Interested in Contributing Articles to Online Outlets? Here’s Where to Start

At Guide My Brand, we pitch all our retainer clients in three areas. The first is for guest interviews on podcasts (and broadcast when applicable), the second is that we pitch clients to writers who write in their area of expertise. And the third is that we pitch our clients to contribute original content to online outlets and blogs. 

Placing contributor articles and blogs is a really effective PR tactic because not only does it allow our clients to really share the content they want to share with an audience that is relevant to their business, but the articles live online forever. Anytime someone Googles you, your business, your book, your online course, or whatever you are promoting, they will see your online published content. 

Interested in how to get contributor articles placed? Here’s how to get started. 

• Start a blog. 

One of the best ways to get writing is to sit down and do it. And while many outlets won’t consider writing for your own blog as officially published articles, they will check out your writing samples to get a feel for your style and what they could expect from you in a guest post or article. 

Another plus? Getting your thoughts out on paper will only help you come up with different angles and article ideas. And often, you can repurpose existing content that you’ve created into original content for other outlets. 

• Identify the outlets you’d like to write for. 

This list can include larger outlets like Forbes, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, etc., but keep in mind that many of these outlets will require you to have at least three previously published online articles to even consider you. Because of this, make sure that you have some more niche outlets that are a part of your wishlist. 

This can include outlets that have contributor programs like Swaay, Authority Magazine, or others. Keep in mind that even when applying to some of these niche outlets, you will need writing samples. This is another reason that having an active blog online will help.

• Start applying to write for outlets.

If you’ve established an online blog and you’ve got your wishlist, it’s time to get started. Make sure to look at the types of headlines each outlet publishes and tailor your angles and expertise to be a fit for their outlet. 

Also make sure that your content is original. Just because an outlet publishes a lot of content on how to start up a business, does not mean that they want your article on how to start up a business. Find a new twist on the topic or a way to continue a conversation.

Once you’ve started applying to outlets, it may take time. You may even be ignored at first. But if you stick with it and really personalize your pitches to each outlet, you will get there.  

Looking for help in placing contributed articles? We’d love to help! Schedule a free call with us to chat about your goals and how we can help you reach them.