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bagonhead.jpgWhat’s the most important question you should ask a reporter before you grant an interview? I’ve been pitching and talking to reporters for what often feels like 100 years, but I finally learned that magic question this morning.
I bet you’ll say yes to all of these questions. I did, until today. It’s great to be featured in the media, right? It’s smart to be generous in sharing information with a reporter so she/he will think of you as a good source again in the future, right? Love me or hate me, but please don’t ignore me.
All of that is sage advice – provided you ask the magic question first. “Will you include the name of my company and a link to it in your article?”
Because, otherwise, what is the point? Do you think lots of people will Google your name to find out how to reach you? Think again!
It’s not only unfair to the interviewee, but as reporter Amy Gahran noted on Twitter, not linking to a source is not transparent to readers.
Nathan Eddy interviewed this morning for a story in eWeek “Six Tips to Build Your Brand” and when it came out, there was no link to my blog, and my neither consulting company, nor my new venture, Pawfun.com, were named. My fault. I didn’t ask the magic question.
But after the fact, in a what-the-hell moment, but not without trepidation, I looked a gift horse in the mouth, emailed him and said that I thought there should have been a link. He immediately wrote back, apologized, and added the link. Whew!
I won’t make that mistake again. Don’t you make it either. Remember the magic question.