For newbies to PR or those that are short on time, sharing a quote for someone else’s piece is a simple yet effective way to start. I was fortunate to be involved in a PR Moment magazine article where I shared my views on the PR industry.
The question was simple – “can you get rich working in PR?”
Rather than spending time researching or writing an entire piece, I contributed my thoughts in only 150 words. The magazine then puts the article together and promotes it to their audience when it goes live. My part was really rather simple but massively effective to get my name included in an industry magazine.
Another recent comment I shared was around how to be confident on new client calls. This is something a lot of small businesses and sole traders can find challenging. It’s hard to take control of the conversation and not have a big company to fall back on when there are tricky questions. I used to dread the telephone but fortunately learnt some tactics to now make it an enjoyable experience and was thrilled to share these with the magazine’s audience.
The Editor of the Underpinned magazine emailed me some questions to answer which took me around 10 minutes to write my answers and send back. They then pull out the best quotes that fit their piece and mentioned me each time I was quoted.
So, how do you do get your quote featured in someone else’s article?
These particular quotes were confirmed after I saw a shout out on social media. I follow the magazine Editors on Twitter and we’re connected on LinkedIn. This is not by accident.
I’m a Freelance Journalist but have spent the last decade working in PR, so as a PR trainer, I like to keep on top of industry news. I follow key people, magazines, websites etc and registered for many PR and journalism news updates. This means I can reach out to the right people when I have an idea AND I can start to get on their radar too so when an opportunity does arise, they will hopefully recognise my name.
Here are my top tips on how to get a quote published in a website or blog but the same principle applies for other media such as magazines and newspapers too…
Keep an eye out
Follow influential journalists, editors, producers, media organisations etc on social media and keep an eye on the things they share and what they are talking about. Often the media will put call outs to hear from industry experts and that is when you can put yourself forward to be included.
Sign up for any newsletters that may be relevant too so you can keep an eye on what they’re publishing and if there could potentially be a place for you in the near future.
Get on their radar
Once you are following certain media outlets and their staff, you don’t have to wait until they ask to hear from people before you get in on their radar. Retweet their tweets, comment on their posts, tell them how much you enjoyed their last article.
Be quick
There are lots of people vying for media attention but if you react fast you have a much higher chance of being featured. If you see a shout out on social media to hear from an expert on topics you know inside out, do NOT wait 5 days to reply.
Be easy to work with
Give the editor EVERYTHING they have asked for and then some. If they’ve asked for a quote, remember to add your headshot, bio and anything else that could be helpful to them.
It may be that they’ll be able to add your website or photos in the piece so it’s well worth sending in just in case. Don’t make them have to send 50 emails asking for things that could have all been sent right from the beginning.
Say thank you
Once the piece goes live, tag the person you organised the piece with and the media organisation itself in any social media posts when your quote goes live. It could be that you email to say the article looks great and send a thank you there.
However you do it, just remember a little thank you goes a LONG way. Be easy to work with, share the article and say thanks, and this could be what leads the editor to call you again when they need someone to talk about your expertise.