3 Things to Know About Writing for Large Publications Being featured in a large publication will increase your exposure, but it's not an instant money maker.
By Tyler Leslie Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Content creation is one of the fastest growing trends right now. Whether you're a small business owner, blogger, or in the beauty industry, providing valuable content to your followers or customers is essential.
With that being said, leveraging your content by being featured in large publications can be the most effective way to reach your target audience. Whether you're just trying to gain exposure to your brand or trying to turn your readers into customers, here's what you need to understand about being featured in these publications.
Related: The 5 Skills You Need to Become a Successful Content Write
1. It can lead to many opportunities.
We are all looking for the opportunities that will take us from where we are now to where we want to go. Writing for large publications opens up many doors and has the potential to lead you to future customers, clients, friends, business partners and speaking engagements.
Writing for many different publications will allow you to have your voice broadcast to a different audience, which creates more exposure for your brand or business. I had my very first article published online nine months ago. To this day, I have around 50 articles published on various websites and it has lead to paid speaking engagements, future business partnerships and has introduced me to some incredible people.
If I didn't start writing, I wouldn't have had these opportunities. Understand that getting published on large platforms can lead to many opportunities but only if you're consistent with valuable content.
Related: 5 Things Editors Wish Writers Did More Often
2. It grows your online influence, but not very fast.
Business owners or bloggers want to grow their following or customer base. Writing for large publications can do just that but you need to know that it doesn't grow your following overnight. Writing content is for those that have a long term plan in mind.
If you base effectiveness off of writing just 10 articles for different websites, and you only see your social media following grow by 30 people, then you may lose confidence. Just know from the beginning that you have to have patience. When I first started writing, I barely had anybody follow or contact me about my articles.
It was a let down because I thought they would be coming out of the woodwork to read my content but that didn't happen. Now, I usually get anywhere from five to 15 followers each time an article is published. This might be off-putting to some people because the number is so low, but it takes time and effort to build your following.
Related: 8 Writing Strategies for People Who Say They Can't Write
3. It doesn't always lead to sales.
Writing for large publications can certainly bring people to your website and even turn the reader into a customer, but if your only purpose for writing content is to bring sales, you will be disappointed. You have to prove yourself to a customer before they will buy from you. If they get the feeling that all you want is to make a quick buck, they'll notice your motive instantly and be turned off.
Writing for large publications is your chance to prove to your customers or followers that your content is valuable, and that you're more focused on helping solve their problems than counting their dollars. If you focus on providing as much value as you can in your content, the sales will eventually catch up.
There are many advantages to writing for large publications, but knowing and understanding these three things will help bring you clarity on the benefits and what to expect.
