Identify your Sources Early

Blogathon, day 27. Make sure you tune in on Monday, June 30, for a one-day special offer I've never done before! 

Two days ago, I picked up an assignment from a market that's brand-new to me. It's a research-heavy assignment; two related stories that require three experts and three "real people" sources each. The stories aren't due until the end of July, but I'm already working on lining up my sources and ideally want them interviewed by July 10 or so. 

Experts are easy. Swing a dead cat...you know the rest. "Real people," however, are not. It takes time to find "real people," especially when they have to meet specific parameters like for these stories. (One story about newlyweds and sex took me three weeks to find the three "real" people who would agree to speak with me. Lesson: No more writing about newlywed sex again!) And I never want to be in a position where I'm closing in on a deadline yet don't have all of my sources interviewed. It makes me cranky and anxious. 

So I always get my research and interviews done way ahead of time. You should too. 

Your assignment: When you accept an assignment, immediately start identifying and lining up your sources for the story. 

**Want to learn more about successful freelancing? 

Check out Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition, a freelancing classic that helps both new and experienced writers boost their bottom line. 

If you're a new freelancer, get up to speed fast with Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets, which is aimed at brand-new freelancers in search of their first clips.

And if you want to add ghostwriting to your repertoire, you'll want to read Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition, which shows how to break into the ghostwriting/content marketing field--even if you haven't ghostwritten before. 

A Simple. Proven Way to Find Even Hard-to-Find Sources

Do you find that locating--and interviewing potential sources--one of the time-consuming parts of freelancing? Me too. That's one reason I always start looking for sources within a day or so of accepting an assignment--I need to identify my sources before I contact my sources before I line up interviews with my sources before I interview my sources...you get the point.

If there's a way to make this process easier, I want to know about it! So I was excited to learn about Source Sleuth, and what it does for freelancers. I spoke with Ryan Evans, its founder recently for this Q and A: 

Q: Let's talk sources. Just how important is finding the right sources is for journalists/freelancers?  

A: The daily routine of a writer can be pretty hectic and it's tempting to plug in sources quickly and move on to the next assignment. But finding a good source can make a huge difference, both in an article, and in a career.  

Here are some of the things a good source can bring to the table:

• Credibility - A high-caliber source not only makes a story more credible, but it shows your editor that you have a good network to draw from.
• Articulating ideas - Writers have to write about a wide variety of topics and quickly understand complex issues. A knowledgeable source can distill a complex issue or give nuance to something that seems simple or uninteresting. 
• Fact checking - While you are digging up information, you'll uncover things that need to be verified. Having a few good sources can keep you from getting burned. 
• Diversity of opinion - Having a few different opinions go a long way in articulating complexity or highlighting different perspectives. 
• Controversy - Sometimes a source will provide a quote or commentary that is controversial. While you may have to endure a few crazy comments, controversy gets people excited and can drive a lot of interest.  
• Visibility - Having a well-known or respected source can significantly impact how much people talk about and share an article. This has a huge impact on the number of times your piece is seen. 
• Networking - When you build a relationship with a influential source, you can often call on that source to connect you with people in their network later. 

A good writer is a good storyteller. It's hard to tell a good story without the right people, so it's usually worth the extra work to find them. 

Q: There are other sites (e.g. Help a Reporter Out) that appear to provide a similar service to SourceSleuth. How is SourceSleuth different? 

A: Many query sites send their queries to a massive email distribution list. Because of that, they are better at finding sources who have had a particular life experience (did something embarrassing at work party, had a makeover go awry or went through a nasty divorce). We focus more on finding someone with a particular expertise or informed perspective, rather than a life experience. 

One of the problems with sending queries to an enormous email list is that the queries are open to the public. You run the risk of being scooped or irritating the publication by using their brand name. 

Another problem is that while the queries sent to email lists typically get a lot of responses, most of the responses will be unqualified, pitching off-topic or just don't make sense for the story. As Ryan Holiday demonstrated with his prank on HARO (http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/07/18/how-this-guy-lied-his-way-into-msnbc-abc-news-the-new-york-times-and-more/), relying on sources that haven't been vetted can be risky. 

We care a lot more about the quality of sources than the quantity of sources we provide. With other services it's pretty common to get dozens of responses, but none of those sources have been vetted. Any writer who has used these services knows they don't have strict requirements or filters for people responding to a query.

Writers come to us, not because they'll get dozens of sources, but because they'll get a handful of vetted sources that make sense for a story. We have someone who is responsible for connecting writers with quality sources for every single query that comes in.  Because of that, we successfully connect writers with sources for 90% of our queries. 

Q: That's an impressive statistic, Ryan. So how do writers/freelancers work with Source Sleuth? Can you tell me a little about the process? 

A: The process is pretty simple. Writers fill out a form on our website and usually within 24 hours we'll introduce a source via email who is interested and qualified for the story. 

Q: How do you [Source Sleuth] locate potential sources? 

A: While we try to keep the process for the writer very simple, what we do behind the scenes is a bit more involved. 

Over the last year, we've built a proprietary database with hundreds of thousands of sources. When a query comes in, we search profiles in our database to see if we have someone who fits the query. 

While our database is pretty robust, it's not perfect. When we don't have a quality source in the database we use a combination of research techniques, tools and good old-fashioned legwork to find sources. Either way we do it, we have someone who personally approves each source. 

Q: That's good to know. So, tell me why you decided to create/launch the company, please.  

A: I'm fascinated by the changes going on in media. A lot of people are cynical about where the Internet is taking journalism.  Google created a short-term incentive for publishers to crank out a massive amount of low-quality content. Social media clamors for Buzzfeed to crank out animated gifs. 

But I think some of these things are just the growing pains of the transition to new media. Technology has provided the opportunity for writers to publish at little or no cost and connect with niche audiences. There has also been an explosion of tools and great resources for writers - like this lovely blog :) - that make writers much more efficient. 

I don't think the trends that have given low-quality content undue attention are permanent. Yes, people want to be entertained. The Kardashians and Miley Cyruses of the world are always going to get attention. But readers also want to be well informed. They need quality journalism and writing from publishers and writers they can trust. I'm a big believer that quality will prevail and I want to be involved in this evolution. 

==============

Thanks very much to Ryan Evans for this post. Evans is the Founder of Source Sleuth (www.SourceSleuth.com). Ryan is passionate about entrepreneurship and innovation.  When he’s not working, he spends time with his wife and chases his three little kids around the park. Find Source Sleuth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sourcesleuth

The Sell-your-First-Article Series: Step 6

Welcome back to the sell-your-first-article series. (You'll find step 1 and steps 2 through 5 here.) Today we'll only be covering one step, but it's a critical one--step 6, interviewing your sources. 

Remember that for this short piece, I only needed to do one interview with one of the coauthors of the NEAT study. I'd already contacted him to see if he was willing to do an interview with me, and he was. 

To make sure I wouldn’t forget any relevant questions, I wrote them down beforehand. Here’s my list:

1. Confirm name and title

2. Mailing address (so I can send him a thank-you note after the interview)/email address

3. Explain research findings briefly 

4. Was he surprised by this? Why or why not?

5. Take-away message for women who want to lose/maintain their weight?

6. Anything else you want to add that I haven’t asked?

Questions in hand, I called Dr. Jensen at the time we’d agreed. The first question I asked him was, “Is this still a good time for you to talk?” That shows respect for his time, and if he needs to push back the time, I can accommodate him. Then I asked permission to record the interview (I use a digital recorder that hooks into my phone jack); in some states, it’s illegal to record without the subject’s permission. (You don’t have to record interviews, but it makes it easier to quote your sources accurately, especially if they turn out to be fast talkers. Check out Hello Direct, www.hellodirect.com, for headsets and digital recorders. On the other hand, if you take notes quickly, you may not need to record your interviews.)

At the conclusion of the interview, I thanked Dr. Jensen for his time, and told him I’d be in touch with any further questions via email. I also asked whether he’d be available in the next month or two in case my editor had any follow-up questions. Finally, I promised him I’d be in touch to let him know when the story was published. And then I sent him a thank-you note via snail mail, expressing appreciation for his time. 

Scared about conducting an interview? I used to be, too. In fact, I’d say I was petrified I’d forget to ask something, or that I’d sound stupid (or both!) during pretty much every interview I conducted for the first year or two of freelancing. But I’ll tell you something—the person you’re interviewing doesn’t care about you sounding stupid—he’s more concerned about whether he sounds stupid.

Keeping that in mind, I’d like to give you some tips to get better interviews, regardless of who you’re speaking with. First, always do your homework ahead of time. Second, let your source know that you have. I’ve interviewed hundreds of experts and real people over the years, many of whom are busy professionals. They may be willing to be interviewing, but that doesn’t mean they’re eager to be. As soon as I make sure that it’s still a good time for the person to speak with me, I demonstrate that I’m prepared to speak with him.

So, for example, with Dr. Jensen, I told him that I’d already read the entirejournal article, but wanted some “live” quotes from him for the story. With another source, I might let him know that I’d visited his website or mention one of his books or some of his latest research. It depends on the source and the subject, but even with an anecdotal source, I can say something like, “Becky, thanks so much for agreeing to speak with me. I understand from Sarah that you’ve been homeschooling your kids for three years, and I had a chance to check out your homeschooling blog. Is this still a good time for you?” It’s that easy to start your interview off on a positive note.

I always tell the person I’m interviewing how much time I’ll need (say, 15 minutes) and I stick to that estimate. Watch the clock. If the interview is going to go over, tell your source. “I’ll say something like, ‘You know, I told you I only needed 15 minutes to speak with you, but we’re about to hit that. Can we speak for a few minutes, please?” It’s another way of doing what you said you would, and demonstrating your professionalism.

Finally, I always send a thank-you note. I mentioned that already but I’ll tell you that it’s made a huge difference in my career. Sources remember me! They remember my name even years later because, “You’re the one who sent that note!” People think of me as a professional, thoughtful writer—and there are much worse things to be known of in a business where your reputation may precede you.

               For this story, I only needed a couple of brief quotes from Jensen, so the interview took less than five minutes. My transcript included Dr. Jensen’s contact information and several short statements about the study. With the study and my transcript in hand, I sat down to write the story. That's step 7, which will be the subject of my next post! 

               **In the next post, we'll talk about how to start researching this short piece. In the meantime, Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets, from which this post is drawn, in now in print. (Prefer the Kindle edition?) 

               If you're interested in writing articles, be sure to sign up for next week's Write Now! Mastermind class. Rochelle Melander will be  interviewing me for How To Pitch And Sell Articles To A Variety Of Freelance Markets. The call is free, but you need to sign up at http://www.writenowcoach.com/resources/write-now-mastermind.html. I hope to "see" you on the call!  

Seven Ways to Write Better--and Better-Selling--Service Articles

As a freelancer, my specialty is service articles. Service pieces tend to be “how-to” in nature that provide readers with information about a particular topic and show them how to do something (or do it better), and the potential payoff of doing so.

At first glance, service articles are relatively straightforward to research and write, but they also contain a minefield of potential pitfalls for would-be service writers. Here are seven common mistakes to avoid when writing service pieces:

Mistake #1: Insufficient Background

A common mistake writing service pieces is assuming too much—namely, that the reader of the piece knows as much about the subject as you do. For example, I cover nutrition so I know what fiber is, how it works in the body, and why it’s important. But a typical reader may have no clue what about it. Here’s how I highlighted the difference between the two types of fiber in a fitness magazine article:

The two types react differently in water—soluble fiber dissolves, becoming gummy, while insoluble fiber holds water. “Soluble fiber acts more like a sponge,” says Jackson. “It helps suck cholesterol out and lower bad cholesterol levels.” Insoluble fiber acts more like a broom than a sponge, essentially sweeping out your intestines and keeping the area clean, adds Jackson. “They both play different roles but they’re equally important in promoting general health,” she says.

See how I've given readers a mental picture of what the two types of fiber do? Simple yet essential.

Mistake #2: Boring Quotes

Unless you’re the only source for a story, you’ll rely on interviews for the piece. Whether you’re quoting an expert or a “real person,” make sure the quotes you use “pop.” For example, an interview transcript with a registered dietitian for a story about how stress impacts your waistline included the following:

“Eating when you’re not hungry makes people feel bad afterwards.”

“No one feels empowered when they’re on their third row of Oreos.”

The quotes mean the same basic thing, but I used the latter—the language is stronger, more specific, and more arresting. Choose direct quotes that are compelling and strong; otherwise, take the information out of direct quotes and attribute to the source.

Mistake #3: Too Few Sources—or Too Many

Speaking of sources, the number you use will depend primarily on the length of your story. My rule of thumb is one or two sources for stories of up to about 500 words; two to three for stories of up to 1000 words; and three to five for 1500-word stories. Your mileage may vary but I don't want to over-research or under-research a piece.

Mistake #4: Returning to the Well Too Often

If you write about a particular subject area, you probably already have your “favorite” expert sources who can be counted on to give you great information. But falling into a habit of always hitting up the same sources can hurt the quality of your work.

Make sure you include new experts and check what's happening on the topic, even if it's one you cover frequently. And if you write about ever-changing topics like technology or health, this is critical for accuracy.

Mistake #5: No “Real People”

Yes, experts can explain why something is the way it is. But for color, and more memorable articles, include “real people” sources as well.

For example, in a piece I did on the benefits of eating breakfast, I reported on recent research on how eating breakfast improves memory and cognition—and boosts mood and energy. I included quotes from registered dietitians explaining why breakfast is so important. But I also included quotes from people who had found that eating breakfast helped them lose weight and have more energy. ”

These “real people” anecdotes liven up a service piece and provide readers with real-life examples that they can relate to as well.

Mistake #6: Insufficent Service

Service articles are about service, right? But it’s easy to forget this when you’re working on a story—or gloss over what readers need to know. For example, in a piece on toddler tooth traumas, I explained why parents should brush their children’s teeth regularly. But how do you actually do this? I included specific tips like “hold your child’s head steady,” “choose a child’s brush with extra-soft bristles,” and “brush along the gumline, not just the teeth themselves” so that parents would be able to put the advice from the article into practice.

When it comes to service, you want to be specific—writing generalities usually get the story kicked back to you by the editor.

Mistake #7: Skimping on Sidebars

Finally, sidebars are often a great addition to a service piece. For example, when I wrote a piece for The Writer on the effectiveness of letters of introduction, or LOIs, my sidebar included two examples of LOIs that readers could use as models. My above-mentioned piece on the health benefits of fiber included a sidebar listing foods with high-fiber content, their serving size, and the total grams of fiber in each.

While magazines may be shrinking in size, service articles will never go out of style. Readers are always looking for advice about how to improve their lives, which makes this writing genre a lucrative one. Make your service articles focused, interesting, and helpful, and you’ll have your editors coming back for more.

***
Coming soon...another query critique series, so get your queries ready! I'll also be offering my ghostwriting e-class again in April; dates TBA.

Finally, I'm still between ghostwriting projects. If you know of someone who's looking for a ghostwriter, coauthor, or editor for a book-length project in the health, fitness, wellness, psychology, or nutrition field, I'd appreciate a recommendation!

Five Fast, Easy Ways to Find Experts

I'm often asked about finding sources for articles and books (and it's smart to suggest experts in your query letter). So for today's post, let's take a look at how you identify and find potential sources for your work.

First off, you have to decide who you'll interview for the story. Perhaps your background research has uncovered potential sources in other newspaper, magazine, or medical journal articles. In other cases, you'll start from scratch. There are a number of efficient ways to find qualified experts, and the methods you use may depend on the topic and nature of the expertise you seek.

Look to the Big Book
Today, it's easy to Google for potential sources. But don't forget about an old-fashioned method that works. Check out the monster three-volume Encyclopedia of Associations, which will be found on reserve at your local library and contains more than 20,000 U.S.-based organizations that cover everything from medicine to gardening to hobbies to sports to charity groups.

Use the index to locate the appropriate subject, and read through the descriptions of the organizations listed to find one that meets your needs. (When there are several to choose from, I usually start with the largest or most well-established.) Then call the association (calling usually provides a quicker turn-around than emailing), and ask for the media affairs or public relations department. Explain that you're a freelancer working on a story on fill-in-the-blank and would like his or her help hooking you up with a member of the organization who can help you.

The organization's PR person can suggest appropriate members, and may often offer people you would not have thought of otherwise. If you prefer an expert with certain qualifications, like affiliation with a major university or significant media experience, tell the PR person. He'll be able to provide you with names and contact information of experts who will fit the bill.

The Ivory Tower
Depending on the type of story you're doing, you may consider calling on a college or university as well. Take the same approach that you would with an organization; ask for the public affairs or media relations department and ask for referrals to an appropriate faculty member to interview.

The Expert Among Us
Another easy way to find experts is to look for books on the subject—preferably recent ones. Book authors actually seek out publicity—the more often they're interviewed, the more frequently their books are mentioned. Check Amazon.com and either track down the author through a search engine or call the publisher and ask for the public relations department. Someone there will be happy to hook you up with the author for an interview. (By the way, in these days of POD publishing, where anyone can publish a book, I tend to stick with traditionally-published books.)

Online Options
There are also several online resources you can use to locate experts, including Profnet. One advantage to Profnet is that you can search its extensive database of experts by subject matter specialty or keyword. You can also submit a query that's sent to PR agencies, universities, hospitals, associations, and experts, and choose how you'd like to receive responses—i.e., via phone or email.

Another popular resource for freelancers is HARO ("Help a Reporter Out"), which lets you submit a query that's sent to more than 100,000 potential sources. Again, you can choose how you'd like to be contacted.

There you are--five easy ways to find experts for stories. If you're new to freelancing, you'll find hundreds of more resources for subject-specific experts in Ready, Aim, Specialize! Create your own Writing Specialty and Make More Money, second edition (Kindle edition).

Five Techniques to Better Interviews

If you freelance for magazines or write books, interviewing experts and "real people" sources is part of your job. The more you get from your sources, the more material you have to work with--and the more compelling your writing will be.

Here are five simple ways to get more from your interviews, whether you're interviewing an expert in her field or someone who's had personal experience with the subject:

1. Do your homework! In other words, prepare in advance. I was just interviewed by a college student about freelancing. Many of the answers to questions he asked me ("How long have you been freelancing?" "What kinds of work do you do?") could be found on my website. Do some background research before you do your interview--and let the person know you did so by saying something like, "So, you've been conducting research on the glycemic index for years. What led to that interest?" or "In your new book, you talk about the relationship between body image and happiness. Tell me more about that." When your sources knows you've prepared for the interview, you'll get better quotes, guaranteed.

2. Ask if it's a good time for the person to speak. The first question out of your mouth should be, "Is this still a good time for you talk?" About one-quarter of the time, my source asks me to call back in ten minutes, or a half-hour. That's fine with me--I want the person's undivided attention, after all. And this shows respect for the person you're interviewing.

3. Give your source a heads-up about what you'll ask ahead of time. I want the best quotes possible, so when we schedule the interview I give the source a general idea of what I plan to ask, and who the audience for the piece is. A prepared source=good interview. That's why I typically don't contact someone and do the interview right then--I know I'll get better quotes if I give her a chance to think about the subject beforehand.

4. Listen. Sure, I have questions I need answered, but I listen to what my source is saying so I can ask additional questions, or let the interview go in a different direction. Early in my career, I was so focused on getting what I needed I would just run down a list of questions without really listening to the subtext of what was being said. I've since learned that a good interview is a conversation between two people, not just canned questions and answers.

5. Say thank you. Better yet, send an actual thank-you note. This person is giving you her time--so show your appreciation. I send a personal thank-you to do so--and let me tell you, people remember me as a result. I also let sources know when they're quoted in print. That has let me develop a Rolodex of hundreds of expert sources in a variety of areas--and if I'm stuck and need a "quick-and-dirty" interview for a rush assignment, they come through for me.

Use these five strategies and you'll get more from your interviews--and develop your own stable of expert sources as well, which saves you time researching other stories.

Are you a new freelancer who wants to know more about researching articles? Ready, Aim, Specialize! Create your own Writing Specialty and Make More Money includes a chapter on research (including interviewing) as well as a how-to chapter that walks you through the process of writing an article for publication from scratch--and ten chapters about the ten hottest nonfiction specialties and how to write about them.

Coming soon: posts on goal-setting, the best markets for new writers to pitch, and making clients love you.