Danny Does NPR and Interview Opportunities

Frequently when we talk about links you hear the comment - "get to know the journalists in your area so they'll write about your site" (or some variation of that line) but we don't always hear how or where to find them.

Earlier today I was looking at the NPR site after Justilien pinged this a.m. and mentioned he heard Danny on NPR's Marketplace last night. Always eager to listen to what Mr. Sullivan has to say (nose tan deepening), I popped over to NPR to find the interview.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/04/03/PM200704033.html

While I was hunting for it, this call to action for experts/information on a handful of topics caught my eye and attention. These kinds of story requests are golden as they are an open invitation and a way to make contact with the media in your niche.

Here's what it said:

HELP US TELL THE STORY

We want your insights to help us in our reporting in these areas. Share what you know:

Is the subprime crisis affecting you, your work or where you live?
Help public radio cover Hispanic communities
Have you started a business?
What does sustainability mean to you?

Someday, when I get a big girl blog (cough) I'll be able to cut and copy examples of the actual ad in it's original format but for now, there it is.

So......in the future, when you're out there building links and doing this kind of work: (which is fine by the way, it works)

Keyword + add a site

Keyword + submit a site

add the phrase "help us tell the story" (and it's variations) + keyword and see what pops up! Then get to work sending in your articles and research papers and become the credible source journalists turn to in your industry - like Danny is with NPR! :)

Justilien's Interview Howls!

Justilien gave a great interview over on GrayWolf's SEO Blog about local search and finding links. He offers up a number of good points, I particularly like this one:

...."Another strategy is to publish expert articles on industry related sites. Hire a writer or editor if needed. By doing this the site gets a link or two and may pickup secondary links from others who read the article such as journalist and bloggers...."

I think hiring local editors/journalists is a smart idea for a number of reasons:

1. It's (almost) a sure thing that you'll get a link from their host publication. Newspapers, like websites, always need content!

2. Newspaper people are a lot like academian's, they accrue credibility by what they publish. That link-filled article of yours won't just sit there, it'll be sent out to all her/his contacts and then some.

3. Most journalist's have their own blogs now, which need content, and credibility etc etc.

If you're looking to hire writers for local angles, local newspaper people are golden!

Good one Jus!! (and yes of course that's me in the bikini ;)--

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