Agent for the Future exists to help all independent insurance agents thrive now and in the future. We publish company research, stories of forward-thinking agents and practical advice to help agents succeed.
Agent for the Future is always looking for story ideas and articles featuring actionable advice for independent insurance agents. To submit an article or story idea, please email agentforthefuture@safeco.com. Please read the guidelines below before submitting.
Please note: Agent for the Future does not pay contributors. Articles will include an author bio with links to the author’s website, LinkedIn, website formerly known as Twitter, or other relevant websites.
Articles: At the bottom of this page, you’ll see a list of the topics we are looking to cover along with some examples. You can submit an article outline or full draft to agentforthefuture@safeco.com.
Guidelines:
- Length: Articles should be between 600-1000 words
- Audience: Articles should be written for the independent insurance agent audience. They should be geared toward future-minded agents who are seeking to grow and who want to know about what’s next in the industry and the independent agent channel.
- Voice: Agent for the Future’s voice is friendly and helpful, approachable while still professional. Articles should speak to the “why” behind a concept – touching on how the topic impacts agents and helps them better serve customers. Articles should also include practical advice, including at least one action step agents can take.
- Links: Articles can include relevant links for citation, but articles should not link to specific products or services. We reserve the right to remove any links or references that do not fit our guidelines.
- Promotion: Articles should not endorse or promote a specific product or service. They should not be blatantly self-serving or salesy.
- Style: Articles should follow the Associated Press Stylebook.
- Author bio: Please include a short author bio (1-2 sentences) with the author’s name, title, company, and links. Please include a headshot of the author.
- Previous publishing: Submitter shall inform us as to whether the article was previously published and if so where.
- Submitter agrees that if we do accept the article for publication, they will not offer this content to any third party for a period of 6 months after the date we accept it.
- Accepted articles will be edited for style, grammar, length and readability. At company’s sole discretion, it may provide a copy of the modified article for contributor to inspect and approve prior to publishing.
Legal Terms:
- Submitter gives us the license rights to use any portion of the content they own for publication on the Agent for the Future website and for other company marketing purposes.
- Submitter represents and warrants that they have all license rights needed for any third party content they submit to us for publication on the Agent for the Future website and for other company marketing purposes. Submitter agrees that they will indemnify and hold company harmless from any and all claims arising directly or indirectly as a result of submitter’s breach of this representation and warranty.
If you have a suggestion of an agent or agency we should interview, please send the name of the agent/agency, a brief overview of the forward-thinking strategies they are employing and why you think the agent/agency is worth highlighting. Please include links to the agency’s website and/or social media and indicate your relationship to the agent/agency.
Topics we cover:
Industry trends – What agents need to know about the trends shaping the independent agency system, how those trends might impact agencies, and what agents can do to respond.
Technology/digital capabilities – How agencies can use technology tools to grow, tips and tricks for how to implement a specific tool or lead technology changes in an agency, etc. Click here to see examples of articles we’ve posted.
Agency culture – How agencies can build great workplace cultures or get involved in their community, tips for hiring and retaining talent, ideas about how to increase diversity in the insurance industry, etc. Click here to see examples.
Customer experience and agency operations – How agencies can streamline operations, craft excellent customer experiences and make things easier for employees and clients. Click here to see examples.
Marketing – How agencies can communicate with clients and prospects, ideas for how agencies can reach broader audiences, craft targeted messages, track which prospecting methods work best, etc. Click here to see examples.
Niche/specialty – Stories of how agencies can find success with a niche, tips for finding a niche and building a sales pipeline, ideas for successful cross-selling, etc. Click here to see examples.