2018 marks the end of an era for HuffPost’s self-publishing contributors’ platform, dissolved after 13 years in an effort to end misinformation online. Many business experts counted HuffPost as an imported part of their contributed article strategy in increasing thought leadership. Where should you focus bylined article submissions now?
Harvard Business Review
HBR is an authoritative publication that covers a wide range of topics, including strategy, leadership, marketing, finance, work-life balance and managing teams. The submission process includes starting with a short pitch on your topic to get the editors’ feedback, then writing a proposal and 800-word narrative outline, before finally writing the entire piece. Articles vary in length. See HBR’s contributor guidelines.
Forbes
Forbes’ opinion section accepts submissions on personal finance, stock markets, technology, business and other topics. Submit an unpublished, completed article of any length and you should hear back from editors within five business days if the magazine is interested. You can also apply to become a regular contributor to Forbes by sending your social media links, a few story ideas, links to your writing samples and your qualifications. See Authority Alchemy’s advice on successfully contributing to Forbes and several other sites.
Bloomberg
Bloomberg’s View section accepts exclusive, 800-1,000-word op-ed submissions on all subjects, including financial and economic issues. The editors will notify you within two days if they are interested in publishing, otherwise you are free to submit your article elsewhere. See Bloomberg’s reader submission guidelines.
VentureBeat
VentureBeat accepts articles with unique perspectives on a variety of technology and business topics such as AI, transportation technology, the gaming industry, blockchain, AR/VR, entrepreneurship and more. If the editors don’t respond in 3 days, they are not interested at this time. Article summaries of 1-3 paragraphs are also accepted if you’d like to pitch your idea before writing the article. See VentureBeat’s submission guidelines.
Business Insider
Business Insider accepts submissions on a variety of topics from experts such as professors, investors, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, executives, technologists and engineers. Editors prefer to see a final draft of the article, a proposed headline, brief bio, and links to any other pieces you’ve published. See Business Insider’s submission guidelines.
Fast Company
Fast Company’s leadership section accepts 600-900-word, unpublished articles on business leadership, productivity, creativity, career development, entrepreneurship, innovation and more. Concentrate on introducing new ideas and diving into trends in your industry where you possess specialized business knowledge. See Fast Company’s contributor guidelines. It’s also worth reading Fast Company’s “How To Write Thought-Leadership Pieces That Get Published And Don’t Make Editors Want To Die.”
Most of the above sites require a portfolio of published pieces, which you can create using LinkedIn articles, Medium and guest blogging for respected sites in your industry. Don’t give up after submitting to one publication, or after submitting to a particular site one time. Your particular topic may not be the best fit for that publication, but with a few tweaks to customize articles toward another site’s audience, your article may be accepted elsewhere. These submissions could also be used for speaking opportunities at conferences or used as content for your company’s website, depending on each publication’s rules. Repurpose when possible to get the most out of your content and time spent.
For more advice on writing and submitting bylined articles, see this post from HubSpot.