How to Become an Expert

Summary: Having expertise in something that many people can benefit from but not a lot have knowledge will help you stand out and advance in your industry.

Being an expert at one particular thing can be an important tool in the professional world. Being the most knowledgeable about something between your co-workers can help you stand out, plus it will make you feel valued even if your expertise is only with the printer. When working to build that knowledge, follow these tips.

Choose a niche

Being an expert at excel probably won’t set you apart from many others. Instead, pick something specific but still relevant to a large number of people in your industry. For example, if you work in marketing, being an expert in social media marketing or PR won’t help you. Narrow down your topic to something that is a trend in the industry such as the marketability of food products in Japan.

Voice your knowledge

Show that you are expert in a topic by being willing to stand up for what you know. Being truly knowledgeable about a topic is understanding both sides to the story. When you are able to explain the other side of a popular topic, you can expect to be quoted in articles.

Keep up-to-date

You can set alerts on Google for the terms you have expertise in so that you don’t miss any breaking news. There are a number of other resources out there where you can publicize your knowledge such as MediaSpot or Bottlesource.

Be local

Start off by writing articles for local publications. This can be a column each week for the newspaper. You can reach out to events and offer yourself as expert on their panel. Give speeches at schools and universities. Give presentations for the Chamber of Commerce or local business associations. You can also organize an event yourself where you invite other industry leaders.

Get featured on a blog

Pitch guest blog ideas to the top industry blogs. Give them a few options that offer fresh ideas on topics they have covered before. You can suggest yourself as the expert for the idea to help you get more recognition.

Interview the real experts

While you are an expert on the topic, they are people that are even more knowledgeable than you. Use their expertise to learn more and help them receive recognition by pitching media coverage to the expert and pitching the expert to the media source.

Photo: seniorsrealestateinstitute.com