While the contributed article has been a part of PR outreach for decades, another related practice has stolen its thunder: It’s what we like to call the “sports car” communication—self publishing. PR professionals, particularly those in the technology sector, have become giddy with the ease of self-publishing white papers and other material online. Jump in the self-publishing sports car, and drive it anywhere you want!
Therefore, communicators have neglected the practice of contributing articles to outside, established publications. Whether you call them pubs, e-zines or blogs, they are the “public transportation” of the communications world. Why use public transportation when you can do it yourself? Because your customers are still taking public transportation, and it’s a mode of travel you shouldn’t ignore.
Unfortunately, many in PR have forgotten about this ripe opportunity.
BYLINER BENEFITS
Contributed articles feed the booming demand for content-based communications—providing the information customers want before they engage with a brand or business.
More specifically, getting your bylined article into publications puts your company name in front of far more eyeballs than would see your self-published material. You raise brand awareness at a fraction of the cost of buying ads. With online publication, you improve your chances of getting search engine hits. And on your own Web site, you can link to articles you’ve published elsewhere.
Contributed articles provide a range of benefits, but they rarely give you the opportunity to uncontrollably rave about your products or services.
But the editor might allow a contributing writer to say that the recommendations in your article come from years of thought leadership experience on your particular subject.
Remember, editors rule the content. Editors filter the available information and publish what’s appropriate for their readers. Tight editorial control is a good thing for PR pros, because it helps assure credibility. If a publication doesn’t have credibility, why bother to seek editorial coverage in it?
WRITE FOR READERS
When you set out to write and place contributed articles in established publications, a basic principle is to look at everything from the point of view of the pub’s reader. While this principle is simple, it is rarely done thoroughly. And for some in PR, it’s difficult getting out of Promotional Mode and thinking like readers.
For a contributed article, the more detailed you become about your readers’ knowledge level, experience, preferences, personality and needs, the easier it is to give them exactly the content they want.
MAKING THE PITCH
Pitching a byliner can be tricky, but in today’s resource-scarce media environment, many editors will be receptive to your efforts. Here’s a few pitching tips:
• Clearly express to the editor what information the story will deliver.
• Have multiple potential story ideas for the editor’s consideration.
• Be persistent, but not bothersome, for a response (editors have other work besides paying attention to your pitch).
• If you receive a “no,” move immediately on to an alternate, appropriate publication.
• Pitch target media serially so two competing publications don’t request the same story; be prepared to substantially rewrite your article so it delivers differing information in each contribution.
CORRECT CONTENT
Knowing your readers helps you make the correct decisions about your contributed article—publication, topic, content and style. Moreover, focusing on your reader’s point of view for every sentence in your article helps avoid common problems with content, including:
• Burying the lead: Your reader would prefer that you get to the point in the first two or three sentences.
• Dwelling on history: Unless you’re writing for History Today, readers are usually looking for something new.
• Uneven level of detail: A good understanding of your reader’s knowledge prevents you from boring into trivialities or brushing over complex topics.
A well-written contributed article placed in an influential publication positions the author and organization as a knowledgeable source of information. So leave the sports car at home and hop on the subway. PRN
CONTACT:
This article was written by Ford Kanzler, owner of Marketing/PR Savvy ([email protected]) and Bob Peterson, head of Silicon Valley Writing ([email protected]).