By Steve Ashkin, The Ashkin Group

In this month’s issue of DestinationGreen, we will complete a 2 part series on becoming a recognized expert through the power of getting published. Last month's issue discussed why it’s important and gave you some ideas on what you can write about.  This month’s issue (Part 2) wraps it up with  some ideas on the do’s and don’ts of writing to be published to help you get it done.  If you haven’t yet read part 1, click here.

When trying to get your completed article published there are a few things that I would encourage you not to do or to be careful about.  For example, magazine editors are not interested in a company’s self-promotion.  If you want to sell a product or say how wonderful a particular product is --- the editors are happy to print this, but it is called an advertisement and they will expect you to pay for it. 

An article needs to be informative and interesting without selling a specific product or brand.  And while you may really want to do this (sell), I recommend that you think about this in a different way --- think of yourself as the product.  You are marketing your expertise and problem-solving ability.  You are positioning yourself (the author) as the expert!  If you do this, the sales of your products and services will follow.

Now down to specifics.  The first thing I recommend you do is to pick your audience.  Pretend you are going to a meeting or out to lunch with a bunch of colleagues and this is the story you want to share with them.  Is it a general audience or is it a bunch of distributor sales reps, facility managers, school or healthcare folks, etc?  Focus your story for the intended audience.  And again, if you are looking for ideas what to write about, click here and reread last month’s article.

Editors also want you to be clear, which can be helped if you focus on just one message, concept or idea.  Good articles are not just a “dump” of random thoughts of streaming consciousness.  One important concept when writing is to “write not to be understood.  Rather, write so you can’t be misunderstood”. 

For example, if you write that ‘the school struggled to decide whether or not to use certified chemicals from Green Seal or develop their own purchasing requirement, and you said it was a good idea.’  Which was the good idea – to use certified products or to do it themselves?

The point here is to reread your article and make sure that it can’t be misinterpreted.  And if you’re not sure what I mean, ask your spouse, significant other, friend, boss or even your kid(s) to read the article and explain to you what it says.  If they don’t get it and you find that you need to clarify it for them, then some simplification may be necessary.

And whatever you do, use your spell checker.  You don’t have to be the winner of the annual spelling bee contest to push that simple button and have your software program work its magic.  And editors HATE spelling errors because they know how easy it is to check them ---- truth be told, many of them don’t spell very well either.  And if you’re still having trouble with spelling and grammar, it’s OK to hire an editor.  One simple place to find an editor is at your local public library.  Ask the reference librarian if they know someone who can help you.  The only caveat is that you may have to pay them (usually less than $50 for such a short article), but make sure they understand that you want it “edited”, not “graded”.  You need them to correct it, not just point out what is wrong.

As to the “tone”, I would recommend that you write a positive article and leave antagonistic, aggressive, angry, condescending, bashing or otherwise negative tones used for example by some radio shock-jocks --- to the radio.  Be helpful, encouraging and positive.  As a first article I would not recommend that you choose to criticize the President or any elected official, EPA or other government agency, the chemical or other industry sector, competitors, specific cleaning systems, etc.  As my mother always told me (and I suspect yours did as well), if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.  And if you choose to attack, just remember that your target will have a chance to respond with a bull’s-eye on your chest.

Once the article is complete, think about the trade publication that would be appropriate for your target audience.  There are ones for distributors, contractors, in-house service providers, end-users including general publications as well as those targeting specific segments.  There are magazines of professional organizations like ISSA, IEHA, BSCAI, NPTA, IFMA, BOMA and the alphabet soup list of organizations can keep going.  All of them are looking for articles and once you have become a published author you can actually talk to the publications first and write specifically to their needs.

So make a commitment to get published and start writing down your ideas.  It’s a great strategy and you really do have value that you can contribute to the Green Cleaning Movement.  And if you’re worried about giving away all of your secrets, don’t be.  You will benefit more from what you’re giving and someone is going to do it --- so why not you!

Remember, customers are going to be buying Green Cleaning products and services from someone, and we’d prefer that it’s from you.  Good luck selling,

Steve

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About the Author:

A 25+ year veteran of the cleaning industry, Stephen Ashkin is the author of Green Cleaning for Dummies and a tireless advocate for environmentally preferable cleaning products. Often referred to as the “father of green cleaning,” Ashkin has played a pivotal role in setting industry standards, promoting environmentally preferable products, and advocating for socially responsible practices.

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