When developing a publicity campaign for their business
many owners overlook the importance of trade magazines
and journals as vehicles for reaching new customers. While
mass media publications have widespread readership, the
targeted nature of trade publications make the information
that appears within them even more powerful.
Unlike general interest publications, readers of trade
magazines and journals already have an established
interesting a specific subject. for example, it is safe to
assume that readers of American Printer are generally
people who work in or have an interest in that subject.
Writing a how-to-article that appears in a trade publication
establishes your business as an "expert" in that specific
area. Think about it - reading an article written by your
company in trade magazines provides a different level of
exposure and a new image of your business to potential
customers.
Here are a six guidelines for writing material for trade
magazines:
1. Familiarize yourself with trade magazines in your industry
- Trade magazines usually publish industry news, case
studies and educational articles. New is primarily written by
the editors. Case studies and educational articles are
available for contributing authors. case studies describe
how a service solved a particular problem. Educational
articles teach the reader how to do a particular job or activity.
These two types can be great in establishing additional
credibility among potential customers, portraying the author
as an "expert" in that area.
2. Know your targeted publication - Read a few issues or the
publication that your are targeting. Review the contents to
make sure that magazine publishes the type of article you
have in mind. Review the publication's headings to get a
sense of what specific subjects are covered in each issue.
Obtain a copy of the publication's editorial calendar, if
possible, to see if your idea fits into a specific theme or
issue. Tis background knowledge will better your chances
of publication.
3. Contact the editor - Discuss with he editor the article idea
you that you that are interested in writing. This will avoid any
misconceptions and duplication of effort. For example, you
would not want to begin writing an article on spill control
products if an article on that same subject appeared in the
last issue. In addition, this give the editor a chance to
provide his/her input into the development of the article.
Editor feedback can be very valuable, both from a content
and final publication point of view.
4. Write concisely - The key to writing for publications is
making the material as easy to read possible. do not use
jargon; be clear in your writing. Short sentences are the rule.
No matter how important the topic, if the article is long and
difficult to understand, it will not be published.
5. Provide illustrations - Investigate the publication your are
writing for to see if they use photos, illustration or graphics
with the articles. Innovative, clear graphics can help sell an
article and better your chance of being published.
6. Ask an expert to review the article - Often having another
person read your work can provide a fresh perspective of
what your article is actually saying. Have a colleague review
the final manuscript for accuracy. If possible, have a
proof-reader review the article for any inconsistencies prior
to submission to an editor.
Trade magazine publicity and media relations can be an
important part of an overall public relations and marketing
program. The development of a consistent public relations
program can result in the creation of a positive reaction to a
company's product or service from its target Audience. This,
in turn, helps a company achieve another goal - increased
bottom line dollars.
For thirty years, Martin Cohn has been providing public
relations services to a wide variety of clients. You can read
more articles at http://www.cohnpr.com
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