Where to Find Experts: 5 Services for Journalists

Contents:

• Effective platforms for finding speakers
• How to effectively interact with specialized companies
• The power of word of mouth in finding experts
• Creating a database of speakers for professionals

Effective Platforms for Finding Speakers

In the modern Russian media space, there are two main services for finding experts: Deadline.Media and Pressfeed. Both services offer similar functionality, allowing users to create requests for comments. These requests are moderated and published in a shared feed, making the expert search process more convenient and efficient. Speakers have the opportunity to respond to your requests by providing their comments, and you can select the most appropriate answers, significantly facilitating interaction between journalists and experts. Using Deadline.Media and Pressfeed helps improve the quality of content and increase its authority by attracting competent specialists.

Request moderation can vary significantly depending on the specific service. For example, Deadline.Media allows requests from lesser-known or less popular blogs, while Pressfeed has stricter selection criteria. In my experience, when I submitted a request for a blog about financial accounting, it failed moderation due to insufficient traffic. However, a few months later, when the blog gained popularity, I was able to successfully submit my requests. This highlights the importance of focusing on content quality and audience engagement to increase your chances of successful moderation.

To successfully pass moderation and attract the attention of experts, it is essential to formulate your request correctly. Here are a few recommendations I use. First, clearly define the purpose of your request and state it concisely and clearly. Second, use professional and concise language, avoiding redundant phrases and complex terms that may confuse the reader. Third, provide the necessary details and context so experts can quickly understand the essence of your request. Finally, be sure to check the text for grammatical and spelling errors, as this also affects the perception of your submission. Following these guidelines will increase your chances of a positive outcome and help you stand out from other submissions.

• I clearly state the topic of the request;
• I determine what will be included in the article;
• I describe the requirements in detail: what exactly is needed from the speaker and in what volume;
• I immediately ask for information about the speaker and the company, as well as a link and photo. This allows you to save time and communicate only with those who have provided all the necessary data.

Despite the fact that even a carefully formulated request is not always While it's difficult to get answers, there are situations where the information you need remains unavailable. For example, I recently encountered difficulty getting comments on the important topic of employee financial responsibility. This can be due to the high volume of queries in the feed, which means experts don't notice your posts, especially if they don't visit the service frequently. To increase your chances of getting a response, it's recommended to clarify your questions and use keywords related to the topic, which will help attract the attention of experts.

On Deadline.Media, republishing a query is the only effective method of attracting attention. At the same time, the Pressfeed platform offers a useful feature that significantly facilitates this process. When creating a query, the service suggests sending it to suitable experts. This option is also available later: in the upper right corner of your query, there is a "Find..." button, which allows you to route your query to specific experts. This approach provides greater visibility for your query, and experts can receive a notification and contact you or send a response themselves. Using these tools increases your chances of successfully receiving responses from professionals.

How to effectively interact with specialized companies

Interaction with specialized Investigating companies is an important aspect of journalistic research. Direct contact with representatives of organizations ensures reliable commentary and expert opinions on current issues. For example, if you are writing about the launch of a new production facility, it is recommended to contact equipment suppliers or consulting companies that can provide valuable insider information. This approach not only improves the quality of your material but also increases its credibility, which in turn helps improve search engine rankings. A list of companies and their contact information is available on various online resources, including directories and catalogs. It is recommended to use search engines to find the necessary information. Start by filling out a contact form on the company's website or sending an email with a request. A more complex, but often effective method is to find decision makers on social media and establish contact with them. This can significantly increase the chances of successful interaction.

Contacting relevant companies has its own unique challenges. On the one hand, PR specialists and marketers may be happy to answer your request and provide the necessary information. On the other hand, there's a chance your inquiry will be forwarded to a sales manager who shows no interest in collaborating. Therefore, it's important to approach this process consciously and carefully consider your engagement strategy. Formulating your request correctly and choosing the right company can significantly increase your chances of receiving the desired response and a successful collaboration.

Receiving comments from relevant companies isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. In some cases, you might receive a response to your inquiry, but in others, you might not. For example, I sent about 15 inquiries via email and feedback forms, but received no response. In another situation, a personal message to an employee resulted in a promise of comment, but the actual information only arrived after a follow-up request to the press service. The effectiveness of inquiries depends on various factors, including the approach and communication channels chosen.

If you don't receive a response through the official website or social media, don't linger on one company—move on to the next. While it may be tempting to reach out to every possible source at once, it's best to avoid this. Receiving a good comment but then discarding it because of the response you've already received risks negatively impacting future collaboration. Focus on quality interactions and maintaining professional relationships to avoid missing out on important opportunities.

Remember, don't promise to publish comments. The final decision always rests with the editorial team or marketer. Even if you promise to provide a link to the company's website, but only a textual mention is ultimately published, this could displease the expert and negatively impact your publication's reputation. Therefore, it is important to be transparent in communication and clearly explain the terms of posting materials.

The Power of Word of Mouth in Finding Experts

Word of mouth is one of the most effective methods of finding experts for commentary. Reach out to colleagues and ask directly if they can recommend someone who can help. If you have access to private chats, don't hesitate to ask for help. Many of your connections may have established contacts with professionals willing to share their knowledge and experience. This approach can significantly speed up the process of finding the information you need and improve the quality of your content.

If you don't yet have an established network of professional contacts, don't despair. Social media is a great tool for finding like-minded people and expanding your network. Find groups and communities that match your professional field and post a request for recommendations. Perhaps one of the participants can offer you valuable contacts that will help you advance your career.

It is important to provide your colleagues with the necessary information. Clarify what kind of comment you require and what specific material it pertains to. In your message, be sure to indicate:

• The topic of the question for the expert;
• Where the material will be published;
• Whether there will be an active link to the expert or their company.

Your colleagues will be able to quickly assess whether their expert acquaintances will be interested in your proposal, and whether they can provide high-quality commentary on your topic. This will significantly simplify the interaction process and increase the effectiveness of discussions.

Creating a Speaker Database for Professionals

Creating a speaker database is an important strategy for those who regularly interact with various experts. Instead of constantly searching for new contacts, it is recommended to develop an organized table including first names, last names, contact information, and company links. It is also necessary to add a field with short descriptions, which will allow you to quickly assess the competencies of each specialist. Personally, I recently began building my database and now understand how important this decision was. Creating such a database speeds up the process of finding suitable speakers for events and improves the quality of work with experts.

My database includes not only experts, but also clients for whom I create texts. The relationships established with them allow me to receive valuable comments and insights. For example, when working on a piece about free traffic sources, I reached out to the owner of the agency I work with. He uses creative approaches to content distribution without spending money, and he achieves excellent results. These interactions help me improve the quality of the content and increase its effectiveness.

I recommend saving in your database only those specialists who are interested in further collaboration and with whom you feel comfortable interacting. By comfortable, I mean that the speaker provides not just general comments, but high-quality answers that require minimal editing. It is also important that they share a link to their website and photos that can be used in the materials in advance. This will significantly simplify the work process and improve the quality of the content.

When working on a project, it is important to avoid constantly consulting the same expert. A variety of opinions enriches the content, making it more interesting and professional. If the same speakers regularly appear in materials, this may raise doubts about the objectivity and professionalism of both the author and the platform on which the material is published. Therefore, it is worth involving various experts to provide more balanced and high-quality content that will attract the audience's attention and increase trust in the information.