I get this question a lot so I figured I’d address it more publicly. For some, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing your name in the newspaper. It’s cool. You can show it off to your family and friends. My press highlight was being quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – on the front page – on the day that we happened to be in Pittsburgh for my wife’s huge family reunion. She married well.
But you may be prohibited by a policy where you work from talking to the press. Or maybe you’re shy to the point where you don’t even want to talk on the phone with someone. Or perhaps you don’t have the time.
It’s fine if you don’t return a reporter’s call – but even better if you do and let them know you’re not going to be able to serve as a source. Just as a courtesy.
Working With a Reporter Doesn’t Take Much Time
If your excuse is that you don’t have the time, know that working with a reporter doesn’t have to take a lot of time. After gaining some experience, I was able to limit how much time I spent dramatically. Sometimes the interaction was merely a handful of emails. But that’s after I had built up some relationships.
Of course, if you’re dealing with a bunch of reporters at once, that can add up. Then you have to pick and choose who you want to deal with.
The “Snowball” Affect: Potential Viral Impact of One Quote
The notion of going viral on social media has long existed in the world of journalism. You might find that you’re quoted in a single newspaper – and then a horde of journalists who have read that one quote also beat down your door.
It doesn’t always happen – but it happens more often than you would think. Particularly if your quote was in a well-read publication.
Cultivating a Journalist
So the $64,000 question is “how do I get quoted in the media?” The answer is that you need to become a source for a journalist. And the best way to do that is develop a relationship with one. Like any relationship, you have to place yourself in the journalist’s shoes. Be empathetic.
From the journalist’s perspective, they need to find good story ideas to take to their editors. A good story idea is one that’s going to sell newspapers.
So you need to feed them story ideas. Doing that by email is your best bet. Most journalists work very hard – and are on deadlines. So they have limited time to shoot the breeze.
There’s nothing wrong with sending an email to a journalist even though you’ve never met them. Their email addresses typically are online. They love to get story ideas – and feedback – from their readers. So they are easily accessible.
But if you happen to meet a journalist at a conference, go ahead and introduce yourself and show them that you’re “normal.” Plus, I find they are very interesting people. They’re knowledgeable. Curious. And they may help you in ways you hadn’t considered if you develop a real relationship. They know a lot of people.
Don’t Expect to Automatically Be Quoted
If you pay attention to articles in the paper, there are fewer quotes from sources than you might think. It’s actually pretty hard to be quoted by name. But it does happen.
So when I work with a journalist, I go in with the attitude of “I’m going to help this nice person but I’m not expecting anything out of it.” That way, I’m never disappointed.
In fact, the journalist might ask you for a quote – and fully intends for it to be in the piece – but their editor might cut it. The journalist doesn’t have the final word on what goes into an article. This happens quite a bit.
How to Increase Your Odds of Being Quoted
Here’s where a lot of lawyers get stuck. They’re used to being cautious. Not providing opinions. Not being colorful. Those all are traits for a quote that ain’t gonna see the light of day.
Your quote can’t read like a law firm memo. It has to have a little pizzazz. I always preach to “write like you talk.” That goes double for quotes. It should sound a little bit off-the-cuff.
Your journalist might be willing to accept your boring quote. But their editor is more likely to toss it if it’s boring.
And remember that quotes typically are short. They might be only 3-4 words long. A dozen at the most. Look at the paper to get an idea of what is being accepted these days.
Offer to Email Over a Quote
This doesn’t always work for the journalist, but I often have a phone conversation to answer any questions that they might have. As part of that conversation, I offer to email over a quote for them to consider if they need it.
Since I’m experienced in the art of “what’s a good quote,” this arrangement works out for both of us most of the time. Doing this benefits me because I can control the risk of being misquoted – and it also allows me to ensure my name is spelled properly. And it benefits the reporter because they can cut & paste from my email.
Getting Your Name & Affiliation Right
A journalist isn’t going to show you what they’ve written up. If you’re dealing with them over the phone, you’re not even going to know what they’re going to grab from your conversation as a quote. That’s just the way it works.
So make some effort to ensure that the reporter gets your name spelled correctly. Same with who you work for. Particularly if either of those are hard to spell. Offer to send the reporter an email with the proper spelling and preferred affiliation. It really takes the air out of your balloon to be quoted with your name spelled incorrectly.
Note that some publications won’t use your affiliation the way you want them to. For example, in my old job, I wanted them to say I was “Editor of TheCorporateCounsel.net.” But often they would either say I was a former SEC lawyer – or leave out my affiliation altogether. Nothing you can do about that other than try for what you want.
