Marketing 101 By Mike French
mike@mikefrench.com
How to Write an Article for Publication
hile attending a recycler event a fel- low industry professional asked me how I was able to consistently write so many articles for magazines and industry trade publications. He had noticed my articles appearing in many of them over the years and wondered how I could manage writing them on top of all the other things that I do. He told me that he had been asked a number of times to write for publications about his field of expertise, and would like to do so, but unfortunately could not find the time. I pondered his question for a moment and then told him the key for me is to be writing something all the time in short bursts. I told him that I only write about what I am truly passionate about and that makes it easy for me. In fact, writing about what you are passionate about usually makes the best articles.
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The fact is, I am continually thinking about topics to write about. I constantly keep my eyes and ears peeled for ideas and I receive inspiration from many places. Sometimes they come from ques- tions I get from customers and col- leagues, from business workshops I attend, from books and from articles I read. I write about whatever inspires me in the field of advertising and marketing. As soon as I think of something, I write it down as a headline. By the way, most of my writing these days is done on my smart phone using a writing app. This article, for instance, was written that way. I got the idea for this piece in a coffee shop when I happened to remember a question that someone had asked me at a recycler event. As soon as I thought of it, I wrote it down and made a few notes. That’s how I usually start. As soon as I get an idea I make a note of it along with my first thoughts about it. Then I will start writing about that subject under the headline, usually in short bursts of inspiration. I keep my smart phone in my pocket and grab it whenever inspiration strikes.
24 Automotive Recycling | May-June 2015
The key is to be thinking about the subject I’m writing about in the back of my mind all the time and taking a few moments here and there to do research about it.
The key is to be thinking about the sub- ject I’m writing about in the back of my mind all the time and taking a few moments here and there to do research about it; I often Google the topic to see what others have to say on the subject. I am careful not to plagiarize from other’s articles but I often borrow ideas and quotes from many different sources. If I like what others have to say I quote them and give them credit. There is also a way to “reuse” news stories by using the “out- line and retell” method. You start by mak- ing an outline of the story reducing it to its basic facts, writing them down as a list and then retelling the story in your own words, being very careful to give credit for any direct quotes.
Finally, in my role as a publisher of many magazines and books over the last 30 years, I have had the privilege of work- ing closely with many authors and I have become familiar with many of their writ- ing habits and styles. The most successful authors say the same thing, “To be a good writer, you must be writing all the time.” And, that brings me right back to my main point, “Be writing something all the time.” That’s what works for most authors, what works for me, and that’s what will most likely work for you. So, get to it!
Mike French, president of Mike French & Company, Inc., can be reached toll free at 800- 238-3934, or visit his company’s Web site at
www.MikeFrench.com.
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