I was asked to write an article on a short deadline. No problem, I thought. Then I got the article specifications which included quoting several experts in the article.
Instead of giving up, I got online and within 12 hours had more experts than I needed and a finished article.
Breaking into a new writing niche is both exciting and stressful. Old contacts may not be able to help you out when you switch from parenting to nutrition, or from health to health foods. There are several options you can try, depending on the time you have to write your article.
- Ask your editor for contacts. Many times they can refer you to someone they know is available for interviews.
- Check out listservs. Do searches on Yahoogroups, Topica, and SmartGroups. Visit Google and use their "groups" search function. Join groups that seem to have professional members. Read past messages, post some questions, and see what happens.
- Email or call members of writer's groups you're associated with. While some writer's keep their contacts under wraps, nearly all the writer's I've worked with online and in person are happy to share professional contacts.
- Visit Profnet to find experts to interview in all areas imaginable. Profnet.com is an online venue that connects journalists with sources. There is no fee to journalists, but the site is used heavily by publicity firms and my experience has been that the PR pros are more excited about their clients getting press than their clients are. In other words, I've been left with a phone bill of unreturned calls. Conversely, if you want to promote your business, book or self, you can sign up (for a fee) to receive the journalists' requests for information. There is also a speaker's bureau online.
- Pull out your yellow pages and look up physicians, attorneys, dietitians, hospital administrators, and accountants to call for information and quotes.
- Read magazines. If you find a name and job title that fits what you need, call the firm where your potential interviewee works. One thing you know already: he is willing to be interviewed.
- Do a search at online bookstores for books that speak to your article's topic. Authors need to get their names in print to sell their books. Many have websites with contact information for members of the press.
- Use public relations firms and departments. Call the public relations department at a hospital to find a nutritionist, cardiologist, administrator, emergency technician. The PR department will know which staff members make good subjects for interviews and may be able to suggest related topics to include in your article or as a sidebar. The PR department at a culinary institute may be able to connect you with a celebrity chef alumna.
- There are other places to look for help. Prweb.com sends out press releases, and has them accessible on the website. IdeaMarketers.com is only one place where writers can place articles for publishers to read. Both of these sources allow writers to look for experts through their press releases and articles.
It may take a while for any of these methods to work. You may get calls and emails from experts that don't fit a particular article. Save their contact information anyway, along with all experts you interview and quote. Build your own database of experts for future articles and each new assignment will find you better connected to the experts you need to reach.
******
Please keep resource box at end intact. You may publish freely in ezines, newsletters, print publications that do not charge a fee for the publication.
About The Author
Pamela White is editor of Food Writing, an online newsletter for food writers and author of FabJob.com's Becoming a Food Writing. Visit www.food-writing.com for the most recent newsletter, how to subscribe for fr^e, and current writing contests.
Marketing on the internet can be a costly procedure, especially... Read More
Find definitions from Q to Z... ~~~~~~~~~~~ Q ~~~~~~~~~~~ Query... Read More
Last time on "Because your articles suck" ? we discussed... Read More
Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they... Read More
In today's busy world, whether your business is large or... Read More
Often all the Web Surfer will see is your title,... Read More
This is Part 2 of a 2 part article -... Read More
Article authors who use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to... Read More
Sharing knowledge on the web can be a very powerful... Read More
If you've spent any time online trying to promote your... Read More
I was busiy submitting some articles I ghost wrote for... Read More
Here's a really simple way... to promote your online business... Read More
Selling books online means that you need to get interested... Read More
Anxiety, apprehension, cold feet, consternation, dismay, distress, dread, fear, fright,... Read More
How does a writing agency market itself effectively in a... Read More
Recycling your work is a lot like doing your part... Read More
Writing a great deal of articles myself, I see a... Read More
Hey! Who's that I see, typing feverishly as brilliant ideas... Read More
If you haven't considered the power of articles as part... Read More
Take a look around the Web and you'll find thousands... Read More
If you have writing skills and want to use your... Read More
So how can you make your article worth reading?It's all... Read More
Whatever you're selling, writing articles to distribute freely amongst webmasters... Read More
One great benefit of article marketing is the generation of... Read More
Article writing can be such an intimate act as you're... Read More
lifting a house to add a second floor complete kitchen remodel ...Do you know why the "Chicken Soup for the Soul"... Read More
Search Engines are constantly on the "look out" for freshly... Read More
Online readers love information, but be sure your information is... Read More
Find definitions from Q to Z... ~~~~~~~~~~~ Q ~~~~~~~~~~~ Query... Read More
Online writing is really self-publishing made easier and potentially much... Read More
There are many schools of thought on how to build... Read More
You've written this wonderful (no question about it) piece of... Read More
It's no secret-link exchanges are dying a painful death. And... Read More
I've been involved in publishing for over a decade now... Read More
Why do so many internet marketers waste their time on... Read More
You have probably heard that writing articles is one of... Read More
Ok, today we are going to talk about one of... Read More
There's a new sort of ghost stalking the digital landscape.They... Read More
Article marketing is becoming more and more popular, especially as... Read More
Last month, I began promoting Jason Potash's "Article Announcer." I... Read More
As an article author, sometimes you can only pull so... Read More
What's the quickest, easiest way to get exposure for your... Read More
Ready to jump on the keyword article bandwagon? Billions of... Read More
Writing articles for online newsletters and websites can be a... Read More
There is no doubt that Spam has affected online business... Read More
If you are an article writer, you may have been... Read More
Currently many online writers and would-be online writers, feel very... Read More
Have you been writing and submitting your free reprint articles... Read More
Writing and submitting articles to article banks is a well-known... Read More
You may be wondering what persuasive writing has to do... Read More
Article Writing Article Writing |