This Is How I Got 200+ Articles Published On Major Sites
Metrics are powerful. In fact, when I look back on who I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with in the last 12+ months, I know one of the smartest things I did was include impressive statistics about my career in my original Clubhouse profile.
The first time Matt Andrews pulled me up on a stage with thousands of listeners, and I was given the microphone to discuss how to get press after 3-X Emmy Award Winner Dhomonique Murphy and Forbes Contributor Yola Robert, he said—reading my bio aloud: “Sara McCord has 200+ published articles, and bylines on Mashable, The Muse, Business Insider, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and more.”
That one sentence kicked the door open for me.
So, how did that happen?
A decade ago, how did I go from someone with a purple blogger site called “Grab A Latte” to a contributor, then columnist, then paid Staff/Writer Editor for The Muse; recruited to be a paid career advice contributor at Mashable; paid and published on additional outlets and syndicated repeatedly on Forbes, Times, Fast Company, Newsweek, & more?
Here are five things I did:
I worked to get better. I took every piece of feedback and worked to become a go-to writer not only because of my ideas, but the quality of my writing.
I wrote for free (initially): It’s how I reached a significantly larger audience and got syndicated across top outlets.
I built relationships: I took the time to check in at the start of phone calls and emails; I remembered birthdays. I made an in-person visit to connect with remote editors once a year. These things matter.
I said “yes” to every assignment: Every time I was asked to take on a project, I said yes. Again, being a go-to for your skills and attitude go a long way.
I was coachable: Different platforms have different styles. If you can adapt, you can be published more places.
The last thing I did, was I saved the URLS to all my posts. A site I wrote for did and SEO revamp, and now instead of seeing all of my articles when you go to my author page, you see a handful. The syndicated articles sometimes no longer have my name next to them (Thanks, Time) but I have the URLs to the originals to prove I wrote them.
If anyone ever has any questions, I can shoot them a word document with a link to every single article for them to enjoy.
As they say: It’s not bragging if it’s true. Share your credentials: You worked for them, and they will open doors.
