By positioning yourself as an expert in your field, you are likely to get noticed by the media and gain more media coverage. This will increase your chances of being seen by the right people and may lead to more clients or new career opportunities.
If you have a good knowledge and understanding of your profession or industry then you have the opportunity to become an expert that a journalist will interview.
You need to start using PR strategies to build up your status as an expert and understand how to offer your professional knowledge to a journalist.
Here are some PR strategies to help you position yourself as an expert.
Start blogging
Blogs are a great way of sharing your expert knowledge and positioning yourself as an expert on a particular topic.
The key is to pick a topic, and stick to it. You should post regularly on your blog and aim to spark discussion and share experiences, ideas and relevant information.
If starting your own blog sounds too difficult then you could offer to be a guest blogger on an already established blog in your industry. This is a great way to increase your exposure without the pressure of managing a whole blog.
Get an article published
You can write an article about an important issue in your industry or write about helpful tips and advice. You can then send this article to relevant publications in your industry and explain why it’s a great fit for their publication.
Make sure the article is useful, interesting and easy to understand by others. You should also make sure the article is written in the correct style and format for the publication.
Increase your speaking opportunities
Start speaking at relevant conferences or events in your industry. Think about a particular topic that you know extremely well and create a presentation around it. Make sure the presentation is informative and interesting to other people.
If you’re not a confident speaker then make sure you get coaching before you start presenting.
You should adapt your presentation to suit your audience, for example do not use technical language when your audience has no knowledge of your topic. Start by attending small conferences and establish yourself as an authority on a particular topic.
Look for media opportunities
Many magazines, newspapers and online publications plan in advance the special reports or features that they will write about for the entire year. You can look for a publication’s features list on their website or call them and ask for a copy of their media kit.
When you look at a features list you can find upcoming topics that relate to your business. You can then email that publication and suggest yourself as an expert to discuss this topic.
Make sure you include a media angle or story idea, and outline why you are an expert. Remember to send your information to a journalist with enough time for them to write the article before it needs to be published.
You need to take every opportunity available to share your professional knowledge, to start being seen as an expert in your industry. By using these PR strategies you can build your brand and be seen by the right people.
