Syndicated Columnist

When someone says you’re “opinionated,” it’s usually a polite way of saying you’re a know-it-all. Offended? Don’t be. Although it might make you unpopular at dinner parties, the truth is: If you’re a Syndicated Columnist, pontificating will make you beloved at the newsstand.

As a Syndicated Columnist, you’re paid to share your opinions — loud, proud and in print — with the masses. Indeed, when a normal Columnist writes, his or her work is published in just one place, where it reaches just one audience; because you’re a Syndicated Columnist, however, your writing is published simultaneously in many places, allowing you to reach multiple audiences with a single piece of prose.

That’s because you sell your work to a syndication service, which distributes your writing to a network of Editors at newspapers, magazines and websites, who get to re-print it in exchange for a licensing fee. As a result, you get more money and more exposure.

Of course, what you write is just as important as how you publish it. A Columnist — syndicated or otherwise — typically writes short, opinionated articles that appear on a regular basis (usually weekly or monthly) on the same page in the same publication. Often, those articles are about a single subject, such as business, politics, parenting or food. In addition to writing, therefore, your job requires developing and maintaining subject-matter expertise so that you can consistently generate ideas and form opinions for your columns.

In fact, your ideas and opinions are the key to your success: Good writing is important; a unique voice, however, is essential.