When a paid byline is worth the investment

Bylined articles have long been one option on the path to thought leadership. An article or thought piece can provide an opportunity for an executive to share their perspective and subject-matter expertise. And while it used to be fairly easy for a savvy PR professional to get a well-written bylined article published, the media landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade. For one thing, more and more executives are clamoring to be thought leaders, and are often incentivized to do so by the companies they work for, so the competition to get published is fierce. For another, publications are hungry for revenue, and as a result, more and more media outlets have adopted a pay-to-play model. The model has its appeal: an executive or company pays a media outlet to ensure their article gets published.

But is it worth the investment? 

Opinions vary. Some marketers are skeptical of paid content. The former CMO of one of the world’s top quick-service restaurants said they were “not a fan.” They see paid content as advertising and “take it all with a big grain of salt. Readers are suspicious, more so these days, and worry they are being spun or worse, seeing fake news. That’s why bylines matter more than ever and I only trust those that are objective, those that do not have an economic interest in the content.“