This is easy.... if you stick to it.

Be a wizzard and be found and sourced as an editorial expert for the media.

Photo by me...shot in the streets of Tel Aviv amidst all the great grafitti.  

1.  Write relevant content and illustrate your expertise on your site's blog.  Do this once a week at a minimum.

2.  Do a reality check with Pear Analytics to make sure your key words and industry terminology is right.

3.  Follow journalists and analysts who you think are relevent to your space, or where you would like to be covered. 

4.  Make a wish list of ten outlets where you think you belong.  Write non-promotional and self serving comments, when there are appropriate artices being written.

5.  Develop an infographics strategy and provide informative, industry related expertise about your space.

This is just a start. 

Follow these five basic rules.  

Be consistent and give this at least six months.

This really works.

The goal here is to be found be the media. 

Are your digital outposts current with a link to your Google+ profile?

Get on G+ (email me:  alanweinkrantz at g mail dot com) for an invite.

Take stock of places like About.me, Facebook, Twitter, Scribd, SlideShare, LinkedIn, and on and on and on.....

Not on these social platforms.  Get on them.  Don't depend on your company to help promote and engage for you.  And if you are self-employed, or just getting a startup going, all the more reason to take this logical approach.

Remember, the wider you go, the more you'll be found. 

I am a believer in contributed stories.  Publications need them and it sets you apart from just pitching your news.  It helps establish your thought leadership, and you can re-purpose these contributions for your business development and sales teams.

Here's an example of a piece that just published yesterday in CSO Online from my client, John Dickson, CISSP, at Denim Group, and here's some simple rules to follow so you can pitch, and place your contributed story.

1.  Match your expertise to the right media.  This is a security angle, so it was pitched to a security related publication.

2.  Make sure there is an appropriate section (even if it's an industry specific site) to your content.  In this case, the focus being Data Protection.

3.  Identify the right journalist who handles these sections, or the particular subject.  

4.  Read previous contributions and see what is written, the style, the length, the subject matter, the vision.

5.  Send a brief (repeat - brief) pitch.  Something like:  Hi John, my client, (or my company) would like to contribute a piece to XYZ Magazine on the subject of XXXX.  The story would be written by XXX, who is the XXXX at our company.  We have 3 subjects in mind which include - (list the subjects).  Would you consider our submitting an abstract on one or all three for your consideration?  Anything we contribute would be original to your publication and in the context of your editorial themes.

6.  Send you pitch and wait five working days.  If you don't hear back, send it again.  The realities are that journalists are pitched to death and have very full inboxes with lots of other things to do.

7.  Assuming you get a yes, it's your task to then submit an abstract - generally a paragraph or two on the subject matter.  Make sure your content and proposed story is unique, does not overstate the obvious and is useful.  Don't make it a sales pitch.

8.  Send the abstract and wait another five days.  If you don't hear back, make another inquiry.  This can take time, but it's worth the wait. The cycle on this article that I pointed to took 90 days. 

9.  If the abstract is accepted, then get going on the article.  Make sure your article length is in accord with what the journalist want you to adhere to.

10. Once the article is live, share your content.  And rejoice!

So... how about you?  

Have you pitched contributed stories before?  

Share your experiences in how you did this.

Tonight I am speaking at Fran Stephenson's Mass Communications class at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio on PR / Personal Branding.

 Personal Branding Strategies - Mass Communications Class at NW Vista College

Your best resume is a well thought out and strategic online presence.

Today.  Not in 2011 or 2012 when you graduate.

Please download and share.

Having played the drums for 40 years, I still have the set my Dad bought me when I was just 16.

I've made some modifications, replaced some of hardware, and added new cymbals along the way. I have a space dedicated for my instruments and have bought a few guitars as I am also taking guitar lessons from Steve Owens from The Mo-dels.

If your travels bring you to San Antonio and you want to rock out once in a while, email me - alan at weinkrantz dot com or DM me on Twitter: @alanweinkrantz.

Andrew Mueller is a consultant who helps CEO's and big companies deepen their relationships with customers using Social Media strategies.

Yes, this is a bit odd, doing an interview in the men's room during the #140Conf at the Kodak Theater, but when you think about it, any room in this place has a bit of history. We did it because it was a quiet (and sort of historic) venue.

This video is worth watching, or if you are really, really busy, proceed with what you are doing and just listen to the audio.

Chris Brogan shares his belief sets, which starts off with a focus on listening.

That's a good place to start. He talks about using Social Media to help make companies human again.

That's a good place to go.

He talks somewhat about measurement and accountability, which is a good way for businesses to justify this and justify that.

What's more important in the mix is trying, experimenting and realizing that whether or not you engage and listen to customers, they are already engaging with you or without you.

Worth a listen.