By Rachel Thompson | Blog
On our last #BookMarketingChat, we welcomed marketing consultant Jacob Warwick, who focused on writing for large publications. Jacob is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Finalist, and has been published in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Convince & Convert, Content Marketing Institute, and MarketingProfs. Find out more about Jacob at ThinkWarwick.
Writing for large publications is a great way to round out your author platform and share your expertise on specific topics. It’s also helpful if you’d like to become Twitter or Facebook verified at some point.
Here’s a quick summary of our chat, full of great tips!
Q1: How did you first get published in a major media outlet?
A1: One of the first articles I wrote for @brianhonigman’s website was syndicated by @entrepreneur.
Q2: Do you have to be a professional writer to write for a major publication?
A2.: Not necessarily, although it does help to have a portfolio with at least 3-5 writing examples for editors to review.
A2.1: I use @clearvoice to manage my portfolio online and share everything on the @thinkwarwick site.
Q3: How should you approach an editor at a major publication?
A3: There are unwritten rules: 1 be concise, 2 be respectful, and 3 give them writing to review.
A3.1: Remember that editors are extremely busy and get bombarded with emails all day.
Q4: What do you do if you get rejected?
Rejection can be part of the process. It means that your content isn’t a good fit right now. Don’t give up.
A4.1: A fellow writer friend of mine, @iconicontent has a fun series called #LetsGetRejected, he embraces rejection.
Q5: How long does it take to get published in a major publication?
A5: The process can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 or 4 months. But it can vary.
A5.1: I expect longer publication times at larger publications like @entrepreneur and @forbes.
Q6: What are major publications looking for in content?
A6: They are looking for writing that would interest or engage their audience.
A6.1: Content around current events, backed with research, or supported with expert interviews tends to do well.
Q7: Do you get paid by publications for your content?
A7: I’ve heard that some publications will pay by post or per impression, but this is rare.
A7.1: I never expect payment from major media publishers—and I never accept payment to “link” in a major pub.
Q8: Will a publication accept content that has already been published?
A8: Most major publications will not accept content that is already published.
A8.1: I recommend publishing with a major site first and then syndicating your content on your blog or @medium later.
Q9: Can you sell links in the publications you write with?
A9: No. This is morally unethical and usually against the rules. I typically disclose relationships in my byline.
Q10: What’s your favorite article and why?
A10: My favorite article that I’ve written was a collaboration with @socialmeagan for @convince http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/write-more-persuasive-content/
A10.1: My second favorite article was written for @entrepreneur (This scared me to write) https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/290423
A10.2: I don’t have a favorite article, but anything that @firstround @harvardbiz or @brianhonigman writes I love.
I republish all my 3rd party articles on @linkedin to share with my 30k followers. I add a syndication link to give credit.
Q: What large sites do you recommend writing for initially if you’re just starting out?
A: I would concentrate on building a beautiful website and growing an audience there. That way you can “own” your audience.
Q: Many new writers say they feel ‘unworthy’ to write for large publications. How to get over that?
A: This is nonsense. There are so many writers and storytellers that the world needs to hear. Go for it, you’d be surprised!
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All content © 2018 by BadRedhead Media aka Rachel Thompson, author, unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided a link back to this page and proper attribution is given to me as the original author.
Rachel Thompson is the author of newly released BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge: How to energize your book sales in a month - created to help authors market their book. She is also the author of Broken Places (one of IndieReader's "Best of 2015" top books and 2015 Honorable Mention Winner in the San Francisco Book Festival), and the multi award-winning Broken Pieces, as well as two additional humor books, A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed. She owns BadRedhead Media, creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors. Her articles appear regularly in The Huffington Post, IndieReader.com, The San Francisco Book Review (BadRedhead Says…), 12Most.com, BookPromotion.com, and Self-Publishers Monthly. Not just an advocate for sexual abuse survivors, Rachel is the creator and founder of the hashtag phenomenon #MondayBlogs and two live Twitter chats: #BookMarketingChat (co-hosted with TheRuralVA, Emilie Rabitoy) and #SexAbuseChat, co-hosted with C. Streetlights and Judith Staff. She hates walks in the rain, running out of coffee, and coconut. She lives in California with her family.
[…] Here are some insights for those trying to interest an agent or publisher in their works: Jennifer Slattery discusses writing queries that get read, Steve Laube explains what happens in the agency after a writer sends in a proposal or query, and Jacob Warwick explains how to make powerful pitches to large publications. […]
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