Turn your signature into an autograph with expert articles
Welcome to Famous in Your Field! Here’s your free weekly tip to boost your fame factor. (Be sure to sign up in the box on the right to get on the VIP list for free tips and training, delivered straight to your inbox.)
Turn your signature into an autograph with expert articles
Want a credibility boost with an ages-long shelf life?
Contribute an expert article to a magazine or trade journal.
Magazine and trade journal editors around the world are HOWLING for articles to fill their pages every month. (Or week. Or quarter. You get the idea.)
They continually seek out content from experts to help improve the lives, businesses and industries of their readers.
Have that “But I don’t know enough to be published!” thought looping through your brain?
Send it packing.
Your information and perspective is valuable. If you rated your own expertise in your field at a 6 of 10, remember that there are thousands of people at a level 2 who would love to learn what you know.
Think about things you know that you wish you’d known earlier. How can you help someone else shorten their learning curve?
Leap out of the echo chamber!
Do not limit yourself to only YOUR industry’s trade journals and magazines.
If you’re a marketer at an engineering firm, don’t target only engineering magazines. Who are the people who buy your services? Brainstorm the types of publications they would read.
An interior designer? Sure, there are magazines devoted to design, but think of all the readers of lifestyle magazines, business magazines and industry specific publications who could use a few tips to improve aesthetics or functionality in their workplace.
In fact, with a little tweaking, you can repackage the same basic tips into articles in magazines across several industries. For example, your time-saving social media marketing tips can help attorneys, real estate agents, and massage therapists.
Want a fantastic resource to get you started?
Check out the Yahoo News and Media Directory.
You can search for publications by format:
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Journals
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- Columns and columnists
Or you can search by industry or topic, like:
- Business to Business
- College and University
- Health
- Real Estate
- Technology
When you find one that fits, drill down to the individual publication’s website. Check out the editorial calendar – the annual calendar of topics the magazine will cover, by month. Many websites also display the editor’s contact information and submission guidelines.
Your fame boosting assignment:
This week, scan the directory and make a list of 7-10 magazines or journals that you’ll target to publish an expert article. Send a pitch (a short description of the article you’d like to write.) Then, grab your sunnies and bask in the glow of expertdom coming your way.
Girl, you always write the best stuff! So helpful, specific and right on! Thank you for sharing your genius with us. You’ve inspired me to get crackin’ and start writing for magazines/journals.
What a great article!! Awesome advice and insight! You are so right about having the knowledge of what other people are looking for. Going to start some research and see where it takes me! Thanks so much for such a great article!
This is so helpful!
Thanks for reminding us to leave the ‘I’m not good enough’ behind! I still suffer from it from time to time, but I’m making peace with the fact that there are many people who don’t know what I know.
I love the ideas of repackaging the ideas for different publications – I’m definitely using that one!
Great resources Lori! I’ve published articles in several publications and I definitely do get more exposure that way! The Yahoo news and media directory is a great place to look for more opportunities, thank you!
You are my PR rockstar!! Your content is superlative to everything else I have seen. You totally rock!
Brilliant, Lori! From ways to overcome perfection (“If you rated your own expertise in your field at a 6 of 10, remember that there are thousands of people at a level 2 who would love to learn what you know.”) to exactly how to go about finding the perfect publication, you are such a knowledgeable PR diva 🙂 Thanks!!!
Hi Lori! I think you and I had a conversation about this almost a year ago and I completely forgot about it until just now. You are a PR genius 🙂 Back then, I was so scared and so self-conscious that I don’t think I could have done it. Since we’ve talked, I’ve published 30 articles for my own blog but have yet to get out there and write for a magazine targeted toward my ideal clients. HUMMM,,, you’ve got me thinking 🙂 Thank you so much for this article!! Janet
I seriously love your website.. Great colors & theme.
Did you make this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my own personal blog and would love to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is named. Thanks!