Published online, in print, or both, trade journal articles contributed by your company reach readers that might otherwise miss your message and carry the authority of editorial approval. Unlike “company profile” features that require direct payment or a certain number of ad placements, articles accepted as contributed content run for free.
You can usually pitch story concepts based on technologies you’ve implemented in your systems, or on the unique way in which your product addresses a research problem. Publishers announce the editorial focus of each upcoming issue in the editorial calendars posted on their web sites. Look three to nine months ahead in the calendar to target appropriate issues.
Example
Most of the trade journal articles I’ve written have appeared under the by-lines of my clients’ staff research and applications scientists. Here’s one published under my own name that I wrote for BioTechniques:
Click the image to download the article as a pdf file.
For help selecting target journals and issues, developing article concepts, pitching editors, and writing articles, contact Matthew Wygant by calling (408) 905-7630 or sending e-mail to matthew@wygant.net.
