Last weekend I had a conversation with Anne Peterson. She is the author of over 100 articles published on popular websites like Goinswriter.com, The Write Practice, and Crosswalk. Here are 12 things she shared with me that will help you break into the article market.
Would you like to get more readers?
How about more visitors for your website?
Maybe you want to sell more of your books, products, or services.
There’s a simple and absolutely free way to do it – one that costs nothing but time and effort.
What is it?
Write for others.
What you want is exposure.
If people enjoy your writing, they’ll visit your website. When that happens, you can engage them more, build a relationship, and lead them to take the next step – to buy your product or service!
Here’s a proven 12-part strategy to get your work on some of the biggest websites in your niche.
Want to know more about Anne? Visit her website at https://www.annepeterson.com/
1) Be confident about your writing.
It takes guts to contact someone famous. If you’re not confident about your work, then how will you convince them you can do the job?
To be considered, give them something that looks like what they publish. Otherwise, your pitch will be pitched in the email wastebasket.
You’ve got nothing to lose. So go ahead and pitch something. As Jeff Goins says, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”
If nothing else, you’ll gain some valuable experience.
2) Find a good fit.
Every giant blog has a purpose. Does it match what you do? If your “why” is a lot like theirs, everyone benefits.
3) Take every opportunity.
Fred Smith, Sr. said, “There’s no growth in the comfort zone.”
Stick your neck out. Sure, you’ll hear some nos. That’s okay. It’s the yeses you’re after. So go ahead and ask.
“If God gives me an opportunity, I take it,” Anne told me.
Who knows? One thing may lead to another. Someone might read your work and ask you to write for him!
If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. Click To Tweet
4) Edit your writing to perfection.
Make every sentence pregnant with power and purpose. Pretend you’re an advertiser who has 30 seconds to convince someone to buy. State your point quickly and powerfully.
Do that and you’ll stop scanners in their tracks.
5) Google their guidelines.
Article guidelines are guard rails. They’ll save you time, strengthen your pitch, and give your article a fighting chance.
Can’t find their guidelines? No problem. Search Google with these terms: “The website name + write for us.” If they have a page for submissions, this should bring it up.
6) Study what they want.
When you’re selling to someone, you’ll fail if you only think about what you want. Zig Ziglar summed it up:
“You can get everything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.”
Remember that and you’ll hear yes a lot more.
Your genius is in the daring things you write. Click To Tweet
7) Write what scares you.
Anne’s latest article for Crosswalk, “Don’t Make These 3 Mistakes When Giving” was scary for her. When it published, it would be seen by as many as 300,000 people.
Talk about exposure!
It’s one thing to fail on your own blog. Only a few people might see that. But if you blow it in front of 300,000, it can take some time to recover.
Go ahead and risk anyway. Your genius is in the daring things you write.
8) Answer questions no one has answered.
Anne feels drawn to people who hurt.
She noticed some would share their pain in the comments on a blog post – and no one would respond. Her responses comforted those who felt forgotten.
Anne did this so many times on one blog, the blog owner emailed to thank her!
If you wonder whether you should write something bold, you probably should. #amwriting #writingtips #writingadvice
A post shared by Writing Coach (@frankmckinley) on Dec 23, 2016 at 4:37am PST
9) Share your work indirectly.
Anne shares her work in at least 15 places. Most are writers’ groups; the rest are social media channels.
She doesn’t make a direct pitch. Instead she’ll make a helpful comment and add, “Here’s more information about that if you’re interested.” She includes a link and leaves it to them to read it.
10) Write or Tweet Influencers
Don’t be afraid to approach someone famous.
Anne told me she found an error in one of Michael Hyatt’s articles and wrote to tell him.
Michael wrote back!
She also wrote to Seth Godin – and he replied!
Famous people are a lot like you. They crave connection. They want to help. Contact them when you have something important to say – and do it without fear.
Give people what they want, and you’ll find plenty of work. Click To Tweet
11) Make them look good by adding value.
When your favorite blogger accepts your article, send him your absolute best work.
Make him look good and doors will open for you. You’ll build a reputation as an expert. And you might get to write for them again!
12) Always be networking and pitching.
You can’t live on one sale. Pitch several times a week. Give people what they want, and you’ll find plenty of work.
Now Do This
Writing for others is hard work, but it’s good work.
All it takes is creativity, persistence, and boldness. You’ve got some of these qualities already. So go ahead. Start pitching.
If you’ve never pitched an article before, do this first:
- Find a blog that compliments your message
- Comment on six posts before making a pitch
- Offer your best idea for an article
Good luck, and good writing!
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