We’re all experts in something.
Thinking about it, we might find we’re experts in more than one thing. 🧠 This might originate from our education, our career path, skills we’ve acquired over time, life experiences, or even a combination of all of the above. Regardless of where our expertise comes from, we’d all be wise to leverage and turn it into media coverage for our brand.
Doing that has landed Zoetica Media founder Kami Huyse spots on Good Morning America and multiple appearances on Fox 26 Houston’s The Isiah Factor Uncensored, including a recent discussion about the newest Texas law on teens and social media, enabling her to become a go-to resource for online safety. This interest in online safety and cyber civility were born out of her own experience being targeted by an online troll early in her career and learning first-hand the impact such attacks can have.
Wanting to make a difference, she joined the board of directors of a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing online harassment, and served as the technical editor of the book Civility in the Digital Age. She also regularly spoke out on social media about the need to create a safer and more civil online environment.
Soon her community knew that these were issues she could speak on and cared deeply about. And as her professional visibility grew, so did her reputation as a reliable and important resource on a variety of topics. In fact, she credits the connections she developed through her online community with showing up on GMA’s and Fox 26 Houston’s radar.
To leverage YOUR expertise and get media coverage for your brand, here are three things Kami recommends you do:
- Elevate Your Visibility
You can have the most brilliant ideas and valuable experience in the world, but if too few people know about you, they won’t have the opportunity to benefit from what you have to offer. However, if you take specific and active steps to increase your professional visibility, before long your influence will grow. Share your professional insights, as well as things that are important to you, like Kami did with online safety. - Build Community That Will Refer You
Being part of a supportive community is fundamental to your professional success. Not only can you bounce ideas off of others, but you can lean on them during challenging times. Best of all, everyone looks out for each other, often passing along opportunities they can’t take advantage of or that aren’t a good fit for them, but may be perfect for you. This is particularly valuable when it comes to media opportunities. When a member of Kami’s community heard about the GMA segment but knew she herself wasn’t a good fit, she immediately reached out to Kami to gauge her availability.
- Create and Nurture A Good Relationship With Media
Journalists and other members of the media need access to knowledgeable people they can talk with, both for background research and as quoted or featured experts. X (formerly Twitter) is one of the top social media networks journalists use, so if you’re not already active there, consider creating an account. Start building relationships by following journalists you find interesting and whose focus overlaps with your passions and areas of expertise. Show them you’re listening by retweeting their content and leaving thoughtful comments. Avoid directly pitching them, although you can share valuable, non-self-promotional content.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to grow your visibility, check out upcoming free workshops where she helps people dial into their brand voice. Understanding your brand voice is essential to finding media coverage. Register now. 🗓️