Truth 46. Writing articles boosts your career
Why write articles? Ask Ben. He’s a lawyer who specializes in tax strategies for small businesses. An editor overheard him talking about his favorite subject at a party, and asked him to write a brief article on tax questions for her regional business publication. The article evolved into a monthly column on taxes for small businesses. The pay? Zilch. But Ben is reaping big benefits from establishing himself as his region’s leading expert in his field.
Ben was lucky, but the fact is, there’s a world out there hungry for content. Print and online media just can’t keep up with the demand to fill their actual or virtual pages. Consider trade and professional magazines; association newsletters; newspapers (dailies and weeklies); local magazines; pennysaver-type publications; national, regional, and local publications for parents, art lovers, antique collectors, tourists, boaters, and so much more.
Most of these publications also publish online, demanding scads more material, not to mention all the resources that are virtual-only. It adds up to an insatiable appetite for new material. So, when you don’t care about the money or a byline in a competitive newsstand magazine, your chance of getting published and making yourself an authority in your field is surprisingly good.
Where do you start?—With what you know. Maybe it’s one main thing—like auto insurance, or beauty products, or new technology. If you’ve worked up any solid, specialized knowledge, you might write for fellow professionals. Or you can adapt your expertise to “consumer” interests. For example, a dentist could write for a local publication about the best oral products for home use. An interior designer could advise readers on good color schemes. A landscaper can write about how to make better use of shrubs around a house or how to maintain gardens without pesticides. A banker might explain how to teach children to budget.
You might also have hobbies you can write about, in which case you can and should include your company or professional affiliation with your byline or bio. Next, research for opportunities that line up with your list. Be open-minded. An editor we know left her job at a big-circulation daily newspaper but offered to write a column about pets, her favorite subject. To everyone’s amazement, it was a hit with readers and never seems to run out of subjects.
It’s better to “pitch” one or more specific article ideas to an editor rather than just saying, “I’m an authority on such and such; may I write for you?” Brainstorm about ideas you’d like to see a publication cover, a national trend you can bring down to the local level, questions you’re most often asked, an event you can illuminate, and subjects you yourself would like to know more about.
Another way: Start with the publication you want to write for. Study three or more issues to understand its viewpoint, its editorial niche, what it has covered lately, and the number of words a column usually runs. Once you’re tuned into the editorial thinking, ideas will come. Professional freelancers use this method.
Writing your article for print media—Let’s figure out how Ben could have approached his article on the new tax law for small businesses. He knows the audience will have varying levels of knowledge and that he needs to explain why reading this article matters, what the law says and means, implications for small businesses, advice on how to work with the law, an example, and how to get more info—ask me!
The lead—Professional writers spend a lot of time crafting good leads because rarely do you have a captive audience. A lead must capture interest, represent what is covered, and make it appear worth reading. Here are a few techniques journalists use that work well for business subjects. Adapt them as models—some smart professionals keep files of favorite leads they run across to adapt as needed.
The rhetorical question:
Will Regulation 444 help or hurt small business?
The new law will govern how small businesses can deduct expenses, and this April, everyone is expected to meet the new guidelines or face stiff penalties. Here’s what you should know.
Ann March, owner of a women’s boutique and my client, couldn’t believe it when she’d finished a run-through of her taxes for the last quarter. Returns and expenses had been similar to the last year’s third quarter, but she owed $4,200. What was wrong? she asked. In fact, she just didn’t know that…
String of declarative statements:
Since 1994, small business owners have used a simple calculation to calculate the year’s expenses. Record-keeping was also relatively simple, and the required backup could be loosely interpreted. On January 1, all that will change. Regulation 444 will come to life. Every small business owner will be directly affected.
Direct quote lead:
“I’d calculated my taxes in advance the usual way, before I knew about Regulation 444,” says Mary Green, owner of a three-employee local business, MG Clothing Repair. “Then I got the new forms and figured it out again,” she says. “I absolutely couldn’t believe the difference.”
Surprise/interesting fact lead:
The Internal Revenue Service looked at its own books two years ago and concluded that the government was losing $400 million per year because of the way small businesses are allowed to calculate their deductions. The IRS invested in planning a new system—and in January, small business owners all over the country will discover the result.
The rest of the article—Where do you go from here? Just as with e-mails, write the middle, with all the basic information, following through on your content list, logically sequenced; and as you do this, keep an ear out for a good ending that circles back to the lead. For example, in the case of our invented subject: “Understanding the new regulation and using these strategies will minimize the new law’s impact on your business—and may save you quite a bit of money.”