How Startups in Hyderabad Can Get Featured in Economic Times & Forbes India
Hyderabad has produced a genuine cluster of ambitious companies over the past few years — in deep-tech, EV logistics, healthcare, and enterprise software. Yet when founders here look at who’s getting covered in Economic Times or Forbes India, it’s still disproportionately Bangalore and Delhi-NCR companies. That’s not because Hyderabad startups have weaker stories. It’s usually because the pitch, timing, and positioning fall short of what these publications actually look for.
Here’s what getting featured in Tier-1 national media actually requires — and where the geography works against, and occasionally for, Hyderabad founders.
Understand What These Publications Actually Cover
Economic Times and Forbes India aren’t looking for product announcements. Their reporters are covering market shifts, funding trends, leadership perspectives, and business stories with implications beyond the company itself. A founder pitching “we launched a new feature” will get ignored. A founder pitching “here’s what’s changing in industrial testing as manufacturers move toward AI-driven quality control, and here’s a company at the center of it” has a real shot.
This distinction matters more for Hyderabad companies specifically, because national reporters don’t have as many local touchpoints here as they do in Bangalore or Mumbai. The story has to work on its own merit — the city itself won’t do any persuading.
The Timing Advantage Hyderabad Founders Often Miss
There’s an underused angle here: national business media is actively looking for stories outside the usual Bangalore-Gurugram axis, partly because the “GCC and startup hub” narrative around Hyderabad itself is still developing and reporters are hunting for credible examples. A well-positioned Hyderabad founder can sometimes get faster traction on a “rising ecosystem” angle than an equally strong founder pitching the same story from a saturated market. This works only when the company’s fundamentals back it up — funding, traction, or a genuinely differentiated product.
What Increases the Odds
A specific, quantifiable hook. Vague claims about growth or innovation don’t move business journalists. A concrete number — revenue growth, a patent, a certification, a measurable efficiency gain — gives a reporter something to anchor a story around.
Founder-led commentary, not company promotion. Forbes India in particular runs a meaningful volume of leadership perspective pieces. A founder with a sharp, specific point of view on where their industry is heading — not a rehash of the company’s pitch deck — is far more likely to get commissioned for a byline than a generic “our journey” piece.
Relevant timing. Pitching around a genuine news hook — a funding close, a regulatory change affecting the sector, an industry report with fresh data — gives a story a reason to run now rather than “whenever.”
A track record of smaller wins first. Companies that build a base of credible coverage in sector-specific and Tier-2 business publications before pitching Economic Times or Forbes India tend to have an easier time. It gives a national reporter existing proof points to reference, and shows the company isn’t a one-time pitch.
What Usually Gets Ignored
Mass-distributed press releases with no personalization, pitches that lead with funding amount rather than what the funding enables, and outreach with no clear news hook are the most common reasons Hyderabad founders get no response from national desks. Reporters at these publications are inundated — a generic pitch simply doesn’t survive the first scan.
The AI Discoverability Layer
There’s a longer-term reason this matters beyond the immediate press hit. Coverage in nationally credible publications like Economic Times and Forbes India carries weight in how AI search tools and language models represent a company when queried. A Hyderabad startup with strong Tier-1 coverage is more likely to surface accurately — and favorably — in AI-generated answers about its sector, which is becoming a meaningful, compounding form of visibility beyond the article itself.
A Grounded Approach
No agency can promise a Forbes India byline or an Economic Times feature — publication decisions sit entirely with the editorial desk. What can be controlled is the quality of the story, the precision of the pitch, and the consistency of outreach over time.
Wing Communications works with Hyderabad-based and India-wide founders on exactly this — building the story angles, founder positioning, and sustained media relationships that make national coverage a realistic, earned outcome rather than a one-off hope pinned to a single press release.
FAQs
A Hyderabad startup can improve its chances by presenting a strong, newsworthy story supported by measurable results, industry trends, funding, market insights, or a significant business development. A personalized pitch with a clear reason for the story to matter now is more effective than a generic press release.
Startups can approach Forbes India with strong founder-led perspectives, industry insights, significant business milestones, or stories that have broader relevance. A clear point of view and credible supporting data can make a pitch more compelling.
Both publications generally focus on stories with wider business relevance, including funding, market trends, leadership perspectives, technology, entrepreneurship, regulatory developments, and major industry shifts.
Hyderabad’s growing startup and technology ecosystem can provide opportunities for stories around emerging industries and the city’s evolving business landscape. However, the strength and relevance of the story remain more important than location alone.
A specific hook, credible data, a strong founder perspective, relevant industry context, and timely news trigger can make a startup pitch more newsworthy. The story should offer journalists something beyond a company announcement.
Contact WingComm today to schedule a free strategy consultation and discover the right PR mix for your business.
