Trade magazines remain a relevant and powerful medium for companies and individuals who want to establish their thought leadership and gain a competitive edge in their industries. With practical, insightful and action-oriented content for and from practitioners in the field, trade publications offer a specialized, technical focus that makes the channel a meaningful connection between authors with their target audiences. That said, there are myths surrounding the use of publishing content in trade magazines that prevent individuals and businesses from reaping the benefits of this highly targeted opportunity.
Myth #1: A small circulation means fewer leads.
This is one of the biggest myths about trade publications. Because of their specialized nature, trade magazines and journals have a smaller readership made up of professionals, scholars, students, enthusiasts, and experts within that field. At first glance, the smaller number of subscribers, readers and social media followers may seem like a hindrance compared to more widely circulated magazines. While more general publications may have a larger audience, the majority of those readers do not represent viable leads, especially for niche and B2B businesses.
Trade publications work as a line drive to the readers who need your insights and can benefit most from your products or services. By taking advantage of a trade publication’s already-established channel and audience of highly specified readers, the benefits to an author’s reputation, credibility and growth are immense.
Myth #2: Trade magazine editors tolerate AI-generated content.
It has become easy for readers to recognize the predictable patterns of AI-generated articles and editors are certainly no exception. Editors of trade publications are highly trained in their field and are often subject matter experts themselves. While AI can be a valuable tool to uncover surface-level information about a topic, much like a search engine, trade magazine editors aren’t interested in publishing basic overviews. They seek actionable information and innovative ideas based on current news, trends and best practices from experts their readers respect. In other words, they seek articles that provide solutions to the challenges that keep decision-makers in their field up at night. AI cannot imitate this level of thought leadership and expertise. Additionally, AI-generated content can open up claims of plagiarism by mimicking existing materials on the internet, seriously affecting editors and authors alike.
Myth #3: There’s no way to engage with readers.
It’s a mistake to think that publishing an article in a trade journal is something to set and forget. Thanks to the nature of digital publishing, online trade publications offer the ability to engage directly with readers and unlock important networking or referral opportunities. That said, it takes a dedicated effort to connect with readers and followers and discover relevant leads. Most trade publications offer comment sections or have community networks that give authors and readers a chance to interact. For publications that are active on social media, an article can reach even more readers. To facilitate a connection with target audiences, be sure to include contact information in the author bio. When possible, use embedded, textual links to give readers avenues to read more of your insights or find your services.
After articles have been published, distribute them across social platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Medium, where mutual engagement is the name of the game. Additionally, some publications are willing to share information about their audiences or may offer lead-generation services that can include reader analytics and in-depth reporting.
More Leads with Fewer Resources
Businesses that fall for the myths and misconception that there’s no engagement potential within trade publications are missing the chance to interact with ideal prospects, improve the visibility of their thought leadership, and establish credibility in their field. Even better, your company doesn’t have to find and establish an audience on its own, saving time and resources while boosting lead generation. Through a targeted strategy of creating quality editorial content that solves customer pain points and results in thoughtful interaction, trade publications represent a crucial chance to build a network of connections, empower industry knowledge and guide leads through their buyer’s journey.
