Become a CE Critic

WHO ARE THE CE Critic-APPROVED CRITICS?

The CE Critic score includes reviews from two different groups:

1. Individual professional CE Critics who are CE Critic-approved and whose reviews are included on the site regardless of where they are published.
2. CE Critics-approved publications, such as websites, online video outlets, newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, alt-weeklies, podcasts, radio programs, and TV shows. If a publication is approved, its review of a consumer electronics is included on the CE Critic regardless of which individual critic produced it.

 

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HOW DO I BECOME CE Critic-APPROVED?

Critics who wish to apply should first review our guidelines below. All candidates will go through a vetting process and be evaluated against our criteria. 

Key Values

Insight: We are looking for a unique perspective on the product that is reviewed. The product review must be used by the critic and provide their unique experience and not just the product specification technology. 

 

Audience: Our goal is to reflect and represent the critics' experience with products with our CE Critc-approved critics community. To cultivate a rich, varied, and inclusive space for engaging perspectives and debate, we seek critics who reach a wide audience.

 

Quality: Reviews should observe grammatical rules and demonstrate clarity and structure, whether approved by an editorial staff or self-published. In the same vein, video and podcast reviews should be well structured and have clear resolution and sound.

Dedication: Whether you’re a podcaster producing multiple shows per month or an alt-weekly contributor, we recognize that there are varying degrees of output among critics. Contribution minimums are outlined in the eligibility guidelines, but we also look for overall consistency and demonstrated commitment to the field. Additionally, memberships in critics organizations are recognized as a sign of merit, but are not essential for – nor do they guarantee – inclusion.

We expect both applicants and approved critics to honor journalistic integrity and observe ethical behavior. We do not tolerate plagiarism, harassment, obvious trolling, discrimination, or other breaches of conduct across all platforms.

 

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ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

Individual Critics

Written

• Consistent review output for a minimum of one year.
• Demonstrated consumer electronics review coverage at a publication outside of a self-published website. However, we will consider critics who solely self-publish if their site and work reflect our key values.

Broadcast

• A regular appearance providing reviews on a major and/or well-regarded local/national/international TV or radio outlet.

Video

• Consistent review output for a minimum of one year.
• A minimum of 20K subscribers on a video publishing platform qualifies for broad audience reach. Critics reaching underrepresented groups will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Publications

Written

• Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
• A minimum of 2 million visits over 6 months as reported by SimilarWeb qualifies for broad audience reach. Publications reaching underrepresented groups will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Demonstrated social media presence and engagement (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram).

Broadcast

• Eligible TV and radio outlets and programs should be broadcasting reviews on a major and/or well-regarded local/national/international network or station.
• Demonstrated social media presence and engagement (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram).

Video

• Consistent review output for a minimum of two years.
• A minimum of 100K subscribers on a video publishing platform qualifies for broad audience reach. Video channels reaching underrepresented groups will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Demonstrated social media presence and engagement (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram).

Podcasts

• Consistent review output for a minimum of one year.
• Publish at least four episodes per month.
• At least 100 rating on Apple Podcasts with a minimum score of 4 stars. Podcasts reaching underrepresented groups will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Demonstrated social media presence and engagement with audience (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram).
• Critics exclusively reviewing at a podcast should apply on behalf of the entire podcast as a publication, not individually.

 

In some cases, even if a critic or publication does not meet the eligibility guidelines listed above, we may consider them for approval if we believe their inclusion will benefit the utility of the CE Critic and its audience.

 

In all cases, CE Critic maintains the right to approve, reject, include, exclude and remove critics, reviews and publications on a case-by-case basis at any time.

From time to time we change our guidelines, and there may be critics or publications who are still included in the CE Critic that may not meet the current set of guidelines.

We cannot guarantee a response time on applications. If your application is declined, you may reapply after one year.