UK founder publications
Where a British founder can actually take a story, what each kind of publication wants, and why the smallest title on the list is often the one that answers.
The four kinds, and what each wants
National technology and business press. Titles like Sifted, UKTN and the BBC’s business pages reach the most people and are the hardest to reach. They want a story with consequence beyond your company — a rule that changed, a number that says something about a whole sector, a first. A launch on its own rarely clears it.
Regional business press. Every large British city has business press covering the companies in it, and this is where most founders get their first coverage. Being local is itself part of the story, which is a qualification you already have and cannot manufacture elsewhere.
Trade press. There is a publication for your sector — construction, hospitality, logistics, veterinary practice — read by exactly the people who might buy from you. Coverage there converts better than coverage in a national title, and the bar is a well-explained fact rather than fame.
Founder newsletters and papers. Smaller, faster, read by other founders. Several take submissions directly rather than by pitch. This is the category The Founder Gazette belongs to.
How to approach any of them
- Check the outlet’s own contribute or contact page first. Publications say what they want; most pitches ignore it.
- Pitch a person, not a masthead, when the outlet works by email — find whoever covered a story like yours in the past month.
- Lead with the fact. First sentence: who did what, with a number in it.
- Say where the number can be checked. This is the line that separates a pitch from a press release.
- Do not send the same email to twenty outlets. It is visible, and it is the fastest way to be ignored.
Why the smallest title often wins
Founders aim at the biggest publication they can name and then hear nothing, which reads as failure. It usually is not. A national desk covering the whole of British technology can run a fraction of what it is sent; a trade title covering your sector needs stories every week and will read yours properly.
First coverage also compounds. A published article gives the next editor something to check, and a story that exists somewhere is easier to place than a story that exists nowhere.
Where the Gazette sits
The Founder Gazette is a daily newspaper about startups, published from London and covering the United Kingdom and the United States equally. It takes submissions through one open form, reads every one, and publishes accepted stories free, on editorial merit — the standards page puts that in writing, including how sponsored stories are labelled.
It exists for the companies the bigger titles are too busy to reach: too early, too small, or simply not known yet. About the paper explains who runs it and how it is made.
Questions
Which UK publications cover startups?
Broadly four kinds: national technology and business titles such as Sifted, UKTN and the BBC's business pages; regional business press covering a city or county; trade press for your sector; and founder newsletters. Each has its own way in, and the smaller ones usually reply faster.
Which UK startup publications accept submissions?
Most take pitches by email to a named journalist rather than through a form, so check each outlet's own contact or contribute page for what it asks for. The Founder Gazette takes submissions through a single open form and reads every one.
Is there a UK publication for founders nobody has heard of?
Regional business press and founder newsletters cover small companies routinely, and are usually the quickest first coverage to get. The Founder Gazette covers the UK and the United States equally and deliberately runs stories about companies too early for the big titles.
Should I pay for coverage?
Be careful. Paid placement that is not labelled misleads readers and is worth little. At The Founder Gazette acceptance is free and editorial; payment can only move a publication date, and stories that take that option carry a visible Sponsored label.
Take your story to the desk
Also: what the desk takes and declines, getting featured when nobody has heard of you, and what makes a founder story publishable.