As I’m preparing for a new presentation I’m giving on becoming an influencer, I thought this would be really good information to share here too. Being known for what you do is important in terms of credibility and also for customers wanting to hire you and even the media wanting to quote you. So how does one become an influencer in their industry? For me and DIY-PR it took less than a year for me to make my mark as an influencer with small businesses owners.

I did this by providing great content, getting the word out, and getting lots of my own free publicity as well as helping clients do the same, which gave me credibility in the industry.

Here are five things you need to do to become an influencer in your industry:

Confidence

First and foremost, you must have confidence that you are the best at what you do. If YOU don’t believe that you are THE best at what you do, how can you expect anyone else to? You need to know your industry inside and out and be able to talk about it, answer questions, and provide advice instantly on it.

Niche Your Industry

Standing out as an “influencer” means you have to have a niche. If you can niche your industry, you can become the expert in that particular facet of your industry. For example, there are thousands of PR professionals and publicists in the world. How many do you know who stand out as a DIY-PR professional? My expertise and my niche in publicity is by showing people how to do it yourself. I will argue that I am one of the best at teaching these techniques.

Success Stories

The reason I can argue that I am one of the best is that I have the success stories to back it up. Not only my own success – over 200 media appearances in two years including national television, publications, newspapers, and radio – but also my client’s successes. Just this month I have four testimonials from clients who had PR success. One got a column in a major regional magazine where her customers are; another got a segment on FOX; another is writing articles about her local business in three local magazines; and another did a product launch and got coverage in the Washington Post, CBS, and FOX. That speaks for itself.

Having success stories to share helps make you an influencer. By using your expertise, techniques, or tools, and helping others have success, makes you an influencer in your industry.

Offer Great Content

In order for people to see you as an established influencer, you also need to provide content so that people see you really know what you’re talking about. Content can be in the form of interviews on television, in print, or on radio or podcasts. It is what you publish on your blog. It is articles you write. It is in speeches or trainings you give. It’s in videos you have on YouTube or information you share on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Use Your Megaphone

It’s up to you to get your message out there and make yourself be seen as the influencer that you are. When you post content or have success stories, use your megaphone and tell the world. Social media is an invaluable tool for spreading your message. Make sure you are sharing your content and your success through your megaphone: social media and your email or customer list. Nobody is going to know how great you are at what you do if you don’t share your expertise and success with the world.

If you need help making yourself an influencer, reach out to me at Christina (at) PRforAnyone (dot) com or call me at 844-PR4-ANY1. www.PRforAnyone.com

To Your PR Success,