If you write articles or blogs, it’s helpful to understand the ins and outs of bylines sooner rather than later. Why? Because they can provide you with various benefits long after you get the one-time payment for each piece. Further, they can also work against you in some situations. Have some questions? Here are the basics you need to know.
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Want to jump ahead?
- What is a byline?
- Benefits of bylines for writers
- Are some bylines better than others?
- How to evaluate the potential benefits of a byline
- Should you get paid more for a byline?
- Should you write for free to get a byline?
- How freelance writers can get bylines
What is a byline?
Definition of a byline: A byline is a short line of text that tells the audience who wrote a blog, article, news story, or other piece of writing. In short, it’s the author’s name. For example, at the top of this page, you’ll see my name—that’s the byline.
Benefits of bylines for writers
As a writer, a byline puts your name out there in the world with a piece of your work. Each time you get one, it’s like planting a seed. You never know who might see it and what opportunities could come from it.
In episode 2 of the All Things Freelance Writing podcast, Brianne Hogan shares a story about how she was writing bylined pieces for Hello Giggles over the course of a few years. One day, she checked her spam folder and found an email from an editor at a reputable publishing house.
The editor had seen her work on Hello Giggles and was requesting that she put together a book proposal for them. Brianne had always wanted to become a published author of fiction books and saw this as a step in the right direction. She put the pitch together and they accepted it. Then, she leveraged the situation to find herself a great literary agent.
Hogan says, “This is a little reminder to writers that you never know who’s reading your stuff.” She adds, “Also, check your spam folder because you never know who’s emailing you.”
Like Brianne, I’ve also seen the value of bylined pieces in my writing business. While I’ve yet to get a book deal (maybe someday!), new clients regularly reach out to me after seeing my work on other sites.
If you’re consistently getting more bylines, you’re creating a far-reaching public portfolio that can drive business to you.
Are some bylines better than others?
Some bylines will provide writers with greater benefits than others. Why? Here are three main reasons.
1. More reach means more opportunities
If you get a byline on a high-traffic website or a popular publication, it will be seen by a larger audience. More eyeballs mean more potential opportunities.
2. Credibility is transferrable
When you get a byline somewhere, you become associated with the brand publishing you. If that brand or business is known and trusted, they pass those benefits on to you. This can help to drive up demand for your services while reducing objections and hesitations.
Once I had a few bylines with trusted brands in my niche, I stopped having to sell my services. Clients began coming to me already positive they wanted to hire me.
3. Alignment matters
Another factor to consider is if the publication or website aligns with your brand, values, and goals. If it doesn’t, a byline could actually work against you. For example, if you’re working to become a writer known in the vegan industry, writing non-vegan recipes under your name could break trust with your audience. You want to ensure your bylined writing aligns with where you want to go.
How to evaluate the potential benefits of a byline
Once a client offers you a byline, how do you evaluate it? Aside from assessing whether it aligns with your brand, values, and goals—check the amount of traffic the website gets and its domain authority (DA)
Term: Domain authority is a score that was originally developed by Moz to predict how likely a website is to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). DA scores ranges from 1 to 100, with 100 being the best.
How can you check a website’s traffic and/or DA for free? SEMrush (Sign up to get 10 free requests per month). That link will also give you an extended 14-day free trial.
Should bylines come with higher pay?
A byline provides you with extra benefits, as the author of a piece, so often isn’t a reason for higher pay in itself. In fact, some writers charge more for ghostwriting because it doesn’t come with the benefit of a byline.
However, if you have significant influence in an industry and will drive people to a publication or business, that could warrant higher pay.
Should you write for free to get a byline?
I know some people may be upset with this answer, but it’s true in my experience so I’m saying it on the record. Bylines can provide immense value and, in some cases, it may be worth it to write a piece for free to gain exposure or credibility. Some people even pay publications to publish their work (Entrepreneur.com’s Leadership Network program costs $3,000 per year).
However, only you can determine if the returns are worth the investment of your time. Not all bylines are of equal value—as I explained above. Be sure to consider how beneficial the particular byline will be for you. It’s also worth noting that most clients will both pay you for your writing and give you the byline.
How can a freelance writer get a byline?
You can get a byline as a freelance writer from publications and businesses.
When targeting publications, you typically check the publication’s requirements, pitch a topic you think would be a good fit, and hope it gets approved. If it does, you’ll write the piece, submit it, and get paid once it’s published.
When writing for businesses, some offer bylines while others don’t. You’ll need to look for bylined opportunities or find out upfront if your byline will be included.
From the business’s perspective, granting a byline can help or hurt its credibility depending on the background, experience, and expertise of the writer. The more credible you are in a niche, the easier it will be to get bylines in it.
When I was starting out, I landed some bylines on smaller traffic/DA sites and gradually climbed the ladder. However, if you have subject matter expertise, you may be able to skip the lower rungs.
Not sure where to look for freelance writing opportunities from publications and businesses? You can find 20-30+ each week on our job board — many which come with bylines.
Keep reading…
- A guide to writing in second person
- How to choose a profitable freelance writing niche
- 7 LinkedIn profile tips for freelance writers