Tips for Becoming a Heavily Quoted Source

PR Newswire offers Six Simple Steps for Turning Your Company into a Heavily Quoted Source.

According to Dan Forbush, president and founder of ProfNet, a lot of media pickup isn't always driven by stellar press releases. "There are two essential approaches to media placement. One is to persuade reporters that your organization has news worth reporting - this approach is deliberate and release driven. The other is to persuade reporters that there are individuals within your organization who - because of their industry perspective or some form of expertise - are worth interviewing. This approach is opportunistic and pitch driven."

Forbush's tips include:

• Play reporter. Understand the readers you must satisfy - topics of interest, unique story angles, and sources of expertise.
  
• Become a matchmaker. Identify individuals within your organization or clientele who can satisfy the reporting needs and any presentations that would be persuasive.
  
• Identify ideas for the masses vs. tailored pitches. Tailor an idea for a single reporter by taking their interests into consideration.
  
• Adopt a long-term perspective. Craft your pitch in a way that if it's not picked up, you can be confident your next pitch will be read. You want to position yourself as a reliable source.
• Perform an Expert Audit. Identify colleagues or clients and who can talk effectively about specific topics.
• Develop platforms for spokespeople. Profile your spokespeople and other expert resources on your website. Send a media advisory alerting reporters on the availability of your spokesperson on hot topic issues.
  

Filed In:PR Newswire Spokesperson Reporter Pitch Stories