Reporters are always looking for sources. View requests and email your succinct answers to them to be quoted in the news.
You may recall I’ve said Reporters call the people they know. They don’t call someone they’ve never heard of.
When a reporter is stumped for a source, they often will seek someone who can answer their questions by posting a query on a website created for that purpose.
The topic may be an issue for small businesses, or the history of lawn mowers.
A few such sites offer the opportunity to register as an expert, meaning a knowledgeable authority.
Note that some websites are FREE and others require membership or subscription fees.
Most request your email as a subscriber or expert, so they may notify you of reporter requests. Others are repositories of requests and you must remember to check them daily or periodically.
Be aware there is no guarantee you will be notified of topics in your specific area of business, or that the reporter will contact you.
Finally, where the name of the publication is indicated (some queries are cloaked), check that it aligns with your target audience. For example, US News and World Report may or may not be relevant for your company.
Here are 11 websites where reporters seek knowledgeable professionals. Click on the name to view the website and review it for more details to learn how it might relate to your business.
Anewstip: Monthly fee to pitch reporters based on their own social media activity, as gathered in a proprietary database.
Cision: Annual fee to research a proprietary media database, plus other services. Primarily used by Public Relations professionals.
ExpertClick: Monthly membership fee includes press release distribution.
HARO: FREE, several times daily list of assorted queries.
Just Reach Out: Monthly subscription features easy response to queries.
Muck Rack: Annual subscription to detailed database of reporters. Includes journalist queries, along with media monitoring and analytics. Primarily used by Public Relations professionals.
PitchRate: FREE, register as an expert.
PitchRate: Annual fee to receive queries and register as an expert.
Qwoted: FREE, queries and registration as an expert. Premium annual subscription for priority notification of queries.
SourceBottle: FREE, queries from global journalists, not only US.
Source of Sources: FREE, three times daily list of assorted queries
This Month’s Tip
It is best to reply within one hour of receiving notification of a reporter’s request, regardless of any stated deadline. After that brief window, the reporter will likely have been deluged by emailed answers from Public Relations professionals and your competitors, leaving your thoughts buried in that flood of responses.
Name,
Your ____ (insert name of website where you saw the query) request for a source to comment on ____ (topic) prompted me to contact you.
As a ___ (your profession), I have dealt with similar situations. Here are my thoughts:
- Idea #1
- Idea #2
- Idea #3
Please feel free to contact me at ___ (phone) or reply to this email to arrange further discussion.
Looking forward to working with you on this story.
Regards.
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Contact
You’ve got to be in it to win the lottery and the same applies to seeing your name and quote in the news. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com , book an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Let’s review your draft of an expert profile and consider which reporter query websites might be appropriate for you.