Updated March 2026
How to Get Published in Entrepreneur Magazine (2025 Guide)
Quick Answer: To get published in Entrepreneur Magazine, apply to the Entrepreneur Leadership Network with your business credentials and writing samples. Focus on actionable, experience-based content for founders and business owners. The process typically takes 4-8 weeks from application to first published article. VIP contributor status requires demonstrated thought leadership and consistent quality publishing over 6-12 months.
As an Entrepreneur VIP contributor with over 100 articles published on the platform, I've learned what it takes to succeed with Entrepreneur Magazine. Founded in 1977, Entrepreneur has become the definitive voice for business builders, reaching millions of readers who want practical advice from people who've actually done it. Here's your complete guide to getting published.
About Entrepreneur Magazine
Entrepreneur Magazine was founded in 1977 and has grown into one of the most influential business media brands globally. With over 14 million monthly website visitors and a print circulation of approximately 500,000, Entrepreneur reaches a highly engaged audience of founders, small business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
What sets Entrepreneur apart from other business publications is its focus on the practitioner. While Forbes and Inc. cover business broadly, Entrepreneur specifically targets people in the trenches of building companies. The editorial philosophy centers on actionable advice over theory-readers want to know what worked, what failed, and what they can implement tomorrow.
The Entrepreneur Leadership Network, launched in 2018, formalized the contributor program and created pathways for business leaders to share their expertise. VIP contributors receive premium article placement, inclusion in editorial roundups, and opportunities to speak at Entrepreneur events like the annual Entrepreneur magazine conference.
The Entrepreneur Leadership Network welcomes executives across nine categories:
- Agency — Owners and executive leaders in public relations, media, creative, marketing, or advertising agency
- Business Development — CEOs, VPs, founders, leaders and owners in the business development space
- Business — Executive leaders, entrepreneurs, founders, partners of small and medium-sized businesses
- Coaches — Publicly recognized and actively engaged Business, Career, and Executive Coaches
- Communications — Senior-level communications, marketing, PR, public affairs, or media relations executives
- Finance — Senior-level executives in such fields as fintech, venture capital, and asset management
- Human Resources — Senior level leaders of HR-related departments and founders of HR-related businesses
- Nonprofit — Owners, founders, or senior-level executives at certified 501(c) nonprofit organizations
- Technology — Senior level technology executives and founders, partners, and CEOs of technology companies
What Entrepreneur Editors Look For
Editorial Criteria
- Real entrepreneurial experience - You've built, scaled, or led businesses. Consultants and coaches need demonstrated business success beyond coaching.
- Actionable insights - Every article must include specific steps, frameworks, or tactics readers can implement
- Original perspective - Fresh takes on common challenges, not rehashed advice available everywhere
- Data and examples - Support claims with numbers, case studies, or specific company examples
- Timely relevance - Content that connects to current business trends, challenges, or opportunities
- Clear, direct writing - No jargon, no fluff, respect for the reader's time
Types of Content Entrepreneur Publishes
Main Content Categories
- Starting a Business - Ideation, validation, legal setup, funding strategies for new ventures
- Growing a Business - Scaling operations, hiring, systems, and expansion tactics
- Leadership - Management philosophy, team culture, decision-making frameworks
- Marketing - Customer acquisition, brand building, digital marketing, content strategy
- Money & Finance - Fundraising, cash flow management, pricing strategies, exit planning
- Technology - Tools, automation, AI applications, tech strategy for small business
- Franchise - Buying, building, and operating franchise businesses
- Lifestyle - Productivity, work-life balance, mental health for entrepreneurs
Step-by-Step Process to Get Published in Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Magazine focuses on founders, business owners, and startup leaders. You need a track record as an entrepreneur or business leader with measurable achievements. Company growth metrics, successful exits, funding raised, or industry recognition strengthen your application. Editors verify backgrounds-ensure your LinkedIn and company information align with your claims.
Identify 2-3 specific topic areas where you can consistently provide value. Entrepreneur readers want focused expertise, not generic business advice. Areas like bootstrapping B2B SaaS, franchise development, ecommerce operations, or sales team building perform well. Your niche should align with your actual experience and the problems you've solved.
Read 15-20 recent Entrepreneur articles in your topic area. Note the format (many use numbered lists), tone (conversational but authoritative), use of subheadings, and how they balance personal stories with actionable advice. Entrepreneur favors practical, implementation-focused content over theory. Understanding their style before writing dramatically improves acceptance rates.
Entrepreneur readers want actionable advice from people who've done it. Prepare insights based on your real experience building businesses. Document specific lessons, failures, and turnaround moments that readers can learn from. The best articles share what actually happened, not what should theoretically work. Be willing to share failures-Entrepreneur readers appreciate honesty about what didn't work.
The Entrepreneur Leadership Network is the primary path for regular contributors. Apply at entrepreneur.com with your credentials, 2-3 writing samples or detailed article outlines, and your proposed topic areas. Include specific metrics that demonstrate your expertise (revenue grown, teams built, problems solved). The review process typically takes 2-4 weeks.
Your first article sets expectations for your contributor relationship. Focus on how-to guides, lessons learned, and tactical business advice. Include numbered steps, specific examples with real numbers, and tactics readers can implement immediately. Aim for 800-1,200 words. Avoid promotional language-focus entirely on reader value. A strong first article leads to faster approvals on future submissions.
Entrepreneur editors may request revisions, suggest angle changes, or ask for additional examples. Respond within 24-48 hours with thoughtful revisions. Being easy to work with increases your chances of becoming a regular contributor. Accept headline changes gracefully-editors optimize for engagement and SEO. Build a collaborative relationship rather than fighting edits.
Once accepted, publish 2-4 articles monthly to build your presence. Consistency compounds your authority, drives traffic to your content, and positions you for VIP contributor status. Track which articles perform best and create more content in those areas. VIP status typically requires 6-12 months of consistent, high-quality publishing and brings additional benefits including premium placement and event opportunities.
Common Mistakes When Pitching Entrepreneur
- Writing promotional content - Entrepreneur readers can spot a thinly-veiled sales pitch immediately. Focus on teaching, not selling. Your expertise sells itself through valuable content.
- Being too theoretical - "Leaders should inspire their teams" means nothing without specific examples of how you've done it. Every point needs concrete illustration.
- Ignoring the reader's level - Entrepreneur readers range from first-time founders to serial entrepreneurs. Define your target reader clearly and write to their experience level.
- Submitting without reading Entrepreneur first - The style, format, and topics that succeed at Entrepreneur are specific. Submitting generic business content wastes everyone's time.
- Overpromising in headlines - "How I Built a $100M Company in 6 Months" invites skepticism. Be ambitious but credible in your claims.
- Neglecting the "so what" - Every insight needs a clear takeaway. Why should the reader care? What should they do differently tomorrow?
- Inconsistent publishing after acceptance - Contributors who publish once and disappear lose momentum. Commit to regular contribution before applying.
Sample Headlines That Work for Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur headlines are direct, promise specific value, and often include numbers. Study these patterns:
The Membership Utilization Challenge
The real challenge: Getting accepted to the Entrepreneur Leadership Network is step one. The harder part is utilizing it effectively. Membership costs approximately $3,000/year, and that investment only pays off through consistent, high-quality publishing. Many members underutilize their access after the initial excitement fades.
The pattern is common: executives get accepted, publish 2-3 articles, then fall off due to time constraints. Without consistent content (ideally every 30-60 days), the membership investment doesn't compound. The challenges include:
- Developing fresh article ideas consistently
- Finding 5-10 hours per article for quality content
- Maintaining publishing cadence alongside executive responsibilities
- Writer's block and competing priorities
- No systems to efficiently capture and synthesize your thinking
Phantom IQ solves this by ensuring you publish at least every 60 days. We handle the content development—extracting your thinking through 45-minute interviews and synthesizing it into Entrepreneur-ready articles. Your membership investment actually gets utilized, building compounding authority over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Entrepreneur Leadership Network membership cost?
Entrepreneur Leadership Network membership costs approximately $3,000/year. This is an application-based paid membership that provides contributor access to Entrepreneur.com. The membership fee grants publishing privileges, but you're responsible for content development. VIP status is earned through consistent, high-quality publishing over 6-12 months.
How do I become an Entrepreneur Magazine contributor?
Apply to the Entrepreneur Leadership Network with your business credentials, writing samples, and proposed topic areas. The application requires demonstrating entrepreneurial experience, a clear content focus, and writing ability. Acceptance rates vary, but strong applications with proven expertise and clear value propositions typically hear back within 2-4 weeks. VIP contributor status is available for established executives who publish consistently and meet quality standards over 6-12 months.
What topics does Entrepreneur Magazine accept?
Entrepreneur covers leadership, startups, marketing, franchising, technology, productivity, money management, and lifestyle for entrepreneurs. The key is practical, actionable advice from experienced practitioners. Popular topics include growth strategies, funding and bootstrapping, sales tactics, team building, customer acquisition, and work-life balance. Avoid purely theoretical or academic approaches-Entrepreneur readers want advice from people who've done it.
What is the ideal word count for Entrepreneur articles?
Most Entrepreneur articles range from 800 to 1,200 words. Listicles and tactical how-to guides can be slightly shorter (700-900 words), while in-depth strategy pieces or personal narratives may run 1,200-1,500 words. Focus on value per word rather than hitting a specific count-Entrepreneur readers want actionable content without fluff. If you can make your point in 800 words, don't stretch to 1,200.
How long does Entrepreneur's editorial review take?
Initial contributor application review typically takes 2-4 weeks. Once accepted as a contributor, article submissions are usually reviewed within 5-10 business days. High-quality, timely pieces may be expedited, especially if they relate to trending topics. VIP contributors often receive faster turnaround times due to established editorial relationships and proven track records.
Does Entrepreneur require exclusive content?
Yes, Entrepreneur requires original content that hasn't been published elsewhere. You cannot republish Entrepreneur articles on other platforms without permission. However, you can repurpose the core ideas into different formats (LinkedIn posts, podcast discussions, newsletter content) with proper attribution after publication. The specific article text must remain exclusive to Entrepreneur.
Can I promote my company in Entrepreneur articles?
Entrepreneur allows a brief author bio mentioning your company and role, but articles should not be promotional. You can reference your company as an example if directly relevant to the topic (e.g., "When my company faced this challenge, we solved it by..."), but the focus must be on providing value to readers. Overtly promotional content will be rejected or heavily edited. One mention of your company within the article is generally acceptable if natural.
What revisions should I expect from Entrepreneur editors?
Expect headline changes to optimize for SEO and engagement-editors have data on what works. Minor structural edits for flow are common, along with requests to add more specific examples or supporting data. Entrepreneur editors may also suggest cutting promotional language or strengthening actionable takeaways. Major rewrites are rare if you follow their style guidelines, but be prepared to tighten loose sections.
How can I become a regular or VIP contributor at Entrepreneur?
Regular contributor status comes from consistent publishing (2-4 articles monthly) with strong engagement metrics. VIP status requires demonstrated thought leadership, high-performing articles (measured by traffic and engagement), and typically 6-12 months of consistent contribution. VIP contributors receive premium homepage and section placement, additional promotional support across Entrepreneur's social channels, and opportunities to speak at Entrepreneur events and conferences.
Resources & Links
Official Entrepreneur Resources
- Entrepreneur Leadership Network - Official contributor application
- Starting a Business Section - Study successful article formats
- Growing a Business Section - Scaling and operations content
- Tom Popomaronis on Entrepreneur - 100+ articles for reference
Want Help Getting Published in Entrepreneur?
Phantom IQ has helped dozens of executives become Entrepreneur contributors. From application strategy to article development, we can accelerate your path to publication.
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