Reaching the Media

The media, in particular, has been significantly altered by social media. Traditional media is now online, and journalists are mining social media for trends and stories. You can be sure writers are searching association and event communities on the industries they cover. The more information you are posting in those communities that is valuable, the more exposure you will have to the media.

By valuable information, I’m not talking about press releases. If you are part of the community conversation and sharing timely information (and are available at a moment’s notice), you might be tapped for an interview or at least a quote. If you are not the appropriate person to do the interview or give a quote, make sure you know who is and how to reach him. It’s not good enough anymore to get back to a journalist in 24 hours. Sometimes a writer has only a half an hour to finish the story, and if he can’t get a quote from you, it’s easy enough to find someone else.