Getting Beyond The Blank Screen: Six Steps To Writing A Bylined Article

Writing a bylined article is a terrific way to garner valuable visibility and heighten your standing as an expert in the eyes of your customers, industry and perhaps most importantly, potential customers.  Bylined articles are those articles that appear in magazines – typically trade or industry-specific publications – or online that are written by a business person rather than a member of the press.  

Writing a bylined article will help you position yourself as an expert.  It can increase inbound new-customer calls and also increase the likelihood that a journalist will call to interview you on a story in your area of expertise.  After my first online bylined article, I received requests from businesses and associations worldwide to use my article in their publications.  New business prospects have also mentioned that they came across my article when doing a Google search on my company.

As with most things, the hardest part is getting started.  It takes about five hours to draft a 1,500-word article.  The key is to break it into manageable steps.  As Mark Twain said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

So, if you know you want to write an article, but don’t know where to start, break it into six manageable pieces.

1) Pick a Topic. 

If you already have one, terrific, skip ahead.  If not, here’s a technique to help you come up with one:  Imagine your reader very clearly in your mind.  Who is he or she?  Really focus so that you can see that person in front of you.  What job does he have?  What does he know or not know?  What stresses him out? What does he care most about?

Now, grab a pen and jot down as many questions you can think of that he might have for you.  If, for example, you are a sales consultant, your reader might ask you, “How do I sell more?” or “How do I motivate myself when I just can’t face another cold call?”  Another way to think of it is to ask yourself, “What questions do I often get asked by people like him?”  If at first you can’t think of any, just keep thinking and wait.  It’s part of the process.  Every time I sit down to do this, the first thoughts through my mind are along the lines of, “No one has any questions for me, what do I know anyway?”  Then it hits me and the ideas come flowing.  As a PR professional and agency president, I get asked lots of questions.  “How do I increase my visibility?”  “Is PR more powerful than advertising?”  “How do I write and distribute a press release?”  Try using the introductory phrase, “How do I…” and you’ll find yourself generating plenty of questions that you know the answers to.

Once you’ve got the list in front of you, pick the question that resonates most.  You can, if it helps, ask someone else to choose one of your questions for you.  Ask him or her to review the list and pick the one that is most interesting.  Regardless, your chosen question should be on a topic you’ve got some thoughts or feelings on and something that the outlet (a specific magazine or online site) you are writing for would find valuable to share with its readers.  At this point, it is helpful to thoroughly peruse a hard copy of any magazine you want to write for or the Web site of an online outlet you want to submit to.

2) Quickie Outline

Now, jot your question at the top of a fresh piece of paper.  Below it, write the one thing the reader must know above all else about this topic.  Then jot the second and third most important points in answer to the question.

3) Body Copy

Now you are ready to write.  Crack out a timer or set your phone alarm and give yourself a half an hour – anything is doable for half an hour – and write like the wind.  Get down anything and everything you can.  Lose yourself in it.  Don’t critique or self-edit.  Even if it seems like drivel, just let it pour out of you.  If the timer goes off and you are going strong, just keep writing.  If you’ve had enough, set the draft aside and come back later for another 30 minutes.  Don’t worry about the intro or conclusion during this step.  You’ll write those next.  For now just focus on getting your main points down on paper.

4) Intro

Once you’ve drafted the answer, which will become the body of the article, it’s time to draft the intro and conclusion.  Here is a simple formula for the opening paragraph or two.   

Write one or a few sentences (depending on the overall length of your article) on each of these topics in this order:

1. The situation the reader is in.  It might be a problem the reader has, or a scenario that is happening or could be.  For example, the first line of one of my articles about talking to the media is, “It's a typical day at the office. You are doing what you usually do, which is pretty much, well, everything. Your phone rings. You debate answering. Do you really need one more problem dumped on you? You consider letting it go to voicemail. Then, responsible soul that you are, you pick it up and say hello.”
2. What you know to be true about this situation, or a belief you have.  It is your position on the topic.  This may very well be the first thing you jotted under the question when outlining your key points.  In the example mentioned, I wrote, “We all have visions of the rest of the world valuing us, our companies and our contributions.  But what happens when a reporter really is on line one? A blessed few can pick up the phone and say brilliant things. The vast majority of us panic.”
3. Exactly what you’ll be addressing in the body of the article.  No need to use heavy handed language like “my article is about.”  Instead, write simply and clearly and confidently state, “Here are the most important things to know about _____(insert your topic).”

Points A+B+C make up your intro.  Put them together and smooth them out if need be.  Insert them at the top of your document, before the body copy.

5) Outro

Finish the draft by writing a conclusion, or “outro.”  In the outro, which is only a paragraph or two in length in a short article, remind the reader of the situation (Step 4 A, or whatever you wrote about in the first lines) and your position or belief about the issue (Step 4 B).  Finally, include a parting thought on what you’d like the reader to do now.  Do you want him or her to think differently, or to take some particular action?  Mention it here.  Insert this outro at the end of your article.

6) Edit and Proof

Now that you’ve got a complete rough draft, type it up if it isn’t already, print it and get out the pen. Give yourself a pat on the back for having a full first draft, then be ruthless.  Correct, or circle and come back to correct, anything that feels awkward.  Edit and rewrite like crazy.  Once you’ve written a number of these, you’ll start to tune into your gut.  I feel it right in my stomach when something I’ve written doesn’t sit right.

And finally, ask someone else to give your draft a read.  Behind every brilliant writer is an editor and proofreader.  At this point, you are so familiar with your own draft, you are not as likely to catch a typo as someone with fresh eyes.  Ideally, you can ask someone who is similar to your target reader or audience.  If your article is on ways to grow your small business, then ask a small business owner.  Be sure to let your reader know what feedback you want.  A good thing to say is, “I’d like you to proofread for typos and errors in logic.  Please also let me know what about the article is helpful and whether there is anything else you’d like to see included.” 

Add a title that is relevant and meaningful.  Think about online searchers – what keywords might they type when looking for this kind of information?  Also, try using a number in your title.  This article’s title has “Six Steps.”  Some marketers swear that articles with numbers in the titles attract more readers.

Now that you’ve got a final, polished article, it’s time to send it out.  You may have promised it to a particular print or online publication.  In which case, be sure to submit it before the deadline – editors like that.  There are also numerous online article banks you can submit to free of charge, such as ideamarketers.com, ezinearticles.com and articlebiz.com.  This is a terrific way to maximize your efforts and significantly heighten your visibility.  Posting articles to these sites will increase your search engine ranking, and editors of industry magazines and newsletters who mine these sites for content may well ask to reprint your article in their publication.  Always attach a short, two-line bio and link to your web site so readers are aware of your services and know how to reach you for more information.

Everyone’s got something to say, it’s just a matter of getting it out.  You’ve got expertise, now you have an approach to get it down on paper so you can share it with the world.  If you follow these basic steps, you’ll have a solid article you can submit for publication.  Do so and enjoy the limelight as a bylined author.