Interview Experts to Get Media Attention
Finding and interviewing experts who support your message or enhance your brand can also get publicity for your company or organization! That is, when you choose the RIGHT Experts to interview and the RIGHT Topic to cover.
What do I mean by that?
The right expert will help draw attention to your company or cause because she or he will already have a following of their own, as well as a good reputation. Remember the saying “reputation by association?” In this case it couldn’t be more true. Because if you have a good reputation, it will be easier to enlist the help of those with whom you connect and enlist to be interviewed. In addition to a good reputation, she or he will also have a loyal following of her or his own. In additon, the right expert will have name recognition with the media which helps to get the media’s attention.
The right topic means one that is timely, of interest to a specific group of people and worth the media’s time in seeking out.
How will you know when and how to find the right expert? Do what I do. Surf the internet. Read magazines in the topic area you are interested in pursuing. Ask for referrals both online and offline. When you find the right expert(s) contact them. Start by asking for an interview. I can tell you in the four+ years I have been interviewing experts only a handful have turned me down. And it is almost always because she or he does not have the time. Most of whom, invite me to contact them again in the future. Only twice in the hundreds of times I have contacted people has the person said, “no, your audience is not my target audience.” I respect that.
Which brings me to another point. If you do your homework, the right expert is right for your organization and your organization is right for her. It must be a win-win for both parties as well as whomever would benefit from reading, hearing or seeing the interview once been produced. I have made the mistake of contacting women (and men) who were totally wrong for my audience and once we had the opportunity to chat, it became clear.
Here are a few other tips when looking for experts:
When you are not absolutely 100% sure the interviewee would be perfect for your audience and your message, do a pre-interview. Make time to spend a few moments to get to know the person you are going to interview and it will soon become apparent if the “fit is in.”
Start at the top! Don’t be afraid to contact someone just because you think she or he is “out of your league.” When I first started looking for women to interview I connected with women who I really didn’t think would respond, let alone say “yes.” And surprisingly, most of them have been gracious and generous with their time and talent.
Make more than one contact. Especially when it comes to email. On more than one ocassion, my guest experts have thanked me for taking time to follow up on the initial contact, because they had lost track of the original message.
Next! Although I am a strong proponet of the “never give up” theory, I also know that spending valuable time pursuing one person can mean the difference between the “next right expert” being unavailable because I didn’t contact her sooner. You have to decide when to move on.
Contact the Media. Once you find the RIGHT Expert, start making contacts with the media to let them know about the interview. This could be in the form of an email (if you know that’s the way your media connections wish to be contacted). Send a media release to them and to any organizations or companies that would also be interested in reading, listening to or watching this interview.
Here are some resources you can use to find experts:
