Sourceofsources Connects Experts With Top Media

A Network for Ordinary Experts

In the scramble for online attention, businesses from a Texas street food vendor to a Seattle tech startup are on an even playing field. Most have nothing behind their names but their work, but this is no obstacle. Sourceofsources.com, a media outreach service, connects experts and journalists — without charge. These connections can easily build brand attention. A media outreach service operates as a bridge between businesses and journalists, connecting experts with media professionals. The service allows users to receive emails from journalists seeking expertise for their articles —the kind of stories that make their way into Google searches and raise brand visibility. The service is a database of 20,000+ media contacts from top publications like the Washington Post and NPR. It matches experts with journalists who are looking for quotes and sources. In turn, businesses get valuable SEO backlinks and more visibility.

The Growing Influence of Web Visibility

The internet is affixated to information. We don’t just go to Google anymore to check the traffic or news. We might pull up a recipe in the middle of making a meal, or ask search for the name of that celebrity in the bullet-proof car commercial. If a business can’t be found online, it’s very difficult to find a profit (except for maybe very specialized brick-and-mortar stores). Businesses are always looking for a way to boost their profiles, to climb up the search rankings and get more attention. Being mentioned and quoted by top journalists helps them achieve this. The opportunities that come from being cited by top publications are as immeasurable as the terms of engagement between these publications and the media outreach service are simple. The service is a practical way for businesses to gain online visibility. The service still requires effort from the users, but perhaps more importantly, it requires them to be honest about their expertise. The queries they respond to come from top-notch journalists, and these journalists do their due diligence well before reaching out. Therefore, it’s important to be honest and accurate in your response. However, most you need to focus on answering questions from these journalists well.

The Mechanics of Connecting Supply and Demand

How the Service Disperses Information

Every day, emails go out to the pool of media contacts. These emails contain queries from journalists looking for experts and businesses to quote in their articles. Anyone can sign up and receive these queries, and everyone has a fair shot. The service is entirely free. This is a fairly democratic way to ensure that everyone has a shot. The idea is rather simple: Build a network of experts and journalists. Journalists send out queries, and the experts respond. This can be interpreted as creating a supply chain of information. The supply in this case is the journalists, who seek to build articles and need experts to quote. The demand is fulfilled by the pool of experts, who can provide the necessary information to the journalists.

The Service's Interface

The service's platform includes a list of 20,000+ journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, and brands. These contacts are available to everyone who uses the service. They are meant to be used as a resource when journalists reach out with a query. Each expert can respond to a query that fits their expertise. Experts get cited if they give a sufficiently good response. You can get queries from journalists in top publications like the Washington Post and NPR. Responding to these journalists can improve your visibility. If you give a good answer, the journalist cites you in their stories. Sweeten the deal, and the shared content ranks high in Google. It gains visibility, and perhaps most importantly for many, it gets you valuable SEO backlinks.

What Media Queries Look Like

The queries that journalists send to experts are crisp and to the point. They usually contain a few details about the article they’re working on, the subject, and the information they’re looking to gather. Here’s an example. "I am writing an article on cybersecurity in AI. I would like to include quotes by an expert in cybersecurity." This is a fairly generic example, but it gives you an idea of what to expect. These kinds of queries come in daily, so a diligent expert can gain significant visibility and build a reputable name. It is a number game, and if you’re willing to play it consistently, you may win.

Doing It Right

Don’t expect to become a viral sensation. The endeavor to network isn’t easy, and the work required in maintaining it can be stressful. However, if you’re just starting out, you can wait to respond to a few queries to build confidence and strategy, and eventually build your portfolio.

1. Sign up for free. Sign up on the service, just as everyone else. For free. There are no conditions and no subscription plans.
2. Be accurate and precise. This cannot be overstated enough. Remember, the queries come from journalists who may give you a moment, but who will not wait if you waste their time.
3. Stay relevant. Since the media doesn’t have a monopoly and you’re signing up to be contacted by any journalist who’s looking to interview you, you have to be able to differentiate between the queries and say “yes” to the ones that best represent your expertise
4. Stay Real. It’s better to respond to fewer queries honestly and competently, than to respond to many questions without character or competency.

Time to Bow Out

The digital landscape is straightforward. The more exposure you get, the more visibility you garner. This media outreach service is an easy way to do just that—a more honest way, as well, than trying to game algorithms. There are no shortcuts, no shortcuts to the easy way out, and the best experts will know that the path towards real recognition and visibility is through reality.