How to find a Business Insider-worthy story

Just about five years ago, getting on Business Insider – one of the world's best-known media outlets, read by more than 200 million people every day – seemed like an unrealistic goal. Now, for over three years, I've been a regular contributor to this outlet, pitching and writing first-person stories every couple of months. 

This experience has helped me not only to develop my storytelling skills but also to understand what stories speak to Business Insider's audience. The result? I have helped several of my clients dig up unique stories and get on the pages of this outlet.

Today, I'll share how I identify such stories – and how you can, too.

One: Focus on the random facts

Imagine you're telling someone about yourself or your business. You casually mention something, and the other person is like: “Wait…what? That's so random!” 

This. This is your story.

This random fact or experience is what makes your story unique and interesting. The weirder, the better. The more controversial, the better. 

I remember when my colleague Aiva was talking about her friend Arta, who worked as a social media manager at the national airline. Then, she casually mentioned: “Oh, and every now and then, she takes cabin crew shifts – that's her side gig.”

What? Flight attending as a side hustle? It sounded so random and unheard of. This story was unique, and I knew that Business Insider would love it. And they did.

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Two: find contrasts in your experience

Business Insider editors love contrasts – the bigger, the better. Think: moving from a metropolis to a countryside town with 500 inhabitants. Or going from fully remote to fully in-office. Or going from a C-level position to working at a warehouse. 

Got the idea?

When I first spoke to Sven, he was talking about leading his startup team at merchOne and how he ensures he gets the best out of his people. Then he slipped: “Actually, my army experience helps.”

It turned out that Sven had spent nearly ten years in the military before transforming to tech. He went from an industry with strict hierarchies and orders to working at a startup, where flat hierarchies are a norm and chaos is part of your everyday.

This career change sounded so contrasting that it caught my attention. I pitched it to Business Insider, and here's the result:

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Three: Fit a hot topic or trend

A big part of finding a Business Insider-worthy story is just reading the outlet and following what topics they cover. 

Every day, I check the latest stories published, focusing on headlines. I scroll through the sections that are most relevant to my clients – business, tech, lifestyle… 

Additionally, I've subscribed to their newsletter, and every day, I skim through it to see the stories they've highlighted. This is a goldmine, as it tells me which stories are trending right now and which topics are of the biggest interest to them.

Once I've identified the trends, I try to see if they can be connected to my clients' stories. Here's one example: 

Regularly skimming Business Insider and their newsletter, I noticed they extensively covered the potential TikTok ban in the US. The topic was mainly covered from a political point of view, but I was wondering – what about the businesses relying on this platform?

I found a TikTok creator in the US whose business relied heavily on TikTok sales. I asked for his input on what would happen to his business if the platform was banned and how he prepared for it. 

Then, I put together a pitch, and the rest is history.

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For a second, forget about your business

Readers want emotions and characters to empathize with. And Business Insider knows it very well. This is why they focus on stories that have real people with real experiences in the spotlight.

So, if you take one tip away from this article, it's this: take your mind off your business, its products, and its mission. Instead, look at your team, clients, or your own experience. 

One of the first questions we ask during our PR story ideation workshops is: “What's weird about you?” It's like playing that party game where you must name three unknown facts about yourself. Try playing it in your company, and I'm sure you'll hear many Business Insider-worthy stories that can also highlight your business.