Request/Offer Experts

Under the "Request/Offer Experts" tab, you have two different options, the first of which is the "Request Experts" form. In this area, you may call upon other ProfNet subscribers if you or your organization are seeking an Expert for your own use. Do you need a speaker for a conference, a source for a research paper, or a quote for a campaign? You can come to this form and fill out the expertise you're seeking, what organizations you'd like to target with your query, etc.

This form is very similar to the query form journalists use, and operates in the same way – your Member Inquiry will be sent out to all other ProfNet subscribers in the next batch of query emails. Submissions are labelled "MEMBER INQUIRY" in the query subject line, so subscribers will know they're coming from another ProfNet member (See example below – this is how they appear in personal email inboxes alongside journalist queries).

ProfNet subscribers can then respond to your query just as they would a journalist's. Any responses will route to your ProfNet Inbox, as well as to your personal email inbox.

Once you've filled in all required fields on the form and clicked submit, you will get an on-screen confirmation that your Member Inquiry was submitted. The ProfNet Editorial team will contact you for any clarifications. You will not see the Member Inquiry in your own ProfNet query emails, as it is your own submission.

There is no limit to how many Member Inquiries you may submit within your subscription.

 

Under the "Offer Experts" tab, you have the ability to proactively pitch your Experts to thousands of journalists via our weekly Expert Alerts newsletter.

Completing the Form
Expert Alerts are usually submitted by a ProfNet member on behalf of one of the Experts he/she manages. In this case, the ProfNet user submitting the alert is the "media contact," and the Expert he/she represents is simply the "Expert." The fields on the submission form ask for both the media contact's and Expert's information – be sure to fill in appropriately. If you are the Expert submitting the alert for yourself, all fields would require your information.

An Expert Alert should be a hearty paragraph pitch that outlines what you or your Expert can speak to – the more timely the topic, the better. Always include a quote from the Expert, as well as a link to his/her bio so that the journalist can learn more about the expertise being offered.

There is no limit to how many Expert Alerts you may submit within your subscription. However, the ProfNet Editorial team requests that you do not "spam" the system by submitting the same alert week after week – we do not want to dissuade reporters from subscribing to them. If you can alter the perspective so that the pitch is "fresh," we will continue to accept it. See recent examples here.

Distribution
To most efficiently capture media attention, we widely distribute Expert Alerts via multiple channels. They are sent as a press release via PR Newswire’s national newsline to thousands of media points across the country, are displayed publicly on PRNewswire.com, and are posted to the PR Newswire for Journalists web site for media use. Additionally, we email them to more than 3,000 subscribing reporters.

Expert Alerts are sent directly to the media in weekly batches according to this schedule:

          Monday – Business, Finance & Technology
          Wednesday – Government, Law, Education & Science
          Friday – Health, Entertainment & Living

Note: This schedule might be adjusted to accomodate breaking news.

Your entry must be submitted by 3 p.m. ET one business day prior to the scheduled distribution (see above) in order to be included with that category. For instance, a Health Alert must be received by Thursday; a Business Alert must be received by the Friday prior. The ProfNet Editorial team will contact you for clarifications and final approval before distribution.

Expert Roundups
From time to time, the ProfNet Editorial team will compile a list of Experts who are available to address breaking news or a heavily discussed news topic. We've done Expert Roundups on gun rights, Iran-U.S. relations, hurricane preparedness, and the 2016 Presidential Election, among other topics.

Roundup topics are chosen by the ProfNet Editorial team and vary according to the news cycle. Once a topic is chosen, ProfNet will transmit a query letting subscribers know about the roundup. You can then submit an Expert Alert on the chosen topic to be included in the roundup. As always, try to include a quote from the Expert and a link to his/her bio.