Become the Perfect Source

• A. General attributes
  • Be timely—meet deadlines; give appropriate lead times; jump on hot issues.
  • Be prepared.
  • Be reliable—available for comment, easy to reach through multiple means (cell, e-mail, fax).
  • Be honest, trustworthy, and known—present facts fairly, have evidence ready to support claims.
  • Be lively and personable (quotable).
  • Be professional and polite—follow the media outlet's guidelines; don’t bug them. Maintain relationships.
  • Be memorable.

• B. Know the different roles available to you:
  • Fact-checkers may not be quoted but reporters prize them. Become the person a reporter trusts, and you can influence coverage.
  • On-call experts offer background information and quotes on stories in their areas of expertise.

• C. Feed reporter good information and stay in touch
  • Alert them to interesting developments in your field, including important upcoming events.
  • Suggest topics they should cover.
  • Stay in touch, 4-5 contacts/year (even short congratulatory email on a good story).
  • Send a polite correction if it's needed. Reporters care about accuracy.