Become A Contributor And Gain Direct Access To Publish Your Brilliance & Expertise.
We discovered the wonderful and exciting world of "magazine publishing" in our quest to bypass and escape the "rat race" that entrepreneurs get trapped into: More ads, more content, more social media, and more networking.
What if there's a better way to dominate the first few pages of Google Search without having to deal with the smooth-talking marketing companies. There is - Become a contributor, gain direct access to the magazine editors, and develop your own column that "publishes" your brilliance.
WHY BECOME A CONTRIBUTOR?
GAIN CREDIBILITY
GAIN EXPOSURE
NEW BUSINESS
GET PAID
What's you'll learn on this page:
- Getting featured vs being a contributor
- Getting paid for your content
- Topics you can contribute
- Common myths about becoming a contributor
- What you need to become a contributor
- Why write for large publications
- Strategy vs tactics
- Next steps
Did you know that you can write for large publications and even get paid for your content?
YES - there are several large publications who pay people to contribute to their platforms. These are mega platforms that have millions of monthly visitors and readers.
Here are some examples:
Inc. Magazine gets 69.19 million monthly visitors.
Forbes gets 121.1 million monthly visitors.
Entrepreneur gets 63.13 million monthly visitors.
Fast Company gets 40.3 million monthly visitors.
Business Insider gets 100.8 million monthly visitors.
Askmen gets 23 million monthly visitors.
Bloomberg gets 53.1 million monthly visitors.
Women's Health gets 47 million monthly visitors.
Those are some mind-boggling numbers, right?
Imagine having your written, audio, or even video content featured on these platforms in front of tens of millions of monthly visitors, who'll view and recognize you as the expert, and even visit your personal or business website to learn more about what you do or connect with you.
It's not only a great branding and publicity tool - it's a great way to gain mass exposure and in many cases, even get paid for sharing your content.
Let's dive into a few more specifics around this concept of getting featured in publications.
Before we dive in, let's talk about the concept of "as featured in", which is a phrase you might have come across or have seen on multiple websites.
1. As Featured On vs Being A Contributor
There's a big distinction here.
When someone writes an article about you and features you on these publications - it's a public relations [PR] campaign, one that is meant to bring more publicity and also positions you as the expert in your field. This is what "as featured in" generally refers to.
PR companies and media agencies generally charge anywhere from $5,000 - $25,000 or more to write an article[s] about you on these platforms [usually by contacting an existing contributor or in the classified section], which you can then use in your branding to let your clients know that you are someone who is credible and noteworthy.
However, most people do not know that you can actually become a "contributor" to these large platforms and actually publish your original content in them - as a regular or even a VIP contributor.
Obviously, this has a lot more value as you get to have a login account and write for these publications as though it was your own blog [with some restrictions, of course].
Becoming a contributor positions you as the expert and gives you the ability to brand yourself in a completely different manner than just getting a "feature", which is generally a one-time deal.
When you are accepted as a contributor, you are generally accepted for life - that's premium positioning versus getting a one-time feature. You'll also get featured as a contributor and can have links pointing back to your website.
In other words, becoming a contributor opens up an avenue to reach millions of readers and offers a lifetime of ROI [it has an infinite ROI potential] versus paying a PR company to feature you in a classified section.
2. Getting Paid For Your Contribution (Content)
You can not only become a regular or a "preferred" contributor, but you can also get paid every time you contribute.
Many large publication platforms pay anywhere from $250 -$3,000 for content that you are already writing or publishing on your website or on your blog section right now...many of these popular magazines even pay for repurposed content.
Here are some examples:
Women's Health pays $1,500 for written content and $2,000 for audio or video content.
Men's Health pays $1,500 for written content and $2,000 for audio or video content.
Oxygen Magazine pays $1,000 per article.
Health Magazine pays $1,500 for written content and $3,000 for audio or video content.
CNN pays $1,000 for one piece of content.
Money pays $1,500 for one piece of content.
Strategy + Business pays $3 per word.
The Economist pays $1,500 for one piece of content.
Fast Company pays $2,000 for print articles and $1,000 for their digital media.
TIME pays $1,000 per article.
Eye-opening to say the least, right!
Think about the opportunity here...you can develop a consistent and predictable source of revenue by repurposing the same content that you're already creating for your blogs or for webinars or lead generation, especially if they are highly educational or informative - many of these magazines accept repurposed content.
Well, that's one outstanding way to attract qualified customers.
We're not just talking about qualified customers, but sophisticated, educated, and even highly lucrative corporate customers...individuals who acquire their information from these large platforms.
It can not only get you a ton of exposure, a lot of publicity, and position you as the expert in your industry - but also develop into a highly lucrative source of income, not to mention that you don't have to chase these platforms for payments - you'll have no collection issues here.
3. What Topics Can You Submit Written, Audio Or Written Content On?
Literally any topic that you can think about
- Advertising
- Fitness
- Diet
- Nutrition
- Self-love
- Self-care
- Fashion
- Entrepreneurship
- Business
- Strategy
- Email automation
- Divorce
- Law
- Recovery
Technology
- Spiritual healing
- Funnels
- Branding
- Marketing
- Design
- Relationships
- Prayer
- Sleep habits
- Finance
- Investing
- Medical topics
- Health & wellness
- Mental health
4. Common Myths About Becoming A Contributor
There are some common misconceptions that people have about writing or getting featured on these magazines, such as:
MYTH #1: You have to be the industry leader to write for these publications
MYTH #2: You have to have a multi-million dollar business before you get accepted
MYTH #3: You have to be a celebrity to be featured in these publications
None of these are true!
That brings me to the question...what do you need in order to be accepted as a contributor for large publications?
5. What You Need To Get Accepted As A Contributor (Suggested, Not Required)
Firstly, there's an art to pitching editors in large magazines.
It's more than just sending an email and following up. Keep in mind that these editors receive thousands of pitches a month - why should they pick you over someone else.
As a business owner, you care about your business.
As an editor on payroll for these magazines, they have no vested interest in your business.
The core question to ask yourself is - does accepting you as a contributor add value to the publication's audience and readers.
Here are a list of things you need to work on before you think about sending out pitches:
1- A website that shows the editors and readers who you are (credibility & trustworthiness)
2- A specific way to pitch the editors at the magazines (part art: part science)
3- Getting featured on other platforms & publications (reduces the risk factor and builds creditability)
4- Content that can benefit the readers of the magazines and publications (it's about them, not you)
It really boils down to this: can you add value to the people who consume your content?
If so, then you have a good shot at becoming a contributor and even getting paid to share your content.
6. Reasons To Write For Large Publications
Writing for large magazines not only enables you to develop a nice revenue stream, but also positions you as the authority in your industry - which can be very effective to grow a business and stand out from all the noise in the marketplace.
And that's the main problem in today's marketplace - there's a lot of noise.
You see a ton of companies and a ton of entrepreneurs who are pitching the same strategies and content over and over and over - in slightly different ways.
Social media is filled with ads like, "how to start your 7-figure coaching business, or 3 secrets that every entrepreneur should know about scaling to 6-figures, or how to make $30K in 30-days as a coach..."
People are sick of these "webinars and pitches" that they see everyday.
They have become immune to them.
People are also highly skeptical when it comes to purchasing anything from social media as there's no trust factor involved.
There's no proof required to claim you have a million or a ten million dollar business - there are just numbers people throw out there.
There are new coaches who make money by coaching others on how to create a coaching program from scratch. The irony, right!
And, unfortunately, a lot of people fall for those tricks because:
They are desperate.
They want instant success.
They want their dreams handed to them on a silver platter without going through the learning curve.
Let me just say this: These fly-by coaches are not solving the small business failure rate - 80% of small businesses are still failing within the first 5 years.
So, how do you stand out from all the noise?
How do you build authenticity?
How do you portray that you might be someone who actually knows what they are talking about?
By writing for large magazines and publications!
By going to the source of knowledge.
By positioning yourself as the preeminent source of knowledge in your marketplace.
There's a certain level of "vetting" involved to be accepted as a contributor.
You need to have social proof that you are who you claim to be.
The editors at the magazines are going to conduct their background checks and ensure you have a credible website and ample links to content that they can review.
And, of course, you need to have good content - there's no question about that.
You need to put some thought into your content and be able to offer valuable insights that actually make sense and that benefit the readers.
7. Strategy vs Tactics
Think about it this way - entrepreneurs and businesses who are competing at the top level did not get there overnight - they focused on short and long-term strategies that enabled them to build a successful business.
Most of the newbie coaches and consultants are laser-focused on tactics... like the "we're accepting only 3 more people this month to take to $30K a month" - right!
People are just falling for those tricks anymore.
If you examine the way Fortune 500 companies were built - it's all about strategy, not the day-to-day tactics that most of these internet "gurus" are preaching.
Writing for large platforms like Entrepreneur, CEO World, Forbes, Fortune, CNN, TIME, AskMen, ThriveGlobal, MindBodyGreen and others is a strategic move to grow your business and position you as the top expert in your niche.
It's a strategy that can even help you secure corporate contracts with large Fortune 500s...these are contracts that can be in the five and six figures - and you don't have to chase these companies for payments.