How To Get Published in The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post.
It is just one of those online publications that everyone wants to be featured in. The website has a huge online presence and offers huge exposure for anyone who finds themselves as a contributor or just mentioned in the publication. The exposure can give you and your business the boost you want, need and deserve.
So, I decided to reach out to some of my friends who have been published in The Huffington Post to see if they would share their experiences. I wanted to know how they got published in HuffPo so that you could take what they have done and do it for yourself!
FARIHA NAQVI-MOHAMED
- CEO at Social Diversity Media / Diversité Sociale
- CEO & Founder at Social Diversity Media / Diversité Sociale
- Editorial Director and Founder at CanadianMomEh.com
- Freelance writer, journalist and PR consultant at self-employed
How did you first get published in The Huffington Post?
I met an editor from the Huffington Post at the She’s Connected Conference in Toronto in 2012. I went up to her and exchanged business cards after her keynote address. A few months later when the issue of the proposed charter of values was going on, I wrote a heartfelt open letter to (then) Premier Pauline Marois on my blog. I was so revved up when I wrote it that I dug up the business card and sent a copy to the editor (it was almost midnight). She responded back within minutes cc’ing some of her colleagues. By morning that piece had gone viral on my blog (over 50,000 views in three days) and was the number one most read story on the Huffington Post Canada website for a full week. They kept tweeting me to when the article had been liked/shared 5,000 times, 10,000 times and so on. After a few days, they took it upon themselves to translate my article and put it on their French site. Needless to say, a politically charged article written by a Muslim Québecoise woman did not go over so well with the French population. I made sure to steer clear of the comment section. Since then, I have continued to write regular pieces for the Huffington Post on my personal profile as well as my blogging profile, CanadianMomEh.
What have the benefits been to you and your brand/business from being published in The Huffington Post?
I have seen tremendous benefits to my business and brand as a direct result of writing for the Huffington Post. I see spikes in readers following my Huffington Post articles, I get tagged in Facebook posts, on Twitter and other social networks regularly and I essentially benefit from the high traffic that the Huffington Post generates. It adds a certain amount of “street cred” as well. I have had countless opportunities come to me stemming out of a well-written piece in the Huffington Post. With my specific niche, it often leads to radio and television interviews as well.
The most interesting experience that came out of writing for the Huffington Post was when I was on the phone with a travel agent, booking a flight last year. When I gave the person my name they asked me if I write for the Huffington Post. They told me that they follow me on Twitter and are a huge fan of my writing. That was a pretty awesome feeling.
What advice do you have for others who want to be mentioned or published in The Huffington Post?
Write well. There is no substitute for good writing. If you want to write for a specific section, do your research. Pay attention to the tone of writing that is published, pay attention to subject matters. Never hesitate to send a cold email to a section editor, just keep it BRIEF. Time is money. Be succinct. Explain why you’d like to contribute and a two line description of what you wish to write about. Thank them for their time and follow up ONCE no less than three days later.
Fariha’s articles published in the Huffington Post:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/fariha-naqvimohamed/
MARCI WARHAFT
- Personal Trainer, founder of Fit vs Fiction Body image workshops,
- Author of The Body Image Survival Guide for Parents
- Blogger at The Huffington Post
- Founder at Fit vs Fiction
- Owner at Fit vs Fiction
- Body Image Specialist at Fit vs Fiction
- fitvsfiction.com
- facebook.com/visitfitvsfiction
How did you first get published in The Huffington Post?
I had asked people I knew who had been published by The Huffington Post for advice on how to go about it but nobody really had any answers. I think everyone’s story is different. For me, I had a small blog on my own and had written a blog post I felt very strongly about. I shared it what as many people as I could think of and asked them to share it too. I also tweeted it The Huffington Post. Later that day, they emailed me and said they loved it and asked if they could repost it on their site. I said, “Of Course!” Then they emailed me a password and told me I could submit posts at my convenience. The rest is history. I have published around 38 articles with them up to this point.
This was my original blog post:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/marci-warhaftnadler/child-obesity_b_2863398.html
What have the benefits been to you and your brand/business from being published in The Huffington Post?
For me, it has definitely opened me up to a much bigger audience. You never know who will come across your work when you publish with them, and I’ve had it lead to radio and TV interviews. A few years ago, an article I published with HP, got me invited to Fox News and the program “Geraldo at Large” for an interview. I’m not a Geraldo fan, but it was great exposure. Just last week, I published an article on Tuesday and was contacted by a radio station just a few hours later for an interview that aired that weekend.
What advice do you have for others who want to be mentioned or published in The Huffington Post?
That’s a tough one. I’d say to try to what I did. Write something you’re really passionate about and share the crap out of it. Send it to them via Twitter, ask your friends to send it to them too. It also doesn’t hurt to ask someone you know who writes for them to quote you in an article, just to get your name in there.
Marci’s HuffPo articles:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/marci-warhaftnadler/fit-mom-fat-shaming_b_4111262.html
This one got me 2 radio interviews:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/marci-warhaftnadler/positive-body-image_b_3399723.html
EDYTA MCKAY
She is a senior corporate communications leader that has provided public relations, social media and issues management counsel to various businesses for close to 15 years, currently, she is the Manager, Corporate Communications at CST Consultants Inc. and is the creator of www.parentwise.ca
Twitter:https://www.twitter.com/@EdytaZ
LinkedIn:https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/edytazdancewicz/
How did you first get published in The Huffington Post?
I’m always looking for opportunities to raise the profile of our C-Suite and Executive team as well as for our brand. A few years ago we approached the Huffington Post about having two of our Vice-President’s become regular contributors in their chosen field of expertise. The Huffington Post editorial team accepted our submission and since then I’ve regularly been contributing blog posts on their behalf.
What have the benefits been to you and your brand/business from being published in The Huffington Post?
A crucial part of building up your brand, whether it be corporate or business is ensuring that you have a digital footprint that is credible, engaging and recognizable. Online exposure through a platform such as The Huffington Post was an important tactic to increase awareness of our brand, what it stands for and to present our leaders as experts in their field. In public relations, you’re always looking for ways to increase trust and credibility with your brand and its leaders, getting published by a credible news organization is a great way to accomplish both.
What advice do you have for others who want to be mentioned or published in The Huffington Post?
Have something relevant or interesting to say, in my case, our executives were subject matter experts that in some cases were helping to shape the news, policy and or contributing to Canadian society in a meaningful way. Blogging and writing are all about engaging with your audience, in this case, it’s The Huffington Post readership. Find your unique angle to your subject matter expertise, have samples of your writing, whether it be your own blog or other articles/blogs you may have contributed in the past to other publications and highlight them to their editorial team so that you can stand out above the rest.
Edyta’s HuffPo Posts
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/peter-lewis/
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/peter-lewis/resps-tax-time_b_9298006.html
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/peter-lewis/universal-child-care-benefit_b_7834902.html
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/martha-turner/
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/martha-turner/digital-learning_b_9788612.html
If you want more tips, tools, and techniques to help you ramp up your media and PR game plan be sure to check out my website www.ChristyALaverty.com. You can also join other entrepreneurs learning to master their media plans to get press over in my Facebook group www.Facebook.com/groups/MediaPRCollectiveForEntrepreneurs