Do you want the media and your customers to take notice of your business? A great way to get noticed and gain media coverage is to position yourself as an expert.
Journalists are always looking for experts in a particular field to provide professional comments or quotes for their story.
If you have a good knowledge and understanding of your profession or industry then you have the opportunity to become an expert that a journalist will interview.
The first step is to use PR strategies to build up your status as an expert and understand how to offer your professional knowledge to a journalist.
Here are some PR strategies to help you position yourself as an expert.
Speak at conferences and events
You can share your industry knowledge with others by speaking at conferences and events that relate to your industry. Think about a particular topic that you know extremely well and create a presentation around it. Make sure the presentation is informative and interesting to other people.
If you’re not a confident speaker then make sure you get coaching before you start presenting.
You should adapt your presentation to suit your audience, for example do not use technical language when your audience has no knowledge of your topic. Start by attending small conferences and establish yourself as an authority on a particular topic.
Actively look for opportunities to provide expert comment in the media
Many magazines, newspapers and online publications plan in advance the special reports or features that they will write about for the entire year. You can look for a publication’s features list on their website or call them and ask for a copy of their media kit.
When you look at a features list you can find upcoming topics that relate to your business. You can then email that publication and suggest yourself as an expert to discuss this topic.
Make sure you include a media angle or story idea, and outline why you are an expert. Remember to send your information to a journalist with enough time for them to write the article before it needs to be published.
Write a blog
Blogs are a great way of sharing your expert knowledge and positioning yourself as an expert on a particular topic.
The key is to pick a topic, and stick to it. You should post regularly on your blog and aim to spark discussion and share experiences, ideas and relevant information.
To build traffic, read other blogs and comment so that it links back to your own blog. You can also offer to be a guest blogger on other websites to increase your exposure.
Write an article
You can write an article about an important issue in your industry or write about helpful tips and advice. You can then send this article to relevant publications in your industry and explain why it’s a great fit for their publication.
Make sure the article is useful, interesting and easy to understand by others. You should also make sure the article is written in the correct style and format for the publication.
By sharing your professional knowledge you can build up your status as an expert in your industry. This is a great strategy to build your brand, gain media coverage and increase your exposure to the people that matter.
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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.
