Networking In Journalism

One of the best PR hacks nobody talks about? Freelance reporters. A lot of teams chase the “dream” staff reporter — and stall. Meanwhile, freelancers are out there filing for sometimes three outlets at once. Case in point: Two months ago I set up an interview between a client and a Reuters freelancer I trust. That one 45-minute conversation ended up appearing Reuters plus two additional (relevant!) trade publications. Same insight. Multiple audiences. Zero extra effort. Call it a 3-for-1 media placement, courtesy of one great relationship. And no, you don’t always need a fancy PR software to find freelancers. Here's what I do: 1. Scan bylines tagged freelance, contributor, or special to… in my target outlets. 2. Google "freelance journalist" + my topic. Their portfolios are built to be found! 3. Check reporters’ social bios. Freelancers almost always list email and beats. 4. Search LinkedIn for “freelance journalist” and filter for people who’ve posted recently. 5. Look for writers who publish across multiple outlets (Reuters, AP, trades). They syndicate naturally. I've had lots of luck with this in the past. And the freelance journalists love to be kept top of mind. Who else has had success with this? Any tips or tricks to share?

I reached out to 47 creators in 9 months. Only 12 responded. Here's what the 12 had in common. When I started on LinkedIn, I wanted to connect with people ahead of me. But most ignored my DMs. Then I studied the ones who actually responded, and I found a pattern. Here's what worked: 1. I engaged BEFORE I asked ❌ Cold DM: "Can we collaborate?" ✅ 2 weeks of genuine comments first, then DM When you DM someone who's already seen your name 10 times, you're not a stranger. 2. I made it easy to say yes ❌ "Can you review my content strategy?" ✅ "I loved your post on [topic]. One quick question: [specific thing]?" Reference their content → Ask ONE specific question → Make it answerable in 2 minutes. 3. I gave before I asked → Shared their posts with my audience → Left thoughtful comments (not just "great post!") → Tagged them when their advice helped me 4. I followed up (without being annoying) → If no response in 7 days, one gentle follow-up → If still nothing, move on gracefully → No guilt trips, no "just circling back." 5. I showed results → "I tried your [tactic] and got [result]. Thank you!" → People remember you when they see their advice worked Networking isn't about asking for opportunities. Sometimes, it is about making it easy to get a response. Pick 3 creators you want to connect with. Engage with their content for 2 weeks straight. Then send a specific DM. Who's one creator on LinkedIn who's influenced your growth? Tag them below.

Trade publications are the new Google, and most B2B companies are completely ignoring them. While you're still dumping budget into Google Ads and SEO agencies, your competitors are quietly building relationships with the editors of Manufacturing Today, HR Executive, and Supply Chain Quarterly. Here's why: - When AI models need to recommend solutions, they're not scraping your website copy. They're referencing authoritative industry content. - Think about your own industry's leading magazine. Those company profiles, trend pieces, and expert roundups? That's becoming the primary source material for AI recommendations. If you're not in those pages, you're invisible to the next generation of buyers. I've watched this play out firsthand. Companies featured in niche B2B publications are being mentioned by AI assistants in contexts they never appeared in before in Google results. Meanwhile, businesses with perfect SEO but zero media presence are getting overlooked entirely. The opportunity is massive because most companies treat trade publications as an afterthought. They'll spend $50K on Google Ads but won't invest in building one genuine relationship with an industry editor. Want to give your org a boost with the LLMs? Here's how to start: → Identify the 5-10 publications your ideal customers actually read → Follow their editorial calendars and pitch relevant expertise → Share genuine insights, not marketing mumbo jumbo → Build relationships with editors over months, not weeks → Become the expert they call when they need industry commentary Master this and you'll start to build a solid foundation for AI-driven discovery while everyone else is still gaming the search engine algorithms.

Most people get the first step to expertise wrong. They think credibility starts by publishing original ideas as fast as possible. It doesn’t. ↳ The real starting point is curation. Before you try to be heard, you need to listen. Closely. Study the leading voices in your field. Notice the debates that keep resurfacing. Pay attention to what resonates with you and what quietly bothers you. This process does two things at once. It deepens your knowledge, and it sharpens your perspective. Curation is not passive. It is how you begin to see patterns. It is how you identify gaps. And gaps are often where your most valuable ideas live. ↳ The next step is choosing a strategic anchor. This is the core idea or theme you want to be known for. It does not box you in. It gives people a clear lens for understanding your work. When your ideas consistently connect back to that anchor, your expertise becomes easier to recognize and remember. Over time, something important happens. People start to associate you with that domain. Not because you declared yourself an expert, but because your focus, clarity, and consistency made it obvious. Reputation is built this way. Gradually. Intentionally. Through learning first, refining your point of view, and being clear about what you stand for. If you want to become known for your ideas, start by curating what exists and defining the anchor you will build from. Everything else gets easier once that foundation is in place. ➡️ Follow Dorie Clark for more insights on building a lasting reputation and becoming well known for your work.

Your reputation builds when you're not in the room. We tend to think reputation is built through visibility: the presentations we give, the achievements we post about, the moments when people are watching. But most of it happens quietly. In the follow-up email you actually send. In how you talk about teammates when they’re not there. In whether people can trust you to do what you said you’d do. The truth is, reliability compounds. Over time, those small, consistent actions turn into trust - and that trust turns into opportunity. If you’re early in your career, here are a few ways to start building that kind of reputation: 1. Do the small things well. Reply on time. Deliver when you say you will. Meet deadlines even when they’re self-imposed. Reliability is rare, and people notice it. 2. Be generous with credit. When something goes right, name the people who helped. It builds goodwill faster than any form of self-promotion. 3. Communicate when things go wrong. Silence breaks trust faster than mistakes do. Let people know early, take responsibility, and focus on the solution. 4. Send respect in all directions. Reputation isn’t built upward; it’s built outward. The way you treat assistants, staff, or students says more than how you treat supervisors. Eventually, your reputation will start walking into rooms long before you do. And if you’ve built it on reliability, humility, and integrity, those rooms will open faster than you expect.

I might be generalising, but this is what I’ve observed about younger journalists Many in the younger generation don’t seem to value building meaningful relationships with PR professionals, publicists, experts, and the like. I keep encouraging the younger ones to nurture connections beyond just getting a comment or attending an event, but for some, it’s a once-off transaction. It’s honestly frustrating. I come from the black book era, where every contact was logged, cherished, and carried throughout your career. Some would be relevant immediately, others much later, and some never at all—but you kept them, because you never know. Again, I may be generalising, but wow! Young stars today often take for granted just how powerful good relationships are. I owe a lot of my most groundbreaking work to brilliant PR people who had me signing NDAs, and publicists who made sure the talent delivered solid shoots and quotes—even when they were less than sober! As an editor, I often send young journalists to events I’m invited to, to give them exposure. But some don’t even bother to network or leave with a list of contacts—for themselves, not just for me or the brand. For themselves. So, if you’re a young journalist, here’s the bottom line: Build your contact book. That’s your currency in this industry. Why it matters: -When stories break, you know exactly who to call. -Trusted relationships lead to exclusives and early tips. -A solid network can save a bad shoot, salvage a tough deadline, or land you your next opportunity. -You build a reputation—people answer your emails, take your calls, and advocate for you when you’re not in the room. -You grow with your contacts; today’s assistant could be tomorrow’s editor, publicist, or brand manager. -Relationships are long-term investments. Make them count. #YoungJournalists #NetworkingMatters #MediaRelationships #JournalismTips #RelationshipBuilding #CareerGrowth #IndustryConnections #ProfessionalNetwork

The next generation of news consumers expects more than just headlines—they demand connection, transparency, and collaboration. This model I created and shared during a recent webinar outlines a path for newsrooms to build authority in the modern media landscape: 1️⃣ Community Leadership: Gen Z values purpose-driven organizations. Newsrooms must step up as leaders, not just storytellers, creating spaces for meaningful dialogue and action. 2️⃣ Expertise Demonstration: Being credible isn’t enough. Journalists must actively showcase their knowledge while remaining accessible and relatable to younger audiences. 3️⃣ Transparency Practices: In an age of misinformation, transparency is non-negotiable. Share how stories are created, why they matter, and the ethics behind your reporting. 4️⃣ Audience Collaboration: Engagement must go beyond comments and likes. Actively collaborate with your audience to co-create content that reflects their realities and priorities. 5️⃣ Personal Brand Development: Today’s journalists are trusted as individuals as much as institutions. Personal branding builds trust, fosters authenticity, and cultivates loyalty.

Nonpartisan institutions that rely on facts and research to shape public understanding are being left behind — not because they lack insight, but because they lack presence where it matters most. Today’s media ecosystem rewards authenticity, resonance, and networked participation — not credentials, citations, or carefully crafted op-eds. Institutions can’t afford to treat audience engagement as an afterthought. Rachel K. and I just published a new paper with the Carnegie Endowment: "For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies." We argue that the old top-down comms playbook — press releases, Sunday shows, reports behind paywalls — isn’t just outdated, it’s increasingly speaking only to a niche audience. So we offer alternatives strategies for building trust, networks, and long-term partnerships, in a call-to-action for funders, think tanks, and public interest institutions: Read the whitepaper here. And if you're experimenting with new ways of connecting with audiences, we'd love to hear about them: https://lnkd.in/eHvKNaBN

You know when you Google something and the first thing you see is that shiny new AI Overview summary feature at the top? Yeah… the one that doubled in two months, wiped out 55% of publisher traffic, and quietly decides who looks like the authority. We need to talk about this right now. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth for PR, public affairs, and reputation work: Mentions ≠ trust. Mentions ≠ relationships. Mentions ≠ reputation. AI Overviews strip answers from across the web, stitch them together, and serve them to the user. Sometimes you get cited, sometimes you don’t. And even if you do, it can vanish tomorrow. That’s what LinkedIn mega marketing influencer Chris Donnelly calls “Zero-Click Economics”: Your content → Extracted by AI → User satisfied → Zero clicks → Zero relationships. So what do we do? Stop chasing vanity visibility and double down on what AI can’t take away: 1. Be the source. Publish original data, benchmarks, and definitions. Make yourself the must-quote authority that both reporters and AI are forced to reference. 2. Own your authority. Keep super definitive answers — policies, FAQs, values, purpose — on your own sites in clear, structured formats. When stakeholders search, they should ideally find your version first. 3. Earn credibility in high-trust outlets. From niche trades to the WSJ — and yes, highly reviewed newsletters and podcasts too — earned media still shapes perception and policy. I will die on the hill that it matters way more in the GenAI era, because these engines lean on trusted, authoritative sources over the keyword-stuffed SEO content of the past. 4. Build real relationships AI can’t scrape. Journalists, policymakers, employees, investors, communities. Those ties endure long after a fleeting AI citation disappears. At the end of the day, reputation isn’t built on “we showed up once in an AI box.” It’s built on assets, coverage, and trust that no algorithm can erase. Do you agree that earned and owned media are more important than ever in the age of GenAI? Drop your take in the comments. (And if you ever want to talk about trust in the ephemeral AI age, DMs are always open.)

🚀 Exciting News in Marketing! 🚀 B2B marketing agencies like Creator Match 🧩 are investing heavily in LinkedIn creators through intimate brand dinners that are changing how partnerships happen. Last week, I was invited to a Creator Match dinner in NYC with marketers from Notion , LinkedIn , Airtable , Fiverr , Air , and Teachable . What started as a casual meet-up turned into one of the most valuable conversations I've had about B2B creator partnerships. Why? Because these dinners are different. The format: Brands introduce their product and share how it aligns with creator audiences. Creators share audience insights, upcoming projects, and where strategic partnerships make sense. This isn't a pitch meeting. It's a real conversation. I talked with the Creator Match team (AJ Eckstein 🧩 and Jerrica Long 🧩 ), Kelly Song from Teachable , and Andrew Nauffts from Fiverr about the growing needs of founders & creatives in the Miss EmpowHer community, new business products/services I'm looking for as I scale Miss EmpowHer (my women’s community & digital media conpany) , and where authentic creator storytelling & partnerships on socials could help my audience of professionals, founders, and creatives . 🌟 Key factors that make these B2B creator dinners work: 1. Relationship-First Approach Connection before contracts. These dinners prioritize genuine relationship building over immediate ROI. 2. Two-Way Value Exchange Brands listen. Creators share real challenges, tools they need, and market gaps. The best partnerships come from these organic conversations. 3. Strategic Alignment Over Follower Count Focus on creators who serve specific audiences and understand B2B storytelling, not just those with big reach. 4. LinkedIn as the Primary Platform B2B brands recognize that LinkedIn creators have direct access to decision-makers and drive real business conversations. 5. Long-Term Partnerships The goal isn't one-off posts. It's ongoing relationships where creators become genuine advocates. 🌟 Key takeaways for B2B marketing teams: 💙 Facilitate authentic connections Host intimate conversations, not transactional pitches. Let creators share their actual needs. 💜 Prioritize strategic fit over metrics Look for creators who serve your target audience and understand B2B dynamics. 🩵 Invest in LinkedIn creators LinkedIn is where B2B buying decisions happen. Strategic partnerships drive pipeline, not just impressions. 💚 Build two-way relationships Ask what would serve their audience. Involve creators in strategy discussions. 📲 Create ongoing dialogue Use dinners as foundations for long-term partnerships, not one-time activations. ✍️ Bottom line: The rise of B2B creator dinners proves the future of marketing isn't traditional ads. It's authentic partnerships with creators who already have the trust and attention of your target audience. ♻️Repost if you're loving this trend in B2B marketing. #B2BMarketing #CreatorEconomy #InfluencerMarketing #Marketing