Hall of Fame Profile: Jay Conrad Levinson, Guerrilla Marketing

Jay Conrad Levinson is the author of the acclaimed Guerrilla Marketing book series. When Guerrilla Marketing was first published in 1983, Levinson revolutionized marketing strategies for the small-business owner. Since then over 14 million copies of those books have been sold in 39 languages.

In the following excerpt from the "Getting An Article Into Print" chapter in Get Slightly Famous, Jay discusses how appearing in print as an expert played a major role in helping him grow his business and reputation.

What's your advice to businesspeople about using article and column publishing to promote themselves and their small businesses?

The easiest way to get into print is through Web sites. Search for sites that match your expertise and industry. Web sites provide one of the most accessible and inexpensive ways to get your message out there. There are about 50,000 newsletters online. These are excellent sources for the beginner. Online newsletters are more willing to say "yes" where magazines might say "no." By publishing on the Internet, you can generate published articles quickly, and move on to bigger things.

What's one of the most interesting things that happened to you as a result of publishing articles and columns?

I have a mind-boggling success story. A San Francisco Chronicle reporter wanted to interview me years ago about my book Earning Money Without a Job. He was especially interested in my assertion that I¹ve been working a three-day week since 1971. He wrote the article, which included my phone number, and in a few days I received 1,000 orders for the book that translated into $10,000 in sales.

After the interview, the reporter was so impressed by my self-determination that he vowed to quit his job and make a similar move. In the end, the reporter quit his job and went on to found Banana Republic.

What's your advice to people who lack the confidence to get started?

You can do it. There are millions of Web sites out there hungry for material from people who know their stuff. And there¹s very little downside to it. If you take a little time to learn the ropes and tailor your writing to the needs of others, it¹s almost rejection-free. And, you can make copies of everything you¹ve published and use them as marketing materials or brochures. Once you get started, and your name begins to appear in new places, it will open up a whole new frontier.