Publication intelligence · Machine Relations Index
Does being published in The Guardian get your brand cited by AI?
AI answer engines cited The Guardian in 35 of 21,813 measured answer runs (0.2%) across 3 engines over 143 days of collection. That is #85 of 1634 classified editorial publications.
Where The Guardian 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 | 6.3% | 12 / 189 | #25 of 261 |
| Family Software | problem-first questions | 3.6% | 5 / 138 | #36 of 254 |
| Consumer Products | how-to-choose questions | 2.5% | 5 / 196 | #80 of 546 |
| Consumer Products | top-list questions | 3.2% | 6 / 190 | #75 of 489 |
| Consumer Products | best-in-category questions | 2.1% | 4 / 191 | #98 of 387 |
| Consumer Products | problem-first questions | 0.5% | 1 / 192 | #278 of 306 |
| Consumer Products | is-it-worth-it questions | 0.5% | 1 / 195 | #272 of 294 |
| Family Software | is-it-worth-it questions | 0.8% | 1 / 130 | #155 of 162 |
How to get into The Guardian
Guardian US Opinion pitches
Pitches for the Guardian US opinion section, which focuses on American issues. The section usually looks for persuasive opinion pieces or first-person stories tied to a news topic, from full-time writers and non-writers alike.
Email a pitch to the designated pitch account [email protected] with the topic of the piece in the subject line. Briefly explain who you are and why you have the expertise or experience to write it, and summarize the piece (preferably with links) in about three to five sentences. Do not send completed pieces.
Usually 600 to 800 words. You must disclose any conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, including compensation from anyone with an interest in the topic. Commissioned pieces are published online and few, if any, appear in the UK print edition. All pieces are edited by US-based staff and no kill fees are paid if final pieces do not meet editorial standards. The desk cannot reply to every pitch; if you have not heard back within four business days, take the idea elsewhere.
The Guardian’s own pageGuardian Opinion pitches
Pitches to Guardian Opinion for news-reactive opinion columns. Experts, people with a relevant personal story and first-time writers are all considered; the Guardian US page directs pitches on non-American subjects to the UK and Australian opinion desks.
Email the pitch to [email protected]. Send one idea (two at most), keep it to a few paragraphs outlining the argument, explain why it needs to run now and why you are the right person to write it, and put a precise description of the piece in the subject line rather than 'column pitch'.
Do not send fully written pieces; editors prefer to shape length and focus with the writer. The average column is 700 to 800 words. Most pieces respond to a recent news story. The desk receives hundreds of pitches a day and cannot reply to every email.
The Guardian’s own pageEditorial departments and desks (story suggestions and freelance pitches)
The Guardian directs story suggestions and freelance pitches to the relevant editorial department. Its contact page lists desk email addresses, and the picture desk address is explicitly for emails from readers, agencies and PRs.
Email the relevant desk listed on the contact page, for example [email protected] or [email protected] (arts, film, music), [email protected] (environment), [email protected] (travel), [email protected] (consumer investigative column in Money), [email protected] (obituaries), [email protected] (pictures from readers, agencies and PRs) or [email protected] (advisories on film openings, PR openings and similar). Individual staff can be emailed at [email protected]. Freelancers should contact the commissioning editor of the relevant section by phone or email with a brief outline.
Freelancers should read the Contributors' guide first. Unless you are an established contributor, editors are most unlikely to commission you outright; a 'take a look' invitation means the piece is submitted speculatively and paid only if published. Do not send pictures or artwork unless requested. Contributions are published on the Guardian's standard copyright terms (the Freelance Charter) and paid at normal rates unless agreed otherwise; queries go to [email protected].
The Guardian’s own pageLetters to the editor
Reader letters responding to Guardian articles, opinions or podcasts, for publication on the letters page. The letters desk says it particularly encourages people from underrepresented, marginalised and minority communities to write in.
Email the letter to [email protected], in the body of the email rather than as an attachment.
No more than 300 words. Must be exclusive to the Guardian. Include a reference to the article you are responding to (headline and date, or the web link), your name, full postal address and a contact phone number; these are for verification and only your name and location are published. Letters supplied with only an email address are not published. Abuse or personal and derogatory comments are not published. Submission is subject to the Guardian's terms for reader content in print publications, which grant the Guardian a non-exclusive, perpetual licence and allow it to cut or edit letters.
The Guardian’s own pageConfidential tips (How to contact the Guardian securely)
Channels for sharing sensitive, public-interest information with Guardian journalists, who treat tipsters as confidential sources. The Guardian says it is unlikely to pursue a lead unless it may lead to a news story and cannot act on vague or speculative information.
The Guardian recommends the Secure Messaging tool in the Guardian news app (iOS or Android, under 'Secure Messaging' in the menu). Alternatives listed on the page: SecureDrop via Tor at theguardian.com/securedrop; Signal or WhatsApp to individual journalists (contact details on their profile pages); email, including PGP-encrypted email using keys at theguardian.com/pgp; telephone (London +44 (0)20 3353 2000, New York +1 212 231 7762, San Francisco +1 415 919 5874, plus Sydney and Washington numbers on the page); or post to the UK, US or Australia office addresses listed on the page. The page also lists an email address for the UK investigations team.
Be clear, detailed and specific: names, locations, dates, what you know, and how it can be verified. The Guardian does not always reply to SecureDrop messages and replies can take several days. Uploading material does not guarantee publication. This channel is not for customer service, complaints or article pitches.
The Guardian’s own pageReader callouts ('Tell us' / 'Share your experience')
Guardian journalists regularly publish callouts asking readers to share experiences for specific stories, for example people affected by a news event or a social trend. Responses can be anonymous and are used only for the feature in question.
Find an open callout on the Guardian's Callout listing page and respond through the form embedded in that article; current callouts also offer messaging or leaving a voice note. Each callout links to an alternative hosted form if the embedded one does not work.
Respondents must be 18 or over. Callouts are topic-specific and time-limited. The Guardian says the form is encrypted, only the Guardian has access to contributions, the data is used only for that feature, and personal data is deleted when no longer needed. Uploaded photos are limited to 5.7 MB on the form checked.
The Guardian’s own pageOther lives (reader-written obituaries)
A series of short obituaries, written by readers, of people who may not have been in the public eye.
Email the piece to [email protected], or post it, with a picture and contact information.
Up to 400 words. Should arrive within three months of the subject's death and must not appear in any other media outlet. Published at the editor's discretion. (Paid announcements in the print announcements column are a separate, paid service.)
The Guardian’s own pageEmerging Voices Awards (Guardian Foundation)
A political opinion writing competition for 16 to 25 year olds run by the Guardian Foundation, the Guardian's charity. Winning articles are published in the Guardian; the 2026 winners' pieces ran in Guardian Opinion.
Enter through the entry form published when the competition opens; the Foundation expects to reopen entries in early 2027 and will release full guidance then. Questions about the competition go to [email protected].
UK-only. Entrants must be aged 16 to 25, resident in the UK, from a state-school background (currently attending or previously attended a state-funded school), and not already working as a journalist, including freelance. Currently closed to entries.
The Guardian’s own page
Checked against The Guardian’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 The Guardian 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 3 answer engines 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.