Writing is a profession that everyone can get into nowadays. Publishing is much easier now than it was ten years ago, and it’s easy enough to spread the word about your blog, website or book without having to spend too much on advertising.
With all these conveniences, how do you compete with everyone else who wants to be an authority on something? How do you get ahead of the pack and establish yourself as an — if not the — person that people should listen to?
Here are a few tips that can help you write your way to being the authority.
How to Write Contents According to Readers Taste?
Pick a niche that you are comfortable with and are truly interested in. The problem with so many writer newbies these days is that they’re jumping into the bandwagon with only fame and fortune in mind. There’s a tendency to pick a niche that’s doing well, say food, and jump headfirst into that even if it’s something that’s not really their interest. Remember this: your true feelings for your subject matter will reflect in your work, even if you’re an excellent writer. Writing about something you don’t like is hard. Writing about something you are enthusiastic about is not a walk in the park, but it sure is easier.
Just because you like it, doesn’t mean you know everything about it. Do your research. Read up. Knowledge and expertise is the product of years of study and experience. If you’re just starting out, these are things that you might not have. You can start off small. After all, that’s where most experts these days started in, right? Keep on finding new things about your subject or niche. Every new thing you learn adds up to your database, and is a great fodder for topics to write about.
Write properly. The most basic thing you should remember when you’re writing to establish your authority is to make sure your work is well written. This includes making sure your words are spelled correctly, or your grammar is all in agreement with each other. Make sure that your words are properly capitalized and punctuated. Proofread your work at least twice, and be on the lookout for words that are spelled and sound right, but aren’t really the right choice (“You’re” and “your” are often interchanged, as is “there” and “their”). Try to avoid using clichés unless 1) you have to; and 2) you know what they really mean. You’ll have some hits and misses, but it’s better to have one or two errors rather than a whole article of mistakes.
Connect with the community. Experts are not an authority if he or she is on their own. You can only become an authority if your expertise is acknowledged. Seek like-minded folks who have the same passion for your subject as you do. Don’t be afraid to share what you know because only then will people see that you know a lot and acknowledge you as an authority on the subject. Don’t be selfish with your knowledge, and don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll be surprised at the things you can share, as well as the things you’ve yet to learn.
Acknowledge your sources or mentors. Give credit where credit is due, and you’ll be rewarded with the same. To become an authority, you have to have a good reputation. By not acknowledging your sources, or the people who helped you reach your stature, you risk damaging your reputation. It risks damaging the authority you want to be, even before you get it. Cite your sources. If you must repeat information, get express permission to use it in your writing. Be diligent about it. One miss can be your downfall. It’s happened to an award-winning author who had years of experience and massive clout. It can happen to you.
Don’t be afraid to admit you made a mistake, but find a way to quickly remedy it. Being an authority doesn’t mean you’re infallible. You’re human, so you’re bound to make mistakes. However, acknowledging that you did make a mistake and saying you are willing to atone for it is much better than insisting you are right all along, just to save your pride. No one likes a stuck-up, and it hurts your reputation.
Be knowledgeable, not a know-it-all. Knowledge is a powerful tool to have, but don’t force feed that knowledge to people else you’ll become a know-it-all. It’s worse when the information you’ve been “sharing” to people is wrong, even if you believe it is right. When you hear something new about your subject, take time to check if it is accurate. Nothing hurts more than publishing something and then later on being told that it was erroneous from the start. Not only is your pride hurt, but your credibility goes down several notches.
Don’t just write. When it comes to your niche, again the best source of writing material is going out to experience things. From there, you gain a perspective of how things work and it adds to what you already know.
Be professional. So you’ve established yourself as a writer. You write an explosive piece about the rising cost of childhood education and someone bashes you in the comments. What do you do? An authority doesn’t slam detractors by stooping to their level. Rather, you deal with them in a calm manner that shows you’re a better person than they are. Don’t resort to insults; don’t twist the argument. Rather, present facts that show you are right and they’re not, and let your readers decide for themselves.
Keep on writing. You start writing because you want to establish authority. For bloggers, post at least three times a week to help get your credibility up. Have a lot of ideas for posts? No problem. Write it down, research it well, polish it up but don’t post it immediately. Keep a list of subjects to write about. Jot notes, ideas or speculations. Use it as a springboard for your other articles. Not only will you improve your craft, but you’ll also never run out of topics to write about.
It’s a slow but steady climb to becoming an authority. Keep a clear eye on your goal and be consistent. You’ll surely write your way to being an authority soon enough.
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Written By : Cathy is part of the team that manages and maintains Australian Credit Cards, a personal finance blog about small business credit cards based in Sydney, Australia. Before she joined ACC, she was a staff nurse at Clark Airbase Hospital and conducted lectures on First Aid, Bio-terrorism and Disaster Management.
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