publish articles with little to no editing in between. So, don’t expect extensive help from your editor when you become a contributor. Enter the program prepared.

These few pointers could help.

Write About What You Know 

Forbes cares about credibility, a lot. So, write what you know, and don’t overstep boundaries. Stick to topics in your area of expertise. 

Also, make sure to fact-check your article. If editors notice inaccuracies later, they may take your article down without notice. It’s best to avoid that scenario. 

Finally, if possible, support your opinions with links to relevant studies or literature. That way, the editors will know you did your homework just by scanning your article.

Share Unique Insights

The best Forbes articles offer readers insights they couldn’t get elsewhere. So, you should always strive to make your article unique. 

You can do so by, for example, referencing your past results and experience or simply offering your opinion. 

Double-Check Your Story Ideas 

Not every story idea is worth writing about. Double-check yours by pitching it to a friend or, better yet, someone in your industry. 

You can also do keyword research to see if your topic is already in demand.

Another thing to check is if Forbes has already published a story similar to yours. If so, try to come up with a new idea or a new angle for your story.

Your goal is to make your article better than whatever is already published. 

Write A New Article From Scratch

DON’T pitch articles you’ve already published elsewhere. Your articles need to be exclusive to Forbes to get published, so always write new content from scratch. 

Find Your Style 

To an extent, Forbes allows contributors to stick to their unique writing styles. But the articles still have to feel like they belong in Forbes.

To adjust your style, read through several magazine issues and analyze how other contributors write. 

Write A Good Pitch 

Your pitch needs to be as well-written as your articles because, again, Forbes probably gets dozens, if not hundreds of pitches a day. 

To ensure yours stands out, stick to these four guidelines:

• Be succinct - Conciseness is the hallmark of good writing. Plus, Forbes editors are busy. Keep your pitch short to show them you respect their time and have the skills they need.
• Show what’s in it for the readers - Explain how your article will help Forbes’ readers. 
• Explain your story idea quickly - Don’t beat around the bush. Explain your idea in the first few sentences. And, again, be succinct.
• Mention your (vanity) metrics - If you have a large following on social media, flaunt it. Forbes prefers contributors who can attract new readers.

If you want more advice on how to write great pitches, check out our guide to blogger outreach. You can use the template from the article to write a confident pitch.

What To Expect From Forbes Contributor Program?

Here’s what to expect if you successfully join the Forbes contributor program.

Self-Publishing

Forbes contributors add and publish their articles with little to no supervision. 

The editors do go through the articles once they’re published, though. They can make some small tweaks if necessary, but also delete articles of extremely poor quality. 

⚠️ If they have to repeatedly delete posts from specific contributors, they may kick them out of the program. 

Make your articles as error-free as possible before publishing.

Stay In Your Lane

Forbes prefers that contributors contribute to only one section/category. 

👉 For example, you should write only about money or only about lifestyle. Not both. 

Forbes tolerates occasional deviations but may also delete posts from contributors who do it too often. So, try to stick to just one topic within one section at least 90% of the time. 

👉 If you write for the lifestyle section, write only about the arts or only about boats and planes. Not both. 

The rules may sound strict, but sticking to one niche will also help you build credibility faster. It’s actually a win-win. 

The Pay (Or Lack Thereof)

The old pay model - roughly $50/article plus a monthly bonus for high-traffic contributors - ended in 2024 when Forbes wound down its pageview revenue-share program. Today, most contributors are either unpaid or on small per-piece fees negotiated case-by-case.

Don't go in expecting income. Writing for Forbes today is purely about reach, credibility, and the brand halo. If your business model can't justify that on its own, you're probably better off building a Substack and amplifying it on LinkedIn - both of which are realistic direct-to-audience alternatives in 2026.

Exclusive Content

The content you publish in Forbes must be exclusive. It can’t be published anywhere else before or after. 

Now, here’s why that’s problematic. As a Forbes contributor, you’re expected to write at least two articles a month; five if you want to get paid. And you’ll need to write them from scratch.

Writing so many articles each month can be challenging, especially if you’re not a professional writer. You’ll need to regularly come up with new ideas and find a lot of time to write. You don’t want to publish mediocre articles on Forbes, right?

If that’s an issue, consider hiring ghostwriters with a good grasp of your industry. Work with them until you feel they're fully onboarded and, even then, continue to review their work before publishing.

What To Do If The Forbes Path Doesn't Work Out

With open applications closed and the contributor bar raised, plenty of qualified people simply won't get in. That's fine - there are credible alternatives, several of which are now arguably more valuable than a Forbes byline.

Other authority publications worth pitching:

• Entrepreneur - Entrepreneur Leadership Network (ELN) runs a Forbes-Councils-style paid model at around $3,000/year.
• Inc. - Still publishing contributors; application process competitive but open.
• Fast Company - Pitches go through editors, no formal contributor program.
• Business Insider - Still accepts open pitches; running editorial fellowships, though has been through significant editorial restructuring in 2024–2025.
• Harvard Business Review - High bar, but a single placement carries more weight than most Forbes contributor articles.
• Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNBC, MarketWatch - Editorial-only; you get featured, you don't contribute.

Own-distribution alternatives (the 2026 playbook):

• Substack - Now over 35M active subscribers and 3M+ paid. Top business writers (Lenny Rachitsky, Packy McCormick, etc.) are at audience scales that rival mid-tier business publications.
• LinkedIn - 1B+ users; thought-leadership content drives 3–4x the engagement of paid distribution. The algorithm crackdown on engagement pods has actually helped genuine voices.
• YouTube / podcast appearances - Often easier to book than tier-1 publication features and increasingly weighted by AI search systems (which cite transcripts).

The honest 2026 take: own your distribution first, then treat Forbes/Inc./Entrepreneur as supplementary earned media - not as primary channels. The publications themselves are no longer reliable enough as standalone audience growth engines.

You can also ask for feedback on your writing - join writer-focused communities and get critiques there, or reach out to editors and marketers on LinkedIn.

And if all else fails, you can always turn to ghostwriting on your own platform until you have the portfolio that opens editorial doors.

Don’t Give Up: Becoming a Forbes Contributor Is Worth It

By now, you may feel a bit intimidated. There’s so much to do if you want to get published in Forbes. So, we thought you could use a reminder of the benefits you get when you become a contributor.

Writing for Forbes can help you:

• Expand your audience - Forbes reaches over 150 million people every month. That’s also how many people could see your article and start following your social accounts or website.
• Build your personal brand - Personal branding lets you work with clients who want to work with you and no one but you. And writing for Forbes will surely help you build a strong, authority-focused brand. 
• Get new offers - After you get published in Forbes, you’ll likely get all sorts of opportunities coming your way, from high-end clients eager to work with you to reporters wanting to interview you.

Keep your eyes on the prize and take it one step at a time. 

It will all be worth it when your articles get published.

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