Last Updated on December 17, 2021 by scottkandh

In this post, register to become a media source, the press can be a fantastic source of quality links, but how do you get journalists to write about you? While working with a PR agency can be effective, it’s also extremely expensive. Fortunately, there’s another option. Journalists have a constant need for “experts”: sources that they can interview and quote in articles. In this post, I’ll show you how you can register to make yourself available as an expert for journalists writing stories on your topic area.

Register to Become a Media Source

Register for HARO

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a social media service designed to connect reporters with experts in any topic area to get mentioned in the press. They were one of the original players in this space, and claim to have published over 75,000 journalist inquiries. Haro’s basic service is free, but paid members are given priority access to reporter inquiries. More information about HARO to Help a Reporter Out.

Sign up for SourceBottle

SourceBottle.com is a newer alternative to HARO. Although it doesn’t yet have the reach of HARO, many businesses have landed some quality stories through them. With the number of participating journalists growing every month, now is a good time to get in on the ground floor before there’s too much competition. SourceBottle’s basic service is free, and you can pay for additional exposure.

Consider signing up for ExpertClick or ProfNet

HARO and SourceBottle aren’t the only game in town. ProfNet is another alternative, owned by PR behemoth PRNewswire, which caters more to agencies. ProfNet isn’t cheap, but if you’re serious about PR as a marketing channel, it could be a worthwhile investment. ExpertClick is another paid service to consider, and although it’s smaller some feel ExpertClick’s selectivity does a better job connecting reporters to quality sources.

Respond effectively to inquiries

Now that you’ve registered for one or more of the above services, you will start receiving regular requests from journalists looking for sources. Here are a few tips to maximize the chances that your query responses lead to press coverage:

• Respond quickly: reporters are generally on tight deadlines, so a few hours or even minutes can make the difference between getting covered and getting ignored. Most of the deadlines have a very very short suspense (i.e., the same or next day usually).

• Don’t oversell your company or product: Journalists don’t like to feel like a corporate spokesperson. Answer their questions, and leave it to them to get around to mentioning your company.

• Raise your industry profile: Speaking at conferences, writing a blog, or publishing a book will make you a more credible source

• No query is too small: When first getting started, don’t ignore a query just because it comes from a blogger or little-known news outlet. News often “trickles up” from more specialized media outlets to mainstream media. Besides, even small mentions will help you build your credibility (see above)

• Prepare your assets: Reporters appreciate it when you make their job easier. Prepare a 1-2 page overview of your industry and company with all of the key statistics a reporter might want. Get some high-quality photos made of your key executives, product, and facilities.

Turn contacts into relationships

Reporters frequently write on similar topics, so after you land an interview, focus on building a long-term relationship so that they’ll think of you again in the future. Respond quickly to any follow-up inquiries. After they publish the article, send them an email to say thank you, compliment them on the piece, and make some helpful comments. Consider promoting the article on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook page.

Pro-Tip: To maximize the likelihood that any coverage will lead to a link, always have something on your website that journalists will want to reference: this may be the results of a study, a white paper, a collection of links, or additional background information on the subject.