Being featured in a reputable online magazine brings many benefits. It gives your business publicity, puts out your brand name as a reputable provider, presents you as an industry figure to watch, and adds to your link profile. These benefits make online magazines an important tool in your online marketing strategy. Get featured in the online magazines relevant to your industry by following these simple tips.
Research about the Magazines
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Select reputable online magazines related to your industry. These magazines will let you reach a wider relevant audience. It also helps strengthen your link profile because the backlink will be coming from an established source.
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Watch out for online magazines that may violate Google’s accepted practices – you may receive penalty if you get a bad link from these sources. Check their background and do a site quality check before adding them to your list of prospects.
Learn their Writing Style
It’s important to know the right voice to use in your mag feature. You need to develop content that aligns with your target magazine’s voice. Reading some of their features before emailing your pitch will let you discover what writing style they want. It will also let you see what themes they feature – you can select a topic based on the direction they are taking in terms of content.
Improve Your Website
Prepare your website for that time when editors and magazine owners check your facts. You should make a good and lasting impression with your website. Your website should look professional and should contain information that their readers will find useful. It will serve as the calling card online magazines will give their readers, and this serves as an endorsement. Remember that they will only associate their name with brands they believe are reputable and professional.
Grow Your Network of Writers and Publishers
It helps to have contacts in the online publishing industry. Start by doing the following:
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Join networks where you can find other writers and publishers exchanging information about their research.
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You can also reach out to other writers and exchange ideas via Twitter. This is the perfect platform to exchange ideas quickly, connect with other writers, and get noticed by publishers through association.
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You should also participate in writers’ conferences related to your industry and put your brand name out there.
This gives you a chance to grow your contacts and start becoming their source of information when researching features. It also helps you get more referrals – it’s easier to be featured in online magazines when you are referred by someone the magazine already trusts.
Pitch Your Feature
Keep the following in in mind when pitching your feature:
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You need to tell publishers why they will benefit from featuring your brand, not the other way around. They’re always looking for new stories, and bringing free publicity to their table gives them that fresh story they need.
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Get their readers interested in what you have to say. Keep your research handy when suggesting a feature to the editor or the magazine owner – this will back up your pitch and show them how you will bring in more readers and help their magazine.
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Online magazines want features that are unique, that take on a fresh angle, and discuss something in high demand.
Submit, Submit, Submit
Being featured in an online magazine takes time – there’s no such thing as an overnight success. Expect to receive many rejections, especially when you are only beginning your publicity campaign. Prepare several pieces and submit to different publishers. This has several benefits:
- It ensures you have a back-up plan in case you are rejected in just one magazine.
- It also cuts the waiting time you would otherwise spend waiting for each magazine publisher’s response.
- You’ll have more visibility and more backlinks if your feature receives more than one editor’s approval.
Write to the Editor
This is the easiest way to be “featured” in a magazine without having an article dedicated to you. Write to the editor and participate in discussions started by the online magazines, and leave your name and your business website as your signature. You can exchange your thoughts, start to build a relationship with the editor, and get your name and website URL up in their online magazine. Most online magazines have a “Letters to the Editor” section similar to that in print – get the email details of the editor and start writing!
Use a Third-Party Service
You always have the option of using a third-party service where you can submit content and have them distributed to partner publishers. This makes the process easier for start-ups who have yet to build their contacts in the publishing industry.
We can help you get started and be featured on renowned online magazines through our wide network of publishers. Contact your account manager today to know how, or sign up for free and become our partner to get started. Visit our blog again soon for more updates and tips!