Peter Shankman, a publicist, author and speaker, has created a “matchmaking” service for reporters. His “Help a Reporter” email service has become quite popular, among reporters and among potential sources.
The idea is that any of us can register for Shankman’s email list. Reporters send in queries, Shankman sends them out to us and we can answer those that are in our areas of expertise. Often, the query gives us the reporter’s contact information so we can contact him or her directly. But reporters can ask to be anonymous, in which case we send our info to Shankman who screens the replies and sends the most appropriate ones on to the reporter.
Reporters are looking for experts but also real people with experiences that the reporter is writing about. Just in the short time I’ve been receiving the emails from Shankman, there have been some inquiries about grandparents, older entrepreneurs, and baby boomers. That is no surprise since the world of aging is top of the news these days.
Beware though of wasting a journalist’s time. Read the rules at “Help a Reporter,” and scan Shankman’s personal blog for the back story of the site.
Read business reporter Marci Alboher’s NYTimes column for how she uses the service and then register at Help a Reporter.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Rita // Mar 25, 2008 at 12:04 am
I’m a reporter and I write a blog for boomer consumers. How do reporters sign up?
I write the blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.
2 Joanne Fritz // Mar 25, 2008 at 4:59 pm
First sign up for the mailing list. Then when you need to find an expert or someone to interview just email Shankman and tell him you are a reporter and what you write for. I don’t think you have to be cleared first or anything.
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