Are you making these mistakes for media coverage?
Plus another coffee chat + new assignments this week!
Happy Thursday!
This work week is in full swing, plus, my wedding countdown is on. I am getting married in June which is starting to feel right around the corner!
P.S. If you rep a brand that would be interested in being featured in a wedding goodie bag + documented on social media, let me know! I’d be thrilled to hear who you’re working with and if we might be a good fit. My wedding is becoming a PR event, and I am very into it, ha!
My media friend and fellow freelance writer, Melissa Boufounos, and I were chatting about some common mistakes we see experts and industry folks making when it comes to answering pitch calls and source requests.
Melissa just started her own Substack, so be sure to support her over there, too!
We thought it would be helpful to do a Q&A style interview to better speak to questions like “what am I doing wrong?” and “why don’t my quotes get picked up?”
As a heads up, we are going to be holding a coffee chat next Wednesday, 2/28 at 12 PM Eastern to talk all about these questions, and answer anything live on the call too!
Be sure to hit the subscribe button to get the Zoom link, and join us next Wednesday!
Are you making these mistakes for media coverage?
So let’s hear what Melissa had to say!
Caroline: As a freelance writer, what are the top 2-3 mistakes you see people making when responding to queries?
Melissa:
Many don't read the full query, and they send responses that don't align with what was asked. This is frustrating for the writer because it creates more work for them to find new sources or chase corrections. It's also frustrating for the expert when their quotes aren't in the published piece.
Some, often folks in acedemia, respond with too much information that is overly complicated. A quotable sound bite isn't supposed to be 2-5 paragraphs long.
They are not including their sources when referencing research or stats.
Caroline: How can someone stand out as an expert you come back to again and again for your stories?
Melissa: The experts I've come back to again and again have a few things in common. They reply quickly to queries, they provide sound bites that don't require much, if any, editing, and they include their sources. Basically, I know that they are reliable. They also share the published articles across their social media networks, tagging me and the publication.
Caroline: Any other thoughts?
Melissa: Becoming a go-to expert source for media is about relationship building. It's not just about your credentials. I have directly sent queries to people who were very rude in their exchange with me, and I will never reach out to them again, despite their credentials. If you tell a writer you're going to provide quotes for them and something changes with your availability, let them know ASAP. Don't string them along with the promise of sending them something or outright ghost them.
She is just the best, right?! As always, check out my assignments on my desk this week, and please let me know if you want to team up for any of them!
Upcoming assignments
New assignments will be here each week! Depending on the season, I am writing 10-20 stories per month right now.
Eat This!: The Healthiest Cake Mixes on Grocery Shelves — Looking for product and expert recs. Due 2/27.
The Girl’s List: The Difference between Natural Caffeine vs Synthetic — looking for expert quotes only. Please respond to this email for the questions, and I'll send them over! Due 2/29. (Psttt… The Girl’s List is a new publication and the counterpart to The Guy’s List from Today’s Business.)
Well+Good: What an IBS Diagnosis Taught Me About the Importance of Stress Management and Self-Care — Looking for 1-2 IBS experts to support this story about stress management and GI symptoms. Due 3/1.
EatingWell: How to Choose the Healthiest Peanut Butter — Looking for expert dietitian sources that can speak to making a healthy choice here. Due 3/5.
Clean Plates: Supplements to Reduce Cortisol — Looking for a mix of expert sources and product recommendations here that have research to show their efficacy in reducing stress levels. Due 3/6.
Subscribe and join Caroline and Melissa next Wednesday at the link below for a coffee chat about Mistakes Most People Make When Looking for Media Coverage.
What to expect when you subscribe:
Direct access to me for questions
Subscriber-exclusive industry tips & insights from a dietitian & freelance writer (Hi, it’s me!)
Access to future calls and ask-me-anything events
Archive access to past content & calls
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