Of the many guest posts that my clients write, nothing makes them happier than seeing their name in Entrepreneur. On the road to that happy day, however, three primary things hold people back: (1) fear of not being good enough, (2) lack of time, and (3) not knowing what to talk about. While a publicist can get you over all three of those roadblocks, if your business caters to entrepreneurs, and you have something to say that they could learn from or be entertained by, I strongly suggest that you overcome any obstacles you’ve put up for yourself and contribute to Entrepreneur.
- Boost your credibility. One of the strongest motivations for getting press is the credibility that comes from a respected third party validating what you do. Of these third parties, there are few more recognized than Entrepreneur. Your current clients will be reaffirmed that they made the right decision by hiring you when they see that you’ve written a new piece for Entrepreneur when you mention it in your newsletter or on social media, and your potential clients will see you as a more serious player than your competitors who are bidding on the same contract.
- The company you keep. There are countless luminaries who have written for Entrepreneur, including Richard Branson, whose guest column has 11 pages worth of posts, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran. Whenever people tell me they don’t have the time to write guest pieces, I have to ask them, “Are you really busier than Richard Branson?” If you make the time, your article may wind up side-by-side with an article by one of Entrepreneur’s famous contributors.
- Readership. Entrepreneur.com has 93 million monthly page views. Of 9 million unique visitors, 37.8 percent are business owners/ partners/ C-Level executives, and 57.6 percent are business purchase decision makers. Not to knock your blog, but it’s pretty doubtful that it gets that kind of viewership.[1]
- Social media. When you write an article for Entrepreneur, chances are that your social media presence will boost within minutes of the piece publishing. Not only will your article be tweeted, liked, and shared ad infinitum, but readers will start following you on social media, and Entrepreneur will mention you and your article in a tweet, leading to even more followers. Every time you publish a new article, you continue to build a following Entrepreneur’s legions of readers and followers.
- ROI. Writing guest pieces is hard work. Everyone loves to build their brand and distinguish themselves from competitors bidding on the same project or RFP, but what people love even more is clients. People take the advice in Entrepreneur seriously. If they really like what you have to say–which means that you have to provide great information– they will reach out to you.
- It makes you feel good. I don’t want to use the word “ego”, but when you were young and dreamed about being a business owner, one of the things that probably figured largely into your vision– alongside power lunches, a life in the Caribbean, and an Aston Martin– was seeing yourself in a few key publications. Admit it. Entrepreneur was one of those publications. Nothing makes you feel more like you “made it” than seeing your name in Entrepreneur. Your mom is so proud she shows all of her friends (and probably writes about it in her Christmas newsletter), your real friends finally realize just how important you really are, and your Facebook friends are blown away.
These are just six of the best reasons to contribute to Entrepreneur, but I’m sure that other contributors could add many more to this list. It can be scary pitching your ideas to Entrepreneur for the first time, but, once you get over the fear and jump in, you will be happy that you did.
[1] Data taken from Entrepreneur’s 2014 media kit. domain analysis
