Five Things You Can Do in Under Five Minutes to Immediately Extend Your Micromedia Reach

Barbara Cave Henricks and Rusty Shelton are the authors of the newly-released book Mastering the New Media Landscape.  People often express concern about is the time commitment required to generate a stronger online media presence, but a number of strategies in this vein take little more than just a few minutes. Here are five things the authors say you can do in under five minutes to immediately extend your micromedia reach:

1. Buy the URL for your name: No matter where you are in the writing process, stop now and purchase the URL that is your [first name] [last name].com (e.g. www.RustyShelton.com). If you happen to be named John Doe or  something equally common, try for the closest combination of [first name] [middle name/initial] [last name].com  that is available and then use that combination across all of your online channels. This is valuable real estate because nearly every first impression today begins online. Readers are vetting you there, people you meet for coffee are vetting you there (before they even meet you!), and journalists are most certainly vetting you there.   Your brand is what page one of Google says it is, so be certain you control that first impression.

2. Update your social media bios: To drive inbound traffic, whether from customers, readers, or the media, regularly tweak and update the biographical information you use on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and other channels. Pay particular attention to keywords and trending topics and, when possible and appropriate, embed them in your bio. If you want to join the  public conversation about something, succinctly state why you’re an expert. 

3. Repost long-form content to LinkedIn: Extend your reach and further amplify your message by taking your latest blog post and reposting it to LinkedIn as a long-form post. LinkedIn recently opened up a publishing feature to everyone, not just their top influencers, in an effort to keep its members on the site rather than migrating to HBR.org, Forbes.com, or Inc.com for content. Take advantage of the shift. Content creation is the engine of the information economy so make yours work harder for you by putting it in public view in another space.

4. Go live on Periscope: Much of the content that is being created by individuals in the new media landscape is still text driven.  From website copy to blogs, interviews with experts and product reviews, much of it looks the way traditional or legacy media did.  It’s time to diversify your content and give your audience a more visual connection with you. Download the Periscope app and go live for a quick 5 minute broadcast for your audience.

5. Follow 25 journalists who cover your topic on Twitter: A 2015 study showed that journalists are the most active group on Twitter, making up a full 25% of the site’s verified accounts. They use it not only to research stories, but to boost their own personal brand and audience. Follow the top 25 journalists in your topic area and look for ways to engage with them directly. Watch their feeds, retweet with a comment when something is truly of interest, and never forget to include an @reply that uses their Twitter handle. Don’t pitch, simply interact in a way that feels authentic and you will boost the chance of being tapped when they need your expertise.