How Do I Establish Credibility?

Q:  What are the best ways to establish credibility in your niche, if you lack experience? You can write articles, of course, but don’t you have to be doing what you’re writing about?

A: I think that writing articles is the BEST way to establish credibility, especially if you lack experience.  It helps to be doing what you’re writing about, but if you’re not quite at the point of doing what you’re writing about yet, then write about the research and exploration process. Many, many times I’ll want to know how to do something but don’t have any experience in doing it.  So, I’ll go research my topic and write an article on what I discovered in the process.  Consequently, I’ve written the article for my own education as much as I have for that of my readers.

Secondly, read everything you can get your hands on regarding your topic area.  Books, magazines, ezines, you name it.  It’s amazing how much of an authority you can become just by knowing what’s out there.

Ultimately, though, somebody is going to ask you to walk your talk, or directly inquire how much experience or if you have any experience in your area.  If you can’t do what you’d love to do because of job or life considerations, think outside the box about how you can start to bring those experiences into your life.  Many times it’s just taking the action to prepare and writing about what you’ve learned in the experience that people find most helpful…:)

Warmly,

Donna