Quiet brilliance doesn’t earn you a reputation as an authoritative expert.
Early in my career, I worked with an extraordinary researcher at a non-governmental organization in Washington, D.C. She was smart, insightful, and warm. Her colleagues respected her intellect and relied on her to edit and fact-check articles, reports, and speeches. But she never took the leap and shared her own research. When it came time to select the lead researcher for a new project, she was not even considered.
This story is all too common.
So many brilliant people want just a little more time to refine their ideas and make sure they are perfect before sharing them publicly. But perfection is an unachievable goal.
And the pursuit of perfection is holding you back.
There’s never been a better time to share your ideas.
Fifteen years ago, it would have been difficult for a consultant or business coach to get a byline in Inc., Entrepreneur, or Fast Company. But these prestigious business publications now rely on experienced professionals to share their insights with their readers.
Your perspective is invaluable to the publication’s readers, but it is crucial to the success of the publication’s business model. Let me explain:
Magazines rely heavily on advertising revenue.
A great deal of that advertising happens online.
Online advertising revenue is proportional to website traffic.
Website traffic relies on search engine optimization (SEO).
SEO requires a steady influx of original, high-quality content.
High-visibility publications need a tremendous amount of original, high-quality content. Their need for that content far outpaces their capacity for creating it. In fact, many of these publications would go out of business if they had to pay their staff writers and freelance writers for all the content they needed to produce.
As an expert, you can help associations, trade journals, and business magazines meet the need for original, high-quality content. In return, you get to share your ideas with a well-established audience, demonstrate your credibility, and build your community while increasing your visibility and opening the door to new opportunities.
The readers win.
The publications win.
You win.
It’s not enough to be great at what you do. If you want to make an impact, your voice needs to be heard. Writing for high-visibility publications is one of the most effective ways to share your ideas and build your reputation as an authoritative expert.
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Erica Holthausen is the founder of Catchline Communications and a strategic thought partner to consultants who wish to build their authority and increase their visibility by publishing articles in industry trade journals and business magazines like Inc., Entrepreneur, and Fast Company. To learn how to raise your profile, register for Pitched to Published, a free monthly Q+A focused on writing, pitching, and publishing articles.
