A great way to boost your profile as an expert or thought leader in your industry is to write articles and pitch to publications, otherwise known as contributed articles.
Getting your article published in the media will increase your credibility and exposure to your target audience. This can give you an edge over your competitors and open the door to more media opportunities.
Many publications will often publish contributed articles if they are well-written, appropriate, interesting and valuable for their audience.
Here are some tips on how to write a great article.
Know the publication
Before writing an article consider the publication you want to send it to. Most publications have a specific format, which you must adhere to, such as a specific word length or structure for the article. Read other articles in the publication to get an idea of what they are looking for.
Know the audience
Before writing the article think about the publication’s audience that will be reading it. Make sure the article is about a topic that would interest them and try to provide valuable, helpful information. Also, try to avoid using industry specific jargon if your audience has no knowledge of your industry.
Be objective
Journalists are more interested in articles that provide valuable information to their readers then promotional pieces about your business. When writing an article you need to remain objective and avoid writing in the first person, for instance using the phrases ‘I think’ and ‘my opinion’. Write the article in an informative and entertaining manner and stay on topic.
Topics
There are many topics you can use when writing an article and include: identify a problem and give a solution, suggest a new approach, describe the lessons learnt from a project and their applications to other areas or even how to do aspects of your business. It is essential the article is written in an objective, informative and entertaining manner. You will be wasting your time (and the editor’s) if you write anything off topic or promotional.
Always proof read
Always proof read your article and look for spelling and grammar mistakes. Journalists won’t publish an article that is poorly written or has spelling mistakes. Ask a friend or colleague to proof read your article and pick up any mistakes you have missed. This is also a great way to test if your article is effective in communicating to people who are not experts in your area.
Respect the journalist’s deadline
If a journalist has asked you to write an article by a particular deadline then you must sent it to them on or before the deadline. Journalists will need to publish the article by a certain time and most journalists will not wait for you.
Articles provide you with a great opportunity to share your professional knowledge with your target audience via the media. By getting your articles published in the right media outlets it will increase your exposure and boost your profile. People will also start to see you as an expert in your industry.
Learn more about coming up with great media angles and pitching them to media in this FREE ebook, “How to use PR to get amazing results”. Download now!
Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
