Isn’t It Time You Turned your Articles Into Bookings?
Twelve Strategies to Leverage Your Published Articles
By Pam Lontos
You wrote the perfect magazine article about your topic: It’s 800-1000 words, filled with lots of meaty and usable tips, and completely focused on the readers’ challenges with absolutely no self-promotion at all. The editors love it (yes, that’s “editors” with an “s” because so many different magazines and journals have agreed to publish your masterpiece).
Now here it is a few months later and you have copies, tearsheets, and reprints of your great article from all the various publications. While you’re waiting for the meeting planners to notice you from all your publicity efforts, you can use this time to leverage your published author status. Here are twelve strategies for converting your published articles into paid speaking engagements.
1. Make your resource box memorable: While you should never self-promote in your articles, you do still need a way to let readers know about all you have to offer. That’s what your resource box is for—the paragraph that appears after the article that explains who you are. The biggest mistake speakers make is stating that they’re president of ABC Company and author of The World’s Greatest Book, yet they never mention that they’re a speaker. So as you create your short resource box, be sure to mention that you’re a speaker, as well as all your contact information. Also, give a call to action, such as, “To have Mark speak at your next event call…” Or, you can offer that readers sign up for a free e-zine. Now you’ll have more e-zine subscribers, which means more potential business.
2. Buy reprints: Most magazines offer reprint packages so you can get a set quantity of your article professionally laid out with the magazine masthead. This is usually much less expensive than buying 500 copies of the magazine. Or, you can simply ask the magazine editor if it’s okay to photocopy the article and use it for your marketing purposes. Then send reprints or copies to past clients, current prospects, and anyone else on your mailing list.
3. Put a media page on your web site: On this page list all the articles you’ve had published, as well as those articles you are interviewed in as an expert source. Make sure people can click on the article title to read the full text, which will, of course, include your great resource box. Also put a notice on the page that companies and publications are free to use your articles as needed, provided that they keep your resource box intact and send you a copy or tearsheet. Finally, include your publication history in your web site bio. For example, you could write, “Joan has been published in over 150 magazines, such as Agency Sales Journal, Auto Success Magazine, and Broker Agent News, just to name a few.”
4. Use your printed articles to market to industries of that type: If you have an article in a financial journal, write letters to related associations and companies and do a promotional mailing. For example, the financial industry can include banking, mortgage, and insurance outlets. Send a reprint of your article along with the letter and mention that you have been published in one of their industry’s top trade magazines. That’ll surely get their attention.
5. Call the association executive director/meeting planner (not the editor) after your article is printed in their magazine: Many magazines and journals are association publications. And if there’s one thing every speaker wants, it’s to speak for associations. Think about it…when you speak to associations, most of the people in the audience are meeting planners who can hire you. So to get more speaking business, you definitely want to be seen in the association publications. Therefore, call the phone number in the magazine you’re published in and ask when their meetings are, or go to their web site and find out. Once you know the upcoming meeting dates, contact the association’s Executive Director and give your best pitch as to why you’d be the perfect speaker for their next event. Don’t forget to mention that you were just published in their magazine. After all, if your topic is good enough for their readers, then it’s also going to be a great fit for their conference.
6. Write letters to various associations mentioning the article you just had published: You can purchase a disk of mailing lists for various associations. For example, if you’re article is published in a medical magazine, you can purchase disks of medical associations. Then you can do a mailing to the different associations that cites your credentials and how you can benefit the people attending their conference. In the letter be sure to mention that you’ve had articles published in related magazines and journals, even if the article wasn’t in their particular association publication. Cite four or five different magazines (in their same industry) where you’ve been published. This is important, because many times meeting planners will say, “Well, you know our topic, but do you know our industry?” By showing that you’ve been published in similar industries, you come across as the expert they’ve been searching for. Remember that all industries have similar challenges. Your goal is to have an article in a publication that targets as many industries as possible.
7. Use publication names in your postcards: Next to your photo, insert a small line that reads something like, “John has been featured in over 100 magazines, including….” Remember that meeting planners receive hundreds of letters and mailings each week. When they see a postcard, which is easy to read, and then right away see a listing of some of the publications you’ve been in, they’re going to pick up your postcard and read more. They’ll think you have to be good because you’ve been in so many magazines. Understand that meeting planners have a fear of hiring someone who turns out to be lousy. When that happens, the bad decision falls on their shoulders. By showcasing right away that you’ve been published in many magazines, you give the impression that you’re the go-to person the media contacts for reliable information. That’s going to make you stand out over all the other speakers who have contacted that meeting planner.
8. Give something for free: At the end of your article, offer a free tips sheet, CD, or something else of value. Then when a meeting planner calls you, you can offer to send them your free item. Now that you have their contact information, you can market to them on a regular basis.
9. Make an entrance: Put a short list of your article publication history in your speech intro. This is especially important when you’re speaking to an association and there are executives in the audience who can hire you. You want them to know you’re the absolute best in your field before you even walk onto the stage.
10. Talk it up: When a meeting planner contacts you, be sure to mention all the magazines in their industry in which you have been published. For example, if a financial association calls, mention all the articles you’ve had published in related industries such as insurance, banking, and mortgage publications.
11. Update, update, update: Update your marketing materials, web site, blog, demo video, and one-sheet regularly with the names of current publications you’re in to boost your credibility. Make sure your one-sheet lists all the magazines you’ve been in. Write about the new articles you’re getting published in your blog. Include publications in your e-mail signature. Don’t do this updating simply once per year; do it monthly! Print your materials in small quantities so you can afford to update so regularly.
12. Think big…and small: Don’t limit yourself to “big” publications; you never know who reads what. For example, just because your article is in Laundry Today (hardly the big name publication writers aspire to be in), don’t despair. The next person who calls you might just read that magazine, and she might just be from the company that does all the laundry for the all hospitals in the United States. Now that would be a client any speaker would love to have. The point is that if you want to be hired as a speaker, you have to remember that all industries have the same business problems as any other industry: sales, teamwork, hiring, delegation, motivation, etc. So don’t worry about the industry or the size of the publication. Small newsletters can get lots of mileage.
Go for the Long Haul
Stick with your article writing and pitching for at least one year so meeting planners think of you first. Realize that you need to be in several magazines every month in order to get the exposure you need. When meeting planners decide who to bring in for their next event, they often have a meeting with their staff where everyone throws out a few names to investigate. You want your name to be one of them. But you only accomplish that when you’re in magazines every month for at least a year. So stick with it. Before you know it you’ll hear meeting planners from every industry tell you, “I’ve seen your name everywhere!”
Pam Lontos is President of PR/PR, a public relations firm that has recently placed clients in The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, and USA Today. As the former VP of Disney’s Shamrock Broadcasting and author of the upcoming book, I See Your Name Everywhere, she knows how to get you great publicity to boost your business. Call for a free consultation at (407) 299-6128, and sign up for a free publicity tips e-newsletter at www.prpr.net.
