In the last two installments of this series, we discussed some of the basics of establishing a personal brand online: blogging, making connections in your online community and reinforcing them with strategic use of social media. Part III is about taking it the extra mile by writing articles for online and offline news sources.

Busy professionals may be wondering whether this is really necessary. After all, they’re already spending time blogging, commenting and interacting on social media sites, all of which takes up precious time. But consider this: Nothing communicates authority like being published in print. The Internet is a powerful tool for self-publishing, and it has changed the way offline media works. But when you see an article in print, there’s an implicit guarantee that at least one editor has read through the article and approved its content. That’s not true on every part of the Internet. It’s no coincidence that “author” and “authority” share a Latin root word — authorship truly does have the power to control and change public opinion.

Getting Published

Fortunately, there are numerous opportunities to be published, even if you’ve never written professionally. A good place to start is in trade publications — the newspapers and magazines that serve your professional community. These publications, published both online and offline, are generally run on a small budget and delighted to hear from potential writers, because that’s one fewer slot for them to fill. Furthermore, you’ll automatically go in with a background that impresses them, just by being the kind of professional they serve. If you’ve been blogging long enough to build a reputation online, they will also appreciate having a professional with some established authority. And of course, a trade publication for your field reaches other people in your field — which is exactly who you want to reach when you’re trying to build a good reputation among those who might hire or promote you.

 If you have the expertise and confidence, consider writing for the mainstream press as well. Daily newspapers frequently take outside content for their op-ed pages — the place where you’ll see opinion columnists. Your “opinion” doesn’t have to be political, though it could be; you can also tie your expertise or a personal experience to a news event. For example, a security expert could write about what we’ve learned since a major man-made disaster. Certain sections of the paper may also be open to freelancers. If your expertise is appropriate for a mainstream magazine — women’s magazines may want to hear from gynecologists, for example — don’t hesitate to pitch yourself to those publications. And don’t forget online newsmagazines like the Huffington Post or AOL’s DailyFinance.

Finally, consider online article sites that aren’t connected to any publication. This includes sites like Examiner.com, which focus more on creating content that’s likely to be searched than creating a unified publication. These sites vary widely in quality, so your first step is to decide whether you want to associate your personal brand with them. For example, a site that does not appear to be copy edited is likely to hurt a writer’s personal brand by looking unprofessional. But if your goal is just to spread your personal brand, increase perceived authority and increase your blog’s SEO, an articles website can be another useful tool. In fact, a site that allows you to upload an article with few or no changes could be very useful for someone seeking to build SEO and search results quickly.

Most of these publications will pay; depending on the subject and the publication, some may even pay well. But money is not your primary goal in writing these articles — you’re trying to build your personal brand. By writing articles that reinforce your authority and your personal style within your field, you’re creating a reputation that says what you want your potential employers, clients and colleagues to hear. And that reputation can be the deciding factor when it’s time for a promotion, lateral move or other professional advancement.