Six Tips For Getting Clients Started As Contributors To Media Publications
With knowledge and experience from within an industry, business professionals have valuable information to offer media publications that differs from work by the publication’s reporting staff. But before writing an article or column, hopeful writers should do some preliminary research and work if they want to become regular contributors.
Six Forbes Agency Council members share what they consider the first step they recommend to clients who are interested in contributing to a relevant media publication.
1. Know The Audience Make sure you are a regular reader of the publication. When you know the audience, you can understand the pain points. Every problem is an opportunity to provide a solution. – Gayle Rogers, Strong Automotive Merchandising
2. Examine Their Contributed Content What topics are other C-suite executives covering for them? Are those contributors writing opinion pieces or news? Build your outreach strategy off of what you discover, and be sure to explain why you are qualified to speak on that topic. – Rebekah Iliff, AirPR
3. Set Expectations Having been published over 130 times, I can tell you that it’s a ton of work – but rewarding! While my agency has helped numerous clients gain contributor status at relevant publications, what proves more difficult is setting expectations around the amount of work it takes to get published. For instance, each article submission takes approximately 10-15 hours of work, including research. – Kristopher Jones, LSEO.com
4. Blend In Media outlets, now more than ever, require a trusting relationship with contributors. You can’t start off by busting down doors or trying to make the most noise. It takes time for trust to develop. You should start slow and let that happen. Start by blending in, not because it’s capitulation, but because media outlets want contributors that represent them, not the other way around. – Brandon Stapper, Non Stop Signs
5. Consider What Your Client’s Key Expertise Is If your client has decided that he wants to contribute content to the media, you should first sit down together and figure out what his key expertise is. Based on this, you’ll know which publications to target for your client and will have an indication as to the type of topics that he should cover in his articles. Making sure that the pieces portray his knowledge is key. – Ayelet Noff, Blonde 2.0
6. Have Something New And Interesting To Say – That’s Not About Your Company Clients who are new to contributed articles often think of them as a new platform to talk about their products and services. The first lesson to teach them is how to think about their expertise and opinions from a big-picture perspective. Then turn that into accessible advice or provocative, interesting commentary. They don’t need to be controversial, but they do need to be thought-provoking. – Gretel Going, Channel V Media
About Channel V Media
Welcome to Channel V Media (CVM). We’re an award-winning PR and communications agency, founded in 2008.
We build market momentum for Fortune 500 and emerging companies, advising and executing on Communications Strategy, PR strategy, and digital marketing. We specialize in breaking clients into new markets and categories, rising to the top of crowded conversations, and reinvigorating enthusiasm for long-standing companies as they compete in new areas.
CVM builds awareness for companies and their products, develops C-suite leaders into industry visionaries, positions clients to be among the most vocal in high-value conversations, and drives inbound leads.
Some of our clients include Sopra Banking Software, GFT, Penn Mutual, IBM, Bluecore, Grapeshot + Oracle, Fortune & Frame, and others.