Getting published for real is far more powerful and instantaneous of a marketing and publicity strategy than SEO is in most cases. In simple terms, getting published for real can get your company or website in front of millions of eyeballs with just one piece of compelling content. I'm not talking about submitting your guest-post to a high authority, relevant site, and I'm not talking about sending your press release over to PRWeb either. I'm talking about traditional article marketing and direct-to-the-editors press release syndication; both of which, when done right, often dwarf any results you could hope to produce with SEO.
Imagine getting published in Reader's Digest, with over 40 million readers, or Forbes with 27 million, or even little 'ole Business Weekly, with just under 1 million readers. Per week. Or imagine getting your press release published in real print that readers actually hold in their hands like the New York Times or the Washington Post.
Given the choice right now, would you rather attempt to place your most persuasive and high-value content with one of the above powerhouses, or have it published with traditional SEO sources online and get a few backlinks from it?
The answer is obvious, but many internet marketers and search engine optimization professionals wrongly believe that they can't get their content published at this level. Worse still is that because of this "mission impossible" perspective, most people never even try.
But the fact of the matter is that you can get published for real and trigger a massive print-to-viral event that could take your site to a whole new level literally overnight, while giving you the fattest SEO boost you'll probably ever see. However, there are two requirements that are critical, and if you don't meet them then you should just abandon this article now and re-assume your usual marketing routine (whatever that is).
1.) You must be able to write: Not Shakespearean flowery nonsense, and not some slang-throwing, wannabe-sarcastic quip spewing either: real writing. Writing that is so good you don't even know you're reading something - instead you're immersed in the story without having to decipher the words to get to it. Short words are required with a powerful sentence cadence, and of course perfect grammar and spelling (or access to an editor who can polish your work to this point).
Ultimately, you've got to be able to write with a deep hook: you must land the reader in the first sentence and have them begging to be reeled in for a conclusion that's equivalent to an exhilarating smack in the face.
2.) If you can't write, then you must be able to afford to pay someone who can. Don't think you'll be able to get a good piece of content in this high-caliber arena for any less than 4 figures, because you probably won't without a JV of some sort. You can expect to pay most professional writers at least the minimum that the large publication houses mentioned above pay, which is generally $1 per word, with minimum word counts on average around 1,200.
How to Get Your Work Published
The trick to getting your work published isn't a trick at all. In fact, SEO "article marketing" and "press release syndication" is essentially the fast food of web publishing, having been born around the same time as the search engines and providing the same overall value as a cheeseburger. Traditional article marketing and news release publishing was the norm for about the last 100 years, and smart companies are still getting rich with exposure and cash using this method. So what I'm about to tell you isn't new, yet so few marketers that I've come into contact with over the years even attempt these strategies.
Whether you have an article idea or a press release or both, the process is generally the same and consists of the following 4 steps:
1.) Research Publications and Archives
Don't write your piece first; that's the backwards, amateurish way of doing things in this industry. How can you write a piece before you know what a publishing house will be interested in? All publishing houses and media outlets cater to a specific type of genre, region, topic, industry, demographic, or something else specific. This means that you must know which publisher/s you are going to approach before you write your piece.
After selecting a few places to submit your idea to, you'll need to study their archives, as there's no sense pitching an idea that's already been done or one that doesn't fit with the type of work they've published in the past. However, don't think that just because you don't see the topic or title you want to write about listed in the archives that you'll be easily published. Many editors have stacks of files containing finished or partially finished works that will one day go to publishing, or a writer may already be assigned a similar piece, etc.
2.) Research Editorial Requirements
Now that you know which publications you're going to attempt and whether your idea is in-line with their general theme, you must research the editorial requirements for each. Again, every publisher is different, and every editor is different and they all have specific ways that they like to receive proposals or queries. Fortunately, those publishing houses and media that accept unsolicited work almost always spell out their preferences. Editorial requirements that are not met won't stand a chance of getting accepted, so you must learn and adhere to them if you want to get noticed long enough to stand a chance.
Most publications accept queries by email, fax, or via an online form. Editorial requirements can generally be found on a corresponding web page, but if not it's perfectly acceptable to send a short email asking what those preferences are. You can also hire an agent on a consultant basis and pump them for information about the editorial requirements of the media you're hoping to be published in.
3.) Develop a story idea and title
All an editor cares about when they are contacted by you for the first time is your story idea. If it's not a good story or it doesn't meet their content needs, then it doesn't matter if you're a Pulitzer Prize winning master of the written word. Therefore, your story idea must be dead-on target with what they're looking for.
Essentially, you must bring something new to the table. This must be either an entirely new topic or subject matter, or written from a unique point of view. Often sticking with a subject that has received a lot of attention is wise because the editor will recognize there's money to be made with a "proven" topic.
Of course, when it comes to press releases things are a little different. Instead of looking to bring something completely new or unique to the table, a press release topic must be serious, journalistic news - and it had better be compelling if it's going to have any effect. Submitting your press release topic "Local Business Opens New Location" to a regional newspaper isn't going to have the same effect as a similar story titled "12th Street Shoes Opens 35,000 Square Foot Shoe Emporium."
At this stage the title doesn't need to be perfect but it should be close. Editors generally have no problem editing your title, as long as the one you originally propose is compelling enough to secure their interest.
4.) Write a flawless query letter
A query letter is how you will pitch your piece to an editor, and basically tells the editor your idea for a story and why you're qualified to write it. A query letter should also be custom-tailored to the editor you're targeting, but usually you'll need to observe the following key points:
*Put your proposed title and "Writer Query" in the email subject line.
*Keep it short. If it's more than a page, it's probably too much.
*Waste no time - get immediately to your pitch.
*The actual writing used in the query letter should be a pristine example of your talent with the written word; after all, many editors won't ask for credentials or samples because they'll learn all they need to know about you based on the writing in your query or proposal.
*Only provide credentials and samples if the editor has specifically required them. Never simply refer them to your website.
*If asked for credentials, don't try to polish a turd; if you're a new writer, say so.
*Provide a persuasive deadline for a draft upon acceptance: 7 to 10 business days is a good place to start.
*Don't discuss money or payment.
*If you're going to shop your piece around to multiple publishers simultaneously, you must state as much in your query. This will cause many editors to trash your query, but if an editor expresses interest in your piece within a timely manner and you've already published or contracted with someone else (without notifying them you were doing so), you'll probably alienate the affronted editor and can cross that publishing source off your list...permanently.
*Sign off professionally and simply, with no embellishments.
If your query letter draws the attention of an editor and they contact you to request anything whatsoever, be certain to respond promptly and thoroughly. In most cases if the piece you are proposing is written as well as or better than the query letter that resulted in contact, you'll most likely be published unless you fall apart during editing.
A few press releases and articles published in real print media each year can provide astonishing levels of publicity and unparalleled marketing benefits. And because most of these publishers will also feature your story or press release online, you can put the bulk of your SEO strategies on the backburner if you're getting hot traffic from a source with millions of readers each month.
Of course, you'll still need to focus on off site and on site factors in order to ensure your website remains in good standing, but the fact of the matter is that one powerful article published in the right place can be worth more in the way of publicity and traffic than an entire year's worth of SEO article marketing or online press release syndication. Try it for yourself and I can assure you that if you get published for real, you'll never go back to your old internet marketing ways.
Be sure to bookmark this article in order to pick up the next piece in this series, which talks about how to get specific editors' names and contact information in order to query and submit to them directly.
