THREE PROACTIVE WAYS TO BOOST YOUR CREDIBILITY

Here are three proactive ways to look more credible:

1. Write
2. Speak
3. Get media attention

Let's assume you are already credible but the world doesn't know this.

Write

Creating original content helps set you apart because so few bother to do the work. You need something worth saying and the ability to say it. You can get better at both.

Blogging is an easy way to start. You've got complete freedom in content, length and style. The challenge is sticking with it. As you do, you'll get better and stand out more. You've then got content to share with Followers via Twitter and other social networks. You also have a head start for writing a book.


If you'd rather talk, then podcast. If you have a knack for showing, YouTube awaits you. Creating content is less painful --- perhaps even enjoyable --- when you pick the right medium.

Speak

If you're on the stage rather than seated in the audience, you will look more credible. You've been endorsed by the organizers. You might even get paid.

Writing helps you create and polish content for your talks.

Are you a good enough speaker? You can practice and improve at Toastmasters. That’s why I finally joined. My club, Goodyear Toastmasters in West Toronto, has a blog for writing practice.

Get Media Attention

If you're interviewed for newspaper, magazine, radio or TV, you have a nice outside endorsement. Don't expect immediate business. Do make reference to the interviews in your subsequent marketing. For instance, add links to the sources or provide additional resources (example).

Are you a good interviewee? If you've been writing and speaking, you probably have opinions you're willing to share in public. You probably know how to express yourself in engaging and concise ways.

TIP: To find out who journalists want to interview right away, join Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and Reporter Connection. Both are free.

Reporters have tight deadlines and may want to talk to someone like you. That’s what happened when I got interviewed by the Toronto Star about marketing and The Globe and Mail about income replacement.

Follow potential interviewers on Twitter. Retweet some of their tweets. Perhaps they'll Follow you. You can now exchange Direct Messages with them, where appropriate. If they're inviting you to connect on Facebook, you've got another opportunity to stay in touch.

Overlap

All three ways to credibility are free and interrelated. You get paid with attention which brings more attention. You build skills in one area which builds skills in another. There's nothing stopping you from starting.

Links

• Getting interviewed by a journalist
• The six elements of credibility
• Universal principle of influence #3: authority
• Are you a parrot or a pundit?
• The why and how of writing a book
• Why I finally joined Toastmasters
• Picking the right medium for your message
• The seven elements of dynamic personal influence
• HARO crowdsources news sources (Wired, Sep 2009)
• image courtesy of Mr.Papeete

PS How do you boost your credibility?