If thought leadership is on your list of priorities, you’re living in the right time. Never before have individuals (and the companies 他们 represent) had easier, 更开放地接触更广泛的受众.
考虑到正确的组合 content strategy, creation and distribution, you can share your message with a theoretically unlimited number of people. There are no gatekeepers blocking your way onto Medium, LinkedIn, Slide分享, Quora和许多其他平台, including your own personal or corporate blog.
但, is it still worth your time to write articles for more traditional publications, 不管是在报纸上还是在网上?
As with most questions worth digging into, the answer is, “It depends.”
Here’s the thing about those “gatekeepers” I mentioned above: at reputable publications, 由编辑执行的标准, staffers and freelancers insure the quality of the overall product, 这也是它对读者的影响.
When your byline appears above a TechCrunch, 企业家还是福布斯文章, 例如, it carries weight that is harder to lift via more open-to-everyone venues.
首先, someone in charge read your thoughts and deemed them relevant and interesting enough to present to their audience. 和第二, 你从这些观众身上获益, 这是, 往往, larger than the one following you on social media or likely to find your writing via search.
贡献的文章应该是一部分 你的思想领导计划. 但 does that mean you should jump at every chance to write for every publication?
绝对不会.
说到营销, 尤其是内容营销, there is no end to the number of things you 可以 do. 但 knocking yourself out (or driving your team around the clock) doesn’t guarantee better results. To the contrary – the less you can focus on the quality of any one project, 你的整体结果受到的影响就越大.
不要做更多的工作.
做得更好.
Start by interrogating every contributed article opportunity based on your thought leadership goals:
Will an article in this publication grow awareness for me or my company?
If your main goal for sharing your point of view or expertise is to 提高你的管理视野 or the visibility of your company, this question is for you.
使用媒体数据库, 像Cision, or the publication’s own circulation numbers to determine the size of its readership and the makeup of its target audience.
Beyond the publication’s direct readership, how often are its articles shared, and by whom? A tool like Buzzsumo lets you look at individual articles, how many shares 他们 get on the most popular social media channels, and how many links point to them from around the web.
Will an article in this publication put me in good company?
Be discerning about the kind of folks you’ll be associated with if you contribute an article.
This is about more than name recognition. Whether or not you recognize any of the people who have already authored articles, you can learn something about them and whether you want to join their “club.”
Are their experience levels similar to yours? Do you admire the companies 他们 work for? Are their articles thoughtful, persuasive, compelling and…well…smart?
Will an article in this publication send traffic to my personal or corporate website?
Some of the most prestigious publications in the country – the ones your significant other will clip and post on the fridge when your name appears in them – drive little to no traffic to company websites.
If you’re planning to measure the value of your activity in terms of website traffic, 这是要记住的.
This is not to say you shouldn’t aim for these outlets, but you should determine upfront how you’ll measure the value of appearing them. 读者, social sharing and share of voice might deliver positive metrics, even when traffic metrics fail to wow you or your boss.
Will an article in this publication influence my target decision-maker?
If your primary target is the prospect you hope to make a customer, poll your existing customers. 他们读什么?? 他们的团队读什么? If you featured them in a case study or news announcement, where would 他们 大多数人喜欢看到自己? The answers to those questions can influence the publications worthy of your thought leadership efforts.
If your target decision-maker is someone else – maybe a partner or an investor – check out where their executives have been featured and which publications 他们 cite in their own content efforts and share on their social channels.
Do I have time to meet this publication’s guidelines?
After considering all of the above, get pragmatic. Most publications will give you a target word count, and sometimes other parameters. 你想要 努力写一篇2500字的文章 and create unique screenshots or charts for a publication with a narrow readership, which has never driven a single visitor to your website? 也许不是.
Your thought leadership strategy should include contributed articles, but make that effort count by pitching and writing for the publications most likely to help you reach your strategic goals.
If thought leadership is on your list of priorities, you’re living in the right time. Never before have individuals (and the companies 他们 represent) had easier, 更开放地接触更广泛的受众.
考虑到正确的组合 content strategy, creation and distribution, you can share your message with a theoretically unlimited number of people. There are no gatekeepers blocking your way onto Medium, LinkedIn, Slide分享, Quora和许多其他平台, including your own personal or corporate blog.
但, is it still worth your time to write articles for more traditional publications, 不管是在报纸上还是在网上?
As with most questions worth digging into, the answer is, “It depends.”
Here’s the thing about those “gatekeepers” I mentioned above: at reputable publications, 由编辑执行的标准, staffers and freelancers insure the quality of the overall product, 这也是它对读者的影响.
When your byline appears above a TechCrunch, 企业家还是福布斯文章, 例如, it carries weight that is harder to lift via more open-to-everyone venues.
首先, someone in charge read your thoughts and deemed them relevant and interesting enough to present to their audience. 和第二, 你从这些观众身上获益, 这是, 往往, larger than the one following you on social media or likely to find your writing via search.
贡献的文章应该是一部分 你的思想领导计划. 但 does that mean you should jump at every chance to write for every publication?
绝对不会.
说到营销, 尤其是内容营销, there is no end to the number of things you 可以 do. 但 knocking yourself out (or driving your team around the clock) doesn’t guarantee better results. To the contrary – the less you can focus on the quality of any one project, 你的整体结果受到的影响就越大.
不要做更多的工作.
做得更好.
Start by interrogating every contributed article opportunity based on your thought leadership goals:
Will an article in this publication grow awareness for me or my company?
If your main goal for sharing your point of view or expertise is to 提高你的管理视野 or the visibility of your company, this question is for you.
使用媒体数据库, 像Cision, or the publication’s own circulation numbers to determine the size of its readership and the makeup of its target audience.
Beyond the publication’s direct readership, how often are its articles shared, and by whom? A tool like Buzzsumo lets you look at individual articles, how many shares 他们 get on the most popular social media channels, and how many links point to them from around the web.
Will an article in this publication put me in good company?
Be discerning about the kind of folks you’ll be associated with if you contribute an article.
This is about more than name recognition. Whether or not you recognize any of the people who have already authored articles, you can learn something about them and whether you want to join their “club.”
Are their experience levels similar to yours? Do you admire the companies 他们 work for? Are their articles thoughtful, persuasive, compelling and…well…smart?
Will an article in this publication send traffic to my personal or corporate website?
Some of the most prestigious publications in the country – the ones your significant other will clip and post on the fridge when your name appears in them – drive little to no traffic to company websites.
If you’re planning to measure the value of your activity in terms of website traffic, 这是要记住的.
This is not to say you shouldn’t aim for these outlets, but you should determine upfront how you’ll measure the value of appearing them. 读者, social sharing and share of voice might deliver positive metrics, even when traffic metrics fail to wow you or your boss.
Will an article in this publication influence my target decision-maker?
If your primary target is the prospect you hope to make a customer, poll your existing customers. 他们读什么?? 他们的团队读什么? If you featured them in a case study or news announcement, where would 他们 大多数人喜欢看到自己? The answers to those questions can influence the publications worthy of your thought leadership efforts.
If your target decision-maker is someone else – maybe a partner or an investor – check out where their executives have been featured and which publications 他们 cite in their own content efforts and share on their social channels.
Do I have time to meet this publication’s guidelines?
After considering all of the above, get pragmatic. Most publications will give you a target word count, and sometimes other parameters. 你想要 努力写一篇2500字的文章 and create unique screenshots or charts for a publication with a narrow readership, which has never driven a single visitor to your website? 也许不是.
Your thought leadership strategy should include contributed articles, but make that effort count by pitching and writing for the publications most likely to help you reach your strategic goals.