When we watch or read the news, we often see experts sharing their views and opinions, but have you ever wondered – how have these individuals become the go-to person for commentary? And how can I become one of them?
From lawyers to charity leaders, headteachers, and tech bosses, journalists are always keen to hear from a wide range of professionals to add their insights to breaking news stories.
PLMR has worked with many organisations to help establish their spokespeople as reliable voices that journalists, and their audiences, can trust. Here are some top things you should consider if you are looking to build your profile as a trusted expert in the media.
Choose the right topic
Most importantly, you should determine the topics that you have valuable knowledge to contribute to media reporting. There might be many subjects that you feel confident sharing your views on, but you should choose one or two that allows you to link back to your organisation’s area of interest and business goals.
You should also be mindful not to choose a topic that is too broad, as then you will be in competition with numerous other professionals putting their views forward and you risk having your insights lost amongst them. For instance, if you are a leader at a charity focused on providing dementia support, rather than commenting on all stories related to Alzheimer’s, you could choose a niche within that sphere – for example barriers to diagnosis.
Being regularly seen to offer comments on a select number of topics will familiarise journalists with your expertise and will help build your credibility. As such, you might even find yourself in a position where journalists are so used to receiving your views on your chosen topic, that they will proactively approach you for comment when they want to write about it.
Diversity of content
To further solidify your status as an expert, you should think about the different types of content that you are sharing with journalists and your audiences. Issuing reactive comments in response to developing news stories is only one part of a communications campaign – you should consider writing thought leadership articles which allow you to do a deeper dive into your topic, as well as creating your own news stories and press releases to present original new data or findings.
You should also think about the diversity of the channels where you are putting your views forward – print media, radio, broadcast, and social media are all equally important platforms, and each allows you to speak to your audiences.
Perseverance is key
Building your reputation is a long-term project and doesn’t happen overnight so perseverance is key when trying to establish yourself as an expert and commentator. You should constantly monitor the news for reactive comment opportunities (you can read more on successful newsjacking here) and focus on securing diverse pieces of coverage in different types of media in order to gradually build your profile.
It will take time for journalists to get to know and approach you, but if you are putting out a steady stream of engaging and interesting communications, this can be a very achievable goal. In a crowded media landscape, distancing yourself from others and winning coverage as an expert might seem challenging, but these top tips from PLMR should help you as you seek to become a trusted voice.
