Founder, Innovation Women, connecting event managers with female experts & speakers. Bobbie Carlton also owns Lioness Magazine.
getty
Don’t confuse becoming an expert source for reporters with a side quest. It can be an important part of your direct path to expert or thought leadership status.
What’s an expert source? You’re reading an article in the newspaper or a magazine and within the story, there is a comment or explanation from…an expert. This is the person offering commentary, insight and a perspective on the topic at hand, but they are not directly involved in the story. If it was a trial, they would be an expert witness.
How do you become an expert source? Often these experts are already known by journalists. Smart reporters often have a group of experts on file. When they are writing a story, they might contact their chosen experts for input. But sometimes reporters need to quickly find new experts. Maybe it is a new beat for them or maybe it is a fast-moving story where none of their usual experts qualify. Or maybe they have overused their existing experts and need new, fresh options.
The journalists may have access to databases where they can search by topic, industry and location. (If you are writing for a local newspaper, your editors often prefer your experts to also be local.) Sometimes a reporter will search online for experts, looking for people also writing about the topic, being a guest on podcasts, radio or TV. Sometimes they will send out queries to their network, especially public relations staffers. As a PR person, I often help reporters get connected with experts, even if the experts are not my clients, because I want to be known for being helpful to reporters.
Positioning Yourself To Be An Expert Source
1. Create the target media list. Who are the reporters and publications most likely to write on the topic? Which reporters are “repeaters,” writing on the same topic regularly? Reach out to provide them with your information and your credentials when things are quiet.
2. Follow key reporters on social networks. Engage with them, share and comment on articles they are writing. Demonstrate your expertise so they know your name.
3. Take articles that are already written (i.e., that you missed being an expert in) and write commentary on them. Try to focus on questions that are not being asked or being reported on. This preserves your ability to comment on these things in the future versus giving it all away after the fact. It’s important to not insult the reporter or correct them but to offer up something they didn’t address that only an expert would know.
4. Sign up for alerts with your topics to get stories sent to you so you can share them on social media with commentary.
5. Write letters to the editors in response to the articles that are appearing. These need to be super tightly written and often have word count limits.
6. Write an op/ed, an article or even a book on your chosen topic.
7. Share your publications on social media so reporters writing about the topic find you.
8. Follow or search on hashtags like #JournoRequest and/or #PRRequest regularly.
9. Sign up for services that send you journalists’ requests. There are several.
10. Become a regular on podcasts covering your area.
Once you start getting quoted, and doing a good job, you are likely to hear from other reporters who also need input on the topic. What’s a “good job?" You’re succinct, you’re relevant and you’re quotable. You’re interesting. All the hallmarks of a good expert source and a way to secure more opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge and capabilities.
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
