Checklist For Being Seen As an Expert

Photo by Gavin Whitner.

BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

Figure out your niche. 

Before you become an expert, you have to decide what you’re going to be an expert in. How can you figure that out? 

Ask yourself these two questions:  

1. What are you always telling clients? 
2. What are you always answering questions about? 

These are two good ways to tell where your expertise lies. 

I’ll use myself as an example. I worked as a TV producer for a long time, so I’m an expert in television and media. Because of the demands of my job, I had to be really organized.

And that’s how I became an expert in time management, productivity and list making too! And why I’ve written two books on the subject! (Listful Living & Listful Thinking) 

The lesson here is that you don’t have to be an expert in just one thing. I’m an expert in productivity as well as media and production. 

You can use this to your advantage by opening yourself up to new opportunities. Share your knowledge in areas you might not have considered before!

Consistently share content. 

To be seen as an expert, you have to keep sharing content online.

Make sure you’re on social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Tumblr. These platforms are great tools to get your name and your expertise out there. But also consider posting on Medium as well. 

It’s not enough to just have accounts, though. You should keep all your social media updated. Share your work, comment on peers’ posts, and engage with other relevant articles. 

You can also share your knowledge through podcasts and guest posts. For example, I did a guest post at CNBC about four ways to say no without burning bridges.

These kinds of guest posts are a great way to make connections in the media, and they also establish you as a reliable source for future media mentions. Plus, you should share your guest posts on your social media account for extra visibility. 

Having an editorial calendar is a great way to keep yourself accountable with all kinds of content, from social media posts to newsletters to guest posts.

When everything is laid out on a calendar, you can make sure you’re always sharing and creating content. Which brings me to my next point – videos!

Produce videos. 

Producing your own videos is a fantastic way to be seen as an expert. Video is a great medium, since it helps people get to know you. You should create a strategy for your videos and keep them consistent with an editorial calendar. 

Here’s some tips from a virtual workshop I did last year that will help you develop a plan for producing more videos.  

The way your video looks and sounds is important, too. Finding the right tools to produce video is key. 

Three tools I suggest are Loom, Wotchit, and Promo. These will help you make and edit professional-quality videos. I wrote all about how to use these tools here. 

Plus, there’s all sorts of little tricks that will elevate your videos and make you seem like the expert you are.

For example, you should always look directly into the camera. And always hold your phone horizontally. Here’s my tips on five video mistakes you can stop making today!

Network with innovators. 

Find out who is doing the most interesting work in your field. You want to know them – and for them to know you. 

If you want to be a speaker, see where the most interesting people in your field are speaking. And then apply to speak there!

You always want to be on the cutting edge of whatever is happening in your field. When you’re in the loop with the experts doing innovative work, you’ll be seen as an expert too. 

Be quoted in the media.

Getting quoted in an article or appearing on TV is a great way to establish your expertise. I made a three-part course with Terri Trespicio, a branding pro and former magazine editor, about how to get the media attention you’re looking for. It’s called Be a Media Magnet, and you can get it for free here. 

The website Help a Reporter is another great resource to get yourself out there. You can sign up and get source requests. If one aligns with your expertise, you can pitch the journalist with answers to their questions. If the journalist is interested, they’ll reach out.

So many great media outlets use Help a Reporter, including The New York Times, Refinery 29, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters. I used it quite often when I was a senior health producer at Fox News Channel and found some of my best experts that way. It’s worth a sign-up!

And like I’ve said, media begets media — so one you get the ball rolling, you’ll be able to keep growing your media appearances. 

Write a book. 

Writing a book will make you an instant expert if you promote it well. Books are one place the media goes to look for their experts, so writing a book is a great way to establish yourself.

When I was working in news – whenever I was pitched two experts who were essentially the same – a book would make one stand out. 

Plus, writing a book will give you a ton of content to share. And then you can create events around your book, like book signings and workshops. 

BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”