For many writers, the ultimate goal is to be featured in major publications like Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Forbes, Fast Company or Inc. These sites offer great exposure for the freelance writer.
Having your writing published in these magazines elevates you to the position of authority. It can also offer many other benefits that you might not have considered. Take it from author Josh Steimle, who spoke at this year’s Content Marketing Conference about how being a contributor for Forbes has opened up so many doors for him.
Steimle was not well known when he first started contributing to Forbes back in 2013. Before becoming a Forbes Contributor, his digital marketing agency was in pretty poor shape financially. Steimle was mainly devoted to his blog and said that “no one cared.”
However, having his writing featured on Forbes completely changed Steimle’s life. People started reading what he wrote. Since his first post on Forbes, Steimle’s revenues grew more than 1,000 percent. And, he has gone on to write for more than ten major publications. The author has also snagged a book deal, multiple speaking gigs and a TEDx talk. All of these things were due to the exposure that he got after he started contributing to major sites.
So, if you want to experience similar success, it pays to follow Steimle’s lead. Here are some tips to help you get published on a major website:
Choose the Right Publication
The first step is to choose top-tier publications to pitch. Some of the more well-known top-tier publications that accept guest posts include:
- Forbes
- Business Insider
- Wall Street Journal
- Entrepreneur
- Mashable
- Investopedia
- The Penny Hoarder
- The Muse
- Elite Daily
- Social Media Examiner
Become familiar with the publications to determine which ones you should pitch. You should pitch sites that publish content within your niche. If you are a travel writer, you might choose to pitch Elite Daily as they publish travel content. Business writers could pitch Forbes, Business Insider or Entrepreneur.
Get to Know Editors
After you have a list of sites that you’d like to pitch, make it a point to get to know the editors. Each publication will have an editor who oversees each specific section. So, for instance, Elite Daily has a different editor for each of their verticals (travel, entertainment, health and wellness, news, etc.), so find out who the specific editor is for the section that you plan to pitch and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites. Read and comment on their posts and comments. This gives you an idea of what kind of content they prefer, and also provides them with a chance to get to know you. When you do reach out to them, you’ll have the upper hand as they will already know exactly who you are.
Craft the Perfect Pitch
Your pitch should be about a paragraph or two long. It should also be precise and include the following information:
- Descriptive subject line or title – Editors get hundreds of pitches. Make your pitch stand out from the rest.
- Your idea – What is the hook? Why should people care? Is this worth reading? If so, then why?
- Your bio and credentials – Who are you? Where else have you written?
- Your contact information.
Keep in mind, being a contributor to a major publication takes time. You might have to send hundreds of pitches before you get accepted. The important thing is to follow-up and continue to pitch sites, even if you are rejected. It only takes one “yes” to launch the next phase of your career!
Emily M is a former private practice psychotherapist by trade and began her freelance writing career developing psychology and medical-related content. She discovered a passion for writing and has since created a broad range of content, including press releases, product descriptions, blog posts, website content, SEO articles and a number of other articles.