For journalists, the job market right now is pretty brutal. Students and professionals can get a leg up on their competition, though, if they know how to think a bit more like an entrepreneur and market themselves, making the Web work in their favor. Learn how build a personal Web site to house your portfolio; be active - and professional - on social media; and pick up some new skills and make some new connections along the way. Online extras, including step-by-step instructions on building a portfolio site and a list of journalists to follow on Twitter, are available at http://www.emilyingram.com/how-to-market-yourself-on-the-web-online-extras

1. How to
market
yourself
on tHe web

2. wHy botHer?
“The first thing most people are going to do if they check
you out is Google you.”
— Steve Buttry, director of community engagement at D.C. news startup
“I expect a Web journalist to have their own domain, site, blog,
CMS experience and Twitter account ... with solid content.”
— Robert Hernandez, professor, formerly of Seattle Times and SFGate.com
“The gist is that if your name doesn’t Google well ... then
you’re at a great disadvantage. Because if dozens of
people apply for one job opening, some of them are sure
to be online savvy and also good at journalism. If you’re
not one of them, then you’re not in the running.”
— Mindy McAdams, professor at University of Florida

3. benefits
GeT A joB oFFeR
ReCRUITeRS CAN See YoUR PoRTFoLIo ANY TIMe
THeY PLeASe
BUILD YoUR NeTWoRk
kNoW THAT WHoLe ‘IT’S NoT WHAT YoU kNoW BUT
WHo YoU kNoW’ SAYING? IT HoLDS TRUe oNLINe, Too
learn new skills
IF YoU’Re CoMPLAINING THAT THe j-SCHooL
DoeSN’T TeACH YoU SUCH-AND-SUCH, LeARN IT oN
your own

4. So NoW ...
joURNALISTS
are tHeir own
BRANDS

5. WHAT’S A BRAND?
IT’S NoT jUST A LoGo
... oR A CoLoR SCHeMe
... oR A TAGLINe.*
*THoUGH THoSe ALL Go INTo A BRAND
“A journalist’s personal brand is
his or her reputation, built bit by bit
by everything he or she does, says
and makes — online and offline.”

6. BRANDING BASICS
“The way you answer the phone, your
answering machine
message, your business
card, your Web site, your
blog, your e-mail signature
— you name it — it is
all part of your personal
brand.”
— Adam Westbrook, U.k.-based freelance jouranlist

7. DoING IT RIGHT
use your real name
DITCH ANY NICkNAMe YoU’ve USeD IN 8TH GRADe
Be CoNSISTeNT AND PRoFeSSIoNAL
CoLoR SCHeMeS, PRoFILe PICTUReS, eTC.
GeT YoUR oWN SITe
IS YoURNAMe.CoM AvAILABLe? BUY IT!
USe SoCIAL NeTWoRkING SITeS
CoNTRIBUTe To THe CoNveRSATIoN
ReAD AND CoMMeNT LIke CRAzY
GooGLe ReADeR SHoULD Be YoUR BeST FRIeND

8. BYLINe = BRAND *
*CHRISToPHeR WINk’S LINe. NoT MINe.
YoUR GooGLe SeARCH
IS YoUR BUSINeSS CARD.
– MINDY McaDams
FoR exAMPLe:
GReG LINCH, GRADUATeD MAY 2009
LAUReN RABAINo, GRADUATeD DeCeMBeR 2009
keLSeY PRoUD, WILL GRADUATe IN MAY

9. CoNSISTeNCY
IN A GLANCe, I SHoULD ReCoGNIze
YoUR SIGNATURe MARkS
CoLoR SCHeMe
LoGo
TAGLINe
eTC.
oNCe YoU HAve oNe, IT GoeS
WHeReveR YoU Go
BLoG
twitter
LINkeDIN
oTHeR SoCIAL NeTWoRkS

10. FoR exAMPLe

11. FoR exAMPLe

12. FoR exAMPLe

13. FoR exAMPLe

14. PRoFeSSIoNALISM
STRIke A BALANCe
Be PRoFeSSIoNAL BUT HAve A PeRSoNALITY
GooGLe YoUR NAMe.
Look AT THe ReSULTS, AND IF YoU WoULDN’T
WANT A BoSS To See IT, TAke IT DoWN
ReTHINk WHo’S LISTeNING
‘Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh
the utility of a fatty paycheck against the
daily commute to San jose and hating the work.’

15. YoURNAMe.CoM
THINk oF IT AS AN INveSTMeNT
MIGHT CoST A FeW BUCkS, BUT HUGe PAYoFFS
PUT THe BASICS oNLINe
BLoG
ReSUMe, IN HTML AND PDF FoRMS
CLIPS
ABoUT PAGe
CoNTACT INFo
LINkS To YoUR PRoFILeS oN SoCIAL NeTWoRkS

16. Be SoCIAL
qUIT SAYING YoU DoN’T ‘GeT IT’
... AND jUST TRY IT.
TWITTeR: IT’S NoT FACeBook
... So DoN’T APPRoACH THeM THe SAMe.
NeTWoRk. NeTWoRk. NeTWoRk.
PoST LINkS, USING A URL SHoRTNeR LIke BIT.LY.
ANSWeR qUeSTIoNS.
ASk qUeSTIoNS.
SHARe TIPS.
SeLF-PRoMoTe *IN MoDeRATIoN*
IT’S RUDe To oNLY TALk ABoUT YoURSeLF IN ReAL
LIFe. THe SAMe HoLDS TRUe oNLINe.

17. TWITTeR 101
FILL oUT YoUR PRoFILe
- ADD A PRoFeSSIoNAL-LookING PHoTo.
- GIve USeFUL CoMPLeTe BIo INFo.
example: ‘journalism and biz student at San jose State. online
editor for @SpartanDaily, intern at @SvSjBizjournal.
- LeAve YoUR ACCoUNT oPeN (AS IN, NoT PRIvATe).
- ADD URL, IF YoUR SITe IS UP AND RUNNING.
be smart as your start out
- DoN’T TWeeT ‘BeING FoRCeD To joIN TWITTeR.’
- DoN’T FoLLoW 400 PeoPLe ALL AT oNCe, oR eLSe
YoU’LL Look LIke A SPAMMeR.

18. RSS & BLoGS
WHY ReAD BLoGS?
you absolutely must
kNoW WHAT’S GoING oN IN
YoUR INDUSTRY.
How to follow?
GeT A GooGLe ReADeR: IT’LL
CoLLeCT YoUR RSS FeeDS.
LeAve CoMMeNTS
AND MAke THeM INSIGHTFUL.
THIS GeTS YoUR NAMe oUT
THeRe AND HeLPS BUILD
YoUR BRAND.

19. questions?
WHAT eLSe Do YoU
want to know?