What criteria decides whether a technique is CBT? Wikipedia describes Cognitive behavioral therapy by saying

CBT focuses on the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems and changing unhelpful patterns in cognitions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes), behaviors, and emotional regulation.&quot;

On the other hand, even before coinage of the term CBT various therapists where using some techniques that could influence personal coping strategies.
That leaves the question about whether those therapists were also doing CBT without them knowing or whether CBT is defined in a way that only certain techniques count as CBT.
How is the term defined?
What is CBT?

As I stated in my answer to a previous question on CBT, 


  The basic concept of CBT
  
  Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) was developed by Aaron Temkin Beck, and as mentioned before, CBT is a combination of behaviourism and behaviour therapy, and cognitive theories and their application in therapeutic settings (Reeves, 2013).  CBT helps to change how you think, hence the word Cognitive, and what you do, hence the word Behaviour.
  
  A difficult life situation, relationship or practical problem can lead to:
  
  
  Altered thinking
  Altered emotions and feelings
  Altered behaviour
  Altered physical feelings or symptoms
  
  
  Things can happen the other way too.  Any of the above alterations can lead to a difficult life situation, relationship or practical problem (Royal College of Psychiatrists, n.d.).
  
  CBT works by trying to get the client to think about a situation in a more helpful way in order to move forward using more helpful behaviours.


Therefore, if the therapist is looking to help a client to use more helpful behaviours by getting them to think about their situation in a more helpful way, then the therapist is using a form of CBT.

References

Reeves, A., 2013. An Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: From Theory to Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd..

Royal College of Psychiatrists, n.d. 5 Areas Assessment. [Online]
Available at: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/treatmentswellbeing/cbt/5areas.aspx
[Accessed 5 May 2017].