How I transitioned from writing for platforms like allbusiness, entrepreneur.com, Inc.com to landing a spot on Forbes. I’ve been writing online for more than 10 years, and the advantages of writing for online magazines have been truly amazing.
The Benefits Of Writing For Online Magazines
Being part of such publications has greatly boosted my credibility as an expert. It amplifies your voice and directs more people to your website, opening new opportunities. Of course, it demands hard work and dedication. Today, I’ve penned down over 1000 articles, totaling over 1 million words.
Utilizing the influence of these online publications became my form of advertisement, especially since I couldn’t afford Google ads. I believe original content is more effective than ads because it lasts indefinitely. Unlike ads, once you stop investing money, your traffic doesn’t come to a halt.
The Beginning: allBusiness
It all began when allbusiness requested me to write for them. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take it on. Although I had a lot to express, writing wasn’t my strong suit. In fact, it has never been effortless for me. Back then, my daughter Madeleine was a freshman at UC Berkeley. I recall sitting at the kitchen counter, talking about this request with Madeleine.
I was about to decline, but then she jumped in and said, “Dad, I can write for you.” I wasn’t sure how it would go, but she suggested, “Just record your content and send me the recording.” It turned out really well. Madeleine and I teamed up to write for allBusiness for more than a year, and they paid $200 for each article.
The articles were brief, and honestly, looking back, they weren’t that amazing. Still, I did enjoy the experience, and it did boost my credibility as a writer for an online business publication.
Ambitions Soar – Writing for Entrepreneur.com
Soon, my ambition expanded, and I aimed to contribute to Entrepreneur.com. I contacted the editor, but back then, they had someone covering inventing stuff. They mentioned there wasn’t enough space for my piece. So, I patiently waited, and eventually, that writer moved on. I got in touch with the editor again, and this time, they said, “Sure, we’ve got a spot for you.”
We chatted about how long the articles should be and their rules. After that, they sent me a contract. It was pretty straightforward, but the wording wasn’t exactly what I wanted. They aimed to own all my writing. I explained that the content I’d share was already written in a different way. It was the same stuff I teach, so I have the copyrights. They made changes to the contract, and I’ve been writing for them ever since.
I wrote for them because the previous writer had recently left, and there was a gap in their coverage. The key factor here was timing. Please pay attention as the information is crucial. Avoiding redundancy is their goal; having two writers cover the same topic is not what they’re aiming for. In my view, the content for this online publication revolves more around motivation. It’s geared towards supporting entrepreneurs who are just starting out, presenting them with opportunities. I prefer not to deviate quickly from this focus.
For this online publication, my work gets edited, and they pick the graphics too. Occasionally, when I send in an article, they might not accept it for some reason or another. I don’t stress about it, though.
But here’s a little advice. Your editor today might not be your editor tomorrow. Sooner or later, they’ll move on, and you’ll have someone new to work with and different expectations to meet.
If you’re not a fan of your current editor, no need to stress – they’ll likely move on to a different job soon. It’s good to be aware of this because dealing with certain editors can be a bit frustrating.
Please keep in mind that the mission and objectives may change over time, so it’s important to stay flexible. I want to mention that I don’t get paid for this at all. But it’s worth mentioning again that doing this is good practice, and it really boosts your credibility. Plus, it establishes your authority in the industry as an expert.
They wanted me to share my personal experience in writing “how-to” stuff. Occasionally, I enjoy interviewing others and picking up insights to assist my audience. However, they’re not too enthusiastic about it, so I mostly stick to my own experiences and stay in my lane. They wanted me to write more, but time’s just not on my side.
Checking out what others write is pretty cool, and you can pick up a lot from them. They even sent some tips my way to help me get better at writing, which is super handy when you’re just getting started. So, for me, this is the place to kick off learning the ropes. I think lots of writers get more into it here because it’s such a good starting point.
Venturing into Inc.com
So, the next thing on my list was to contribute to Inc.com. I got connected with someone who was writing for Entrepreneur.com. One day, he switched over to Inc.com, so I figured, why not give it a shot too? I I asked this person to introduce me to the editor at Inc. Luckily, the timing was just right, as the editor had previously worked for Entrepreneur.com, so we were all somewhat familiar with each other.
Lesson learned: it’s a small world, so don’t go burning any bridges. Anyway, they were pretty quick to green-light my work. Probably helped that I had a history with Entrepreneur.com and a decent resume to show for it. They checked out the views on my articles and saw I had a dedicated audience.
I also realized I needed to write something a bit unique. You shouldn’t write the exact same stuff for two places. Make sure you know what others are talking about and add your own special touch. In my view, this audience is a bit more advanced in their entrepreneurial journey and not as focused on motivation.
I need to pause and share something important with you. Having a team, including my daughter as a writer, has really made content creation more manageable for me. Currently, Madeleine works full-time as a writer for the company. However, I must mention that this publication, once again, didn’t provide any payment. It makes you wonder about the purpose of investing so much time in writing content for others.
And this was my approach. By using the SEO of other companies, I managed to share my content with my audience without spending a dime on ads. Since we’ve been doing this for quite some time, there’s a steady flow of traffic to my website, InventRight. You can pick any webpage on the Internet, and within just 24 hours, you’ll see your topic featured on the front page, thanks to the influence of these online publications. It’s like my own way of advertising.
The Forbes Challenge
So, I had this big idea to write for Forbes, which felt kinda tough at the start. But then I thought, why not give it a shot? So, I contacted the editor. I pitched the idea of writing about product licensing, and he hit me with, “Steve, what’s new that you haven’t already written elsewhere?” And you know what? He had a point. I’ve been on this topic for ages. What could I possibly bring that’s fresh?
No “me too” stuff, he said. I must admit, I wasn’t thrilled about hearing a no, but he was totally right. So, I went back and began analyzing all the writers and their content. I had to spot the gap, find what makes me stand out. I had to discover my unique angle. I needed content that mattered to readers, yet wasn’t the same as what everyone else was putting out. I delved into studying the market, where the content and writers’ work formed the market.
After taking a closer look, it became clear that they were discussing intellectual property, but it was all about the basics. They approached it from a legal standpoint, covering the essentials like patents, copyrights, trademarks, and more. It’s like a crash course in Intellectual Property 101.
In my view, you can find this information anywhere. My point of distinction was going to be how you use intellectual property from a business perspective. I reached out to the editor and informed him there was a gap. I aimed to write about using intellectual property as a business person, not just from a legal angle. I pointed out that this was a crucial aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked.
So, he got interested? Yeah, he asked me to write three articles and send them his way. The rest, as they say, is history.
Here’s the takeaway: You need to learn the basics. My suggestion is to try your hand at writing for online magazines to practice and refine your skills.
Understand this: Initially, nobody’s going to read what you write. That’s why you need to share it on your social media to catch people’s attention and build your audience. Stay positive and don’t give up too soon – many folks give up too early. Once you start getting some followers, they’ll share your content with their audience. That’s when you’ll see your numbers going up. Remember, it’s a long-term game you’re playing here.
Earlier, I shared that I’ve written over 1000 articles, and I’m still going strong. You quickly figure out that there’s always more to write about – it’s kind of endless. Today, I find myself even more pumped up about writing than I was before.
What’s really cool now is that I have the freedom to do things my way. No one edits my work, I get to pick the artwork, and I write whenever I feel like it. This freedom is something I really, really enjoy. Plus, because I write for Forbes, I have this amazing opportunity to interview just about anyone. It opens up doors and adds a lot of credibility to what I do.
Cutting through the noise is easier when you have the support of an online business publication. My content has improved, and I’m working hard to provide valuable information for my audience to keep them engaged. I’m not afraid to share everything I know.
I’m really proud because now Madeleine has her own space to write for Inc.com and Forbes.com. We might be the first dad-daughter duo to write for Forbes, which is pretty cool. The online publications have so much influence – Forbes alone gets over 70 million views monthly. I’m happy to add to that number, even though I don’t get paid. But there are other ways I get paid, and they’re priceless. Writing for online publications is pretty amazing.
