National news · Tier one
How to get featured in NPR
Getting on NPR: how its desks, shows, and member stations choose stories, what an NPR pitch looks like, and why op-eds and releases rarely work there.
- Website
- npr.org
- Lead time
- Breaking news: same day. Show segments and features: typically several weeks. Podcast and long-form pieces: longer.
- Last verified
At a glance
Audience. A national public radio and podcast audience that skews highly educated and engaged, reached through member stations, NPR shows, podcasts, and NPR.org.
- National and international news
- Politics
- Business and economy
- Science and health
- Technology
- Culture and music
- Staff reporting
- NPR's desks and shows, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, produce stories with NPR correspondents and reporters at member stations; regional bureau chiefs edit national desk stories.
- Contributed articles
- NPR does not publish contributed articles from companies.
- Opinion and op-eds
- NPR does not run an op-ed section that accepts outside submissions.
- Press releases
- Releases are background at most. NPR editors look for stories with tension, stakes, and people to interview, not announcements.
Pitching NPR, step by step
Listen to the specific show or read the desk you are targeting and confirm NPR has not already done the story.
Find the correspondent, show producer, or member station reporter who covers the topic.
Write a three or four sentence treatment in the style of a host intro, with the tension and what is at stake.
Name the people who can be interviewed and a scene or sound that can be recorded.
Consider the local member station first; strong station stories can be picked up nationally.
Avoid unverified superlatives such as first, biggest, or only.
How NPR decides what to cover
NPR is a national network built with hundreds of member stations. National coverage runs through desks such as National, Washington, International, Business, and Science, and through shows like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, each with its own editors and producers. NPR’s National Desk uses regional bureau chiefs who edit stories from around the country, many reported by member station journalists. That structure means a story can start locally and reach a national show.
NPR’s editors look for stories with tension and stakes, told through people and sound. Announcements, funding rounds, and product launches rarely qualify unless they reveal something larger about an industry, a community, or a policy.
How to pitch NPR
NPR’s own training guidance, written for reporters pitching its newsmagazines, is a useful model. It describes a good pitch as a three or four sentence treatment, written like a host intro, that explains the tension and what is at stake, names a few people to interview and a scene to record, and suggests a news peg. NPR editors also caution against unverified superlatives like biggest or first.
For companies, that means offering a story rather than a company: the people affected, the conflict or change, and the voices who can explain it, including independent ones. Pitch the correspondent or show producer who covers the area, or the reporter at your local member station.
Contributed articles and op-eds
NPR does not run an op-ed section for outside submissions or publish contributed articles from companies. Executives reach NPR audiences as interview subjects and expert sources. Being a clear, candid voice on a subject NPR covers often, available for a taped or live interview, is the realistic route.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay to be featured on NPR?
No. Editorial coverage is not for sale. NPR sells underwriting and sponsorship separately, and those credits are not editorial coverage.
Does NPR accept guest posts?
No. NPR does not publish contributed articles or outside op-eds.
Who should I pitch at NPR?
The correspondent or show producer who covers your topic, or a reporter at your local member station. Read and listen to recent coverage first.
A PR-led approach to NPR means shaping a story with real tension and real voices, then starting where it fits, often a member station. That is how we approach media relations for public media.
Mistakes that get pitches ignored
- Pitching a product or funding announcement with no tension or wider stakes.
- Offering only written statements; radio needs voices and scenes.
- Using superlatives such as first or biggest that you have not verified.
- Ignoring member stations, which are often the most realistic entry point.
Keep going
Related outlets
Sources for this profile (3)
- NPR Training: Pitching to NPR? Our bureau chiefs share their process
- NPR Training: What makes a good pitch? NPR editors weigh in
- NPR help center: Contact
Profiles describe public editorial processes and are reviewed periodically. Digitize is not affiliated with NPR. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].