>This blog series - Getting Heard in the Media - has so far discussed Step #1 “Find Contacts.” And has provided two ways to build a successful media list. The last method Moving is to use Linkedin.
Don’t underestimate the power of Linkedin! Always remember that the search feature is your best friend (this will be a blog post for another time)…so use it to your advantage! For example, if I go into Linkedin and search (under people) the keyword “Journalist” then restrict the area to New York City (or the area of your choosing), over 6,000 journalists come up! If I want to be more specific and type “financial journalist” 916 results show up – a more targeted list is best.
Now, Linkedin does have rules on how we can reach out to people that we technically don’t know, but a way around this is to look for journalist contacts that happen to be in the same groups as you, have shared connections with you, and also journalists who are open networkers (look for 500+ connections and open networking groups that they may be a part of. Of note, as an “open networker” this means that they accept all invites and are open to networking with everyone.) Here is what I mean: on each page there are 10 search results listed; 9 out of 10 on just the first page of my specific search (“financial journalists”) are connected to me in some way by either a shared group or shared connection. I can now reach out to all nine of these contacts and invite them to connect with me (preferably the ones with shared groups). With shared connections you can ask the shared connection if they are willing to introduce you. For the heck of it, I clicked on page 10 of my search results and still most all of the contacts are connected to me by group or shared connections!
This is proof that joining groups on Linkedin that are relevant to what you do is crucial for connecting with important contacts. On another side note, in the invite to connect, I recommend you state something like, “I am reaching out to financial journalists in my area and would like to add you to my professional media network…” Of course tailor it to what you do. Journalists are always looking for new experts and new ideas for a story, so they are usually always willing to accept your invite. You help them as much as they help you remember!
By the way join Help a Reporter Out – or HARO as it’s called - for free at http://www.helpareporter.com/ - start getting a list of “queries” from journalists who are searching for people like you to help them with an article (be an expert, interview, etc.).
Next time we will talk about how to build your list in a spreadsheet.
Ciao!