"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
Albert Einstein   theoretical physicist   1879 - 1955

Every day the media receive hundreds if not thousands of releases and pitches from people like you and me.  In every instance releases are written and pitches made to draw attention to an issue, event, announcement or brand in the hope the media will pass information on to its audiences.

Sadly, most releases end in the bin, and most pitches fall on deaf ears.

Why? Usually it’s because the story sold or pitched to the journalist is neither newsworthy nor interesting enough for the targeted media’s readers, listeners, or viewers. After all, all but a few media outlets are in business for profit, and they stay in business by selling advertising and filling newspapers, magazines and news bulletins and providing online content with information their audiences want. Also, newspapers, magazines and radio and television news bulletins only have a finite amount of space to place stories.
 
So what do you do when the media releases or pitches, prepared either by you or those you pay to act on your behalf, don’t provide the return on investment you are looking for? Do you follow the pack, and persist in writing reams of media releases and continue making pitches to the media which go nowhere?   Or do you look for a different way to get the results you seek?

Instead of trying to make your issue the story, what if you changed tac and started contributing to stories relevant to your expertise which a journalist is already working on? 

Journalists are always looking for sources to contribute to a story, to make the story interesting and informative for their readers, listeners or viewers.  Most stories have between two and up to five different sources within the story, to give it contrast or depth.  Sources, even the principal source, rarely get more than two to three quotes in a given story and the rest of the quotes come from the remaining sources and finally the journalists ‘take’ on the story.

As you live, learn, work and play it’s certain that you get good at something. Being good at something can make you an expert, especially when the media are looking for credible sources to contribute to a story they are already working on.  If you’ve written a book, even if it’s self-published, you are an expert in the eyes of many. And even if you haven’t written a book, chances are you are still good at what you do. So why not leverage your expertise and subscribe to Reverse PR today?

How does Reverse PR work?

Reverse PR provides an online platform to help journalists connect with potential sources for the stories they are working on. The journalist’s query comes direct to me then I compile the information into a unique email which I send to Reverse PR subscribers.  I send the emails out up to three times a day, around breakfast, lunch and late afternoon, Monday to Friday. Reverse PR is free because of the karma, or as I call it ‘givers gain’ effect I receive from helping other people.

I make journalists across Australia a compelling offer to use Reverse PR. Did I mention Reverse PR is free for anyone to use? I invite journalists, even bloggers, indeed anyone who is in the information business, to use Reverse PR as their primary means to connect with prospective sources they need for the stories they are working on.

Similarly I make a compelling offer to would-be media sources to subscribe to Reverse PR.  I provide subscribers with a no-cost, other than their cost of time, potential to be a source in a story a journalist is working on relevant to the sources expertise.  I even encourage public relations firms to subscribe to Reverse PR.

Each Reverse PR email I send subscribers contains unique information I have received from journalists. The email outlines stories journalists are working on and a query advising the contribution the journalist seeks from sources to help round out their stories. Each query also advises how the source should respond to the journalist if they can contribute as a source. It’s then up to each subscriber whether they respond to a journalist’s query. 

By reversing the public relations process my subscribers are saving time, effort and money. It takes up to five minutes to read through a Reverse PR email.  If you’re an expert on a story a journalist is working on it probably takes another five minutes to craft your response to the query and respond to the journalist in question. After all, you’re an expert.  Are you not?  So if you know your stuff, you’ll likely knock up a quick two or three sentence credible response and respond.  If it takes you longer than five-minutes to craft a response you’re probably not the expert source the journalist is looking for in that particular query, so I suggest you don’t respond.

The upside with Reverse PR is if a journalist uses a Reverse PR subscriber’s contribution the subscriber gains a significant return on their investment.  Having their brand, whether it’s their name or business mentioned in print on the radio or TV or indeed online is good for business.  And the extra benefit?  The stature of the Reverse PR subscriber’s expert status increases yet again, especially in the eyes of the public because of their source contribution in the media.  But, the ROI the Reverse PR subscriber recieves goes much wider than that media’s immediate distribution. A Reverse PR subscriber can further empower their brand by linking their brand website to the story in which they are quoted as a source.  And, when someone Google’s something relevant to a Reverse PR subscriber’s expertise that subscriber's brand will likely keep popping up in the search engine results. 

The opportunities for Reverse PR subscribers are endless and they all start from contributing to one journalist’s story. And, because the Reverse PR subscriber is helping a journalist do their job, they also get the karma effect.   Imagine the return on investment when a Reverse PR subscriber contributes to another journalist’s story, then another, and another. 

Put simply, it costs a Reverse PR subscriber nothing, other than a bit of time and effort, to help a journalist out on a topic they’re already an expert on!  And the benefits are immeasurable.

Regards

Mark Croxford