How to Market Yourself as an Expert in Your Field

Yesterday we talked about writing a book to market yourself and build an entire business based on your expertise. Publishing a book is an effective jumping-off point for you to market yourself as an expert in your field, but there are many other ways to accomplish this too. Let’s look at a few.

Get Published Locally

One way to market yourself as an expert is to focus on getting published in various local publications. Sometimes it’s easier to start there, especially for free or unpaid content. While it’s not ideal not to get paid, starting out that way can still establish you as first a local expert, and then you can start moving forward with more publications based on your first examples.

Get Published in National Papers & Magazines

Once you’ve got a few publications under your belt locally, shoot for some national magazines and papers. Some will pay, and some will not. That isn’t even your concern at this point because you want more exposure. Even if you just get a response to someone else’s work of yours published, that is the beginning.

Get Published in Trade Journals

You can get paid to write for trade journals. The best thing to do is to buy the ones you’d like to appear in and subscribe to them. Try to write in their style to your audience about a problem and solution. Follow any advice given to you by the editors if they respond to you.

Get Published on Popular Blogs & Websites

As always, you will want to get published in more places than your own blog and platforms. Offer your guest posts on popular blogs and websites, but make sure what you offer is original. Ask for a link to your specialized landing page for their audience in your author’s bio but otherwise don’t promote anything - just provide educational, engaging, and actionable information.

Syndicate Your Blog Content

One exciting way to get your message out there is with content syndication. Basically, it just means that you allow your articles to be reposted in full on other people’s publications. It’s easier to scale than guest posting because you’re sending out your work to many publications and not just one. The problem is you don’t want to ruin your SEO in the process. Also, to be successful syndicating your content, you really need to have a good following first.

Get Interviewed Locally on Radio & TV

Experts are seen as experts more if they get interviewed by others who like to interview experts. It seems strange, but it’s often called the Oprah Effect. Whenever Oprah interviews someone, they are given a bit of status just because of how people feel about her. If your local talk show hosts have some clout, likely, that will also rub off on you. Plus, it can be the basis to get invited to national shows. 

Get Interviewed by Popular Niche Podcasters & YouTubers

Once you have something to show for yourself, such as a book, it’s easier to get interviews. You can get interviewed on all types of podcasts, YouTube shows, and more if you have something physical to promote like a book.

Sign Up to Offer Expert Opinions Locally & with Help a Reporter Out

The service HARO is a great way to sign up to help others by providing quotes and information as an expert in your niche. However, you can also contact reporters who talk about your niche personally whenever you see something to comment on. Don’t be afraid to contacts hosts to provide more information about a topic. You never know when that will turn into an interview.

Become a Resource to Local Business Leaders

Set yourself up as the go-to expert with various business leaders. Whenever someone needs a quote or information about your topic of expertise, offer it freely and fully if it only takes a few minutes of your time, and you’ll be quoted later.

Hire People to Help You

You can’t do it all alone. You need a team. Eventually. If you cannot hire someone today, just keep this in mind. You can do it all alone, but it’s going to take more time. Even if you cannot hire someone in your business yet, get your family to help you, so you have more time. For example, let your spouse do the housework while you launch your business.

Becoming known as an expert in your field isn’t as hard as it might seem. People really want to look to someone else for information about various topics, so why not you? If you know things that others don’t know, you are already an expert. If you devote yourself to lifelong learning about your field, you’ll always be an expert. Don’t be afraid to stand up and represent yourself as one.