There is a saying in the realm of academia, “Publish or perish.” Although this is not seen quite as “do or die” from the perspective of an independent executive in thought leadership, it can have a big impact on your marketing efforts.

In our book, How I Fired My Boss and Made More Money, we talk about the value of becoming a thought leader. The more your knowledge and expertise is shared, the more your prospective referral sources and clients can understand the value you bring, and the more likely you’ll be remembered when needed. Contributing content is one of the best and easiest ways to accomplish this.

There are a number of benefits to publishing on channels other than your own blog/LinkedIn page:

1. Visibility – Your brand is being distributed to someone else’s audience beyond your own network or readership.
2. Builds Authority – When someone else is willing to publish your content, it lends credibility to your thought leadership (think of it as a seal of approval by many).
3. Exposure – Many publications will also promote your content on their social media channels.
4. Leverage – You can more easily leverage guest contributions for other opportunities such as podcasts or speaking gigs.

Leveraging Your Content Contribution for thought leadership:

1. Distribute it on your social media channels (especially LinkedIn).
2. Share the social media mentions about your article.
3. Use it as a great excuse to reach out to your network and stay top of mind.
4. Include it in follow up emails to referral partners and potential clients.
5. Add it to your profiles, bio, and resume.

You can easily spend hours, days, and months networking and sending pitches to editors for the opportunity to get more exposure through content contribution.  Fortunately, we have an opportunity that allows you to skip over that part through one of our media partners.

Jameson Publishing (parent company is VertMarkets) is a B2B media services company offering print and online publications, webinars, content creation services, and live industry events. The company’s vertical market coverage includes retail, the IT channel, software, food manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences/pharmaceuticals, and field services.

Their most recent publication, Software Executive Magazine, is dedicated to providing valuable content for executive leadership within software companies. This is not a tech-focused publication, rather it focuses on the soft skills required to run a successful software business such as hiring, sales, marketing, raising capital, scaling, exit strategies, etc. Here’s a sample of the type of content they publish, “Why Great Managers Rarely Make Great Manager.”

A few of the editors are currently accepting thought leadership content for their various print and digital publications. This is an incredible opportunity to get your name and expertise in front of a large and growing audience.

To learn more about contributing valuable content to one of their publications, contact Abby Sorensen. Typically you would want to prepare a content pitch. In this rare instance, keep it simple and include some key pieces of information to help her connect you with the right editor.

1. Link to your LinkedIn profile or website
2. Types of topics your expertise lends itself to (make sure they are relevant to the above industries or a leadership topic that spans industries)
3. Brief overview of your background such as “X # years in the retail industry”
4. If you have written before, include a few samples (Not a requirement)

Here’s a sample:

1. LinkedIn Profile
2. Topics:
   1. Industries: Retail, Technology
   2. Leadership or Functional Expertise: Accountability and responsibility, leveraging innovation throughout the organization, processes and procedures, productivity
3. 15 years in the retail industry, 10 years in the staffing/consulting industry, 30 years of operational expertise
4. Writing samples: 6 Leadership Lessons From the Campaign Trail, 4 Secrets to CEO Productivity

Even if you have never written an article before in your life, this is a great opportunity to start the new year. They have a full editing team and will work with you to refine the topic, suggest key points to hit on, and edit your copy.

Never miss an opportunity to get more visibility!

To learn about how Cerius Interim Management can help you, please visit our home page by clicking here.