Publication intelligence · Machine Relations Index
Does being published in WIRED get your brand cited by AI?
AI answer engines cited WIRED in 72 of 21,813 measured answer runs (0.3%) across 4 engines over 143 days of collection. That is #36 of 1634 classified editorial publications.
Where WIRED 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 Products | is-it-worth-it questions | 12% | 24 / 195 | #5 of 294 |
| Consumer Products | best-in-category questions | 8.9% | 17 / 191 | #17 of 387 |
| Consumer Health | is-it-worth-it questions | 4.8% | 9 / 189 | #37 of 261 |
| Consumer Products | top-list questions | 2.1% | 4 / 190 | #124 of 489 |
| AI Security & Privacy | problem-first questions | 1.8% | 3 / 164 | #106 of 406 |
| Emergent Prosumer | best-in-category questions | 2.3% | 3 / 130 | #109 of 297 |
| Consumer Products | how-to-choose questions | 1.0% | 2 / 196 | #262 of 546 |
| Emergent Prosumer | is-it-worth-it questions | 1.5% | 2 / 130 | #96 of 198 |
How to get into WIRED
How to Pitch Stories to WIRED (longform features)
WIRED's guide for freelance writers. Most stories by contributors from outside the staff are longform features, mostly narratives in which technology, science or innovation is a key variable; WIRED also occasionally runs feature-length essays with a focused argument.
Email a pitch to one of the longform features editors listed on the page: John Gravois ([email protected]), Jason Kehe ([email protected]), Alana Levinson ([email protected]), Anthony Lydgate ([email protected]) or Sandra Upson ([email protected]). Pitch a tale you are going to tell rather than a topic (chronology, main characters, scenes, larger importance), and include a sentence or two about your work with links to other stories, especially long-form narrative pieces.
For a feature pitch, 500 to 700 words is a good range. Read recent issues or WIRED online first and check that WIRED has not run similar stories recently; if the story has been covered elsewhere, explain how your piece advances that coverage. Features run from 2,000 to (a very few) 10,000 words, with about 5,000 words the sweet spot. WIRED pays set project fees depending on length, time and reporting intensity; a typical assignment might work out to $1 per word. Response time not stated.
WIRED’s own pagePitches for news stories that are not narrative longform
WIRED also assigns a smaller number of freelance stories for its business, science, politics, culture, security and gear sections. It looks for sharp angles, original reporting and illuminating investigations.
Email the relevant desk editor listed on the pitch page: Tim Marchman, science, politics and security ([email protected]); Andrew Couts, security and investigations ([email protected]); Leah Feiger, politics and science ([email protected]); Brian Kahn, science ([email protected]); Louise Matsakis, business ([email protected]); Sophie Kleeman, business ([email protected]); Michael Calore, consumer tech and culture ([email protected]); Manisha Krishnan, culture ([email protected]); or Rosie Swash, deputy editor ([email protected]).
The freelance budget for these stories is limited. WIRED rarely accepts breaking-news pitches because staff writers cover breaking news. It currently does not run opinion pieces and runs reported essays only rarely. Response time not stated.
WIRED’s own pageLetters to the Editor
Reader letters to WIRED's editors.
Email [email protected], the address listed under 'Letters to the Editor' on WIRED's Contact Us page.
Not stated.
WIRED’s own pageTips to WIRED writers and editors via Signal
WIRED directs people who want to share a tip with a specific writer or editor to the Signal usernames published on its staff masthead.
Find the writer or editor on the WIRED Staff page (https://www.wired.com/about/wired-staff/) and contact them on Signal using the username listed there (for example, the security, politics, science and business desks list Signal handles).
Not every staff member lists a Signal contact. Response policy not stated.
WIRED’s own pageReview samples for the WIRED Reviews team
WIRED's Reviews team tests products, services and software for reviews and buying guides, choosing products its readers are interested in. WIRED says it often accepts review samples directly from PR agencies and brands.
Not stated. WIRED does not publish a product-submission address or form; the FAQ only says review samples are often accepted directly from PR agencies and brands. The pitch page lists Michael Calore, director of consumer tech and culture, and the Staff page lists the Reviews team members.
WIRED does not accept 'free products' from manufacturers or make any agreement that promises editorial coverage in exchange for a product. Samples are typically not paid for and are returned or donated after testing. If a product is of interest and no sample is available, WIRED buys it. Every product recommended is tested.
WIRED’s own page
Checked against WIRED’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 WIRED 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 4 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.