Publication intelligence · Machine Relations Index
Does being published in BBC get your brand cited by AI?
AI answer engines cited BBC in 12 of 21,813 measured answer runs (0.1%) across 1 engine over 143 days of collection. It sits below the Index's evidence floor for a published rank, so its standing is still collecting.
Where BBC is cited most
Each row is one buyer category and one question shape the Index measures. The rank is against every source cited on that same set of answer runs, so a placement is worth most where the publication already ranks high for the question your buyer asks.
| Category | Question shape | Citation rate | Cited / observed | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Health | is-it-worth-it questions | 4.2% | 8 / 189 | #39 of 261 |
| AI Security & Privacy | problem-first questions | 1.2% | 2 / 164 | #115 of 406 |
| AI Infrastructure | problem-first questions | 0.6% | 1 / 165 | #161 of 351 |
| Deep Tech & Hardware | is-it-worth-it questions | 0.6% | 1 / 163 | #158 of 273 |
How to get into BBC
BBC Travel author brief (freelance pitches)
BBC Travel, a feature section of BBC.com, commissions freelance features, photo essays and short video. It wants new, unexpected and emotionally engaging travel stories built around characters and a non-seasonal 'why now' hook.
Email a pitch with a title (maximum 39 characters) and a 50 to 100 word synopsis covering the angle, why it suits the site and audience, what makes it shareable, and why you should write it. Contacts listed on the brief: general commissions to Ellie Cobb ([email protected]) or Eliot Stein ([email protected]); The Specialist series to Eva Sandoval ([email protected]).
Features run 800 to 2,000 words; photo essays 5 to 16 images with captions, commissioned only after the editors see the images. Likely rejections: point-of-interest or venue guides, lists and roundups, most event-driven pieces, seasonal hooks, and stories without a clear travel angle; pitches in these categories will likely get no response. Do not send follow-up emails for the same pitch. Press trips, sponsored travel, freebies and discounts are not allowed except in rare cases approved by an editor, and any funding assistance must be disclosed when pitching. The BBC requires all rights to articles and will not buy work that has run or will run elsewhere. Writers must supply sources and contact details for every interviewee. A kill fee may be paid if a piece does not meet BBC standards.
BBC’s own pageTake part in one of our shows (BBC Take Part)
A listing of BBC programmes seeking contestants, contributors and audience members, updated as castings open and close. It includes Dragons' Den, which invites entrepreneurs looking for investment to apply to pitch their business to the Dragons.
Choose a programme on the BBC Take Part page and follow its instructions, usually an online application form. For Dragons' Den, apply through the BBC Dragons' Den apply page linked from its Take Part listing. Some programmes take applications through their own websites, found through the BBC programme A-Z.
Eligibility is set per programme. Dragons' Den applicants must be 18 or over, and BBC staff and their immediate families are not eligible; Dragons' Den is produced by BBC Studios and applications are handled under UK data protection law and its privacy notice. The listing changes often; if a programme is not casting, the BBC suggests checking again later.
BBC’s own pageYour Voice, Your BBC News (share stories, pictures and videos)
BBC News asks the public to send stories, eyewitness pictures and video, and suggestions for what it should report on or investigate. Contributions can be used on BBC News online and on BBC television.
Email [email protected], send a picture, video or message on WhatsApp to +44 7756 165803, post to @BBC_HaveYourSay on X, or use the contact form on the Your Voice, Your BBC News page.
The BBC aims to read every message but cannot always reply individually. If your material is used, the BBC aims to publish your name and location as you give them (unless you ask it not to) and never publishes your phone number or other contact details. Text and images sent by WhatsApp, and posts showing your X username, may be used on BBC output. Contributions are subject to the BBC's terms and privacy policy.
BBC’s own pageSecureDrop and Signal for confidential sources
Secure channels for confidential sources and whistleblowers to send documents and messages to BBC News journalists anonymously.
SecureDrop: install Tor Browser and visit http://kt2bqe753wj6dgarak2ryj4d6a5tccrivbvod5ab3uxhug5fi624vsqd.onion/, then follow the instructions; you get a codename for checking replies and sending more material. Signal: BBC investigative articles list 0044 7714 956 936.
The BBC advises against using SecureDrop on an employer's or home network or employer hardware; use a public network such as a library or cafe. Only a few selected journalists can access the system. The BBC controls the servers and says it will not give a submission or its metadata to a third party without your explicit consent. No tool can guarantee security or anonymity.
BBC’s own pageBBC News reader callouts ('Do you have a story to share?')
BBC News articles often end with a topic-specific form asking people affected by a story to share their experience, which journalists use to find contributors.
Fill in the form attached to the article (hosted on bbc.co.uk/send). The forms also list email ([email protected]), WhatsApp (+44 7756 165803) and @BBC_HaveYourSay on X as alternatives, and offer a link for sending a video note.
Include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. Each callout is specific to one story and open only for a limited time.
BBC’s own page
Checked against BBC’s own pages on 2026-10-06.
Is a placement here worth pursuing?
It depends on the questions your buyers ask. Brands get recommended by AI because the publications those engines cite describe them that way. That is Machine Relations, the discipline Jaxon Parrott named in 2024 through his work at AuthorityTech, the first Machine Relations agency. The table above is what decides whether coverage in BBC moves your brand in AI answers at all: it moves where the publication is already cited for the question your buyer asks, and much less where it is not.
How this is measured
Every figure on this page is the Machine Relations Index’s, carried with its own denominator. The Index runs buyer questions against one answer engine and records which sources each answer cites. This release covers 2026-05-10 to 2026-10-06, 143 days of collection. A publication carries a published rank once it clears the Index's evidence floor of 10 observations across 7 collection dates; below it, the standing reads as still collecting. AuthorityTech does not compute these numbers. Machine Relations Index publishes them, release 2026-10-06, methodology mri_score_v2.0.