Problem: A team from Howard University’s ADVANCE-IT was heading to Johannesburg for the Women in STEM Conference: South Africa, and I had 12 days to book pre-conference and on-the-ground interviews for Dr. Sonya T. Smith, Principal Investigator of the program.
Solution: X and email were critical tools for booking interviews, and I never picked up the phone. With the six-hour time zone difference, I took to the “X streets” to engage journalists from my personal X handle and the organization’s X handle. Then, I followed up via email to coordinate interview logistics. When Dr. Smith touched down in Johannesburg, she had a full schedule of in-studio, phone interviews and deskside briefings.
Below, I have shared my six tips for effectively engaging reporters on X.
- Review past tweets of reporters you want to target, and engage by commenting on/RT-ing articles that resonate with you.
- If you’re reaching out to a reporter in a different time zone, schedule a few tweets in their time zone, then interact in real-time.
- Tweet content to them that you think they’ll find interesting/useful. Ie. Relevant studies/articles of interest. These should be from various sources and add value to their work.
- Tweet your “ask” and include handles and website links with verified background information. Your request can also appear more legit if you tweet it from the organization’s X handle. (This allows the reporter to quickly check out the organization’s website link without feeling like it’s spam).
- As you’re engaging, ask for reporter’s email address if it’s not readily accessible.
- Move conversation to email to coordinate speaking further and/or interview logistics.
Photo Caption: Erin Conway-Smith of the Economist interviewing Dr. Sonya T. Smith at Hyatt Rosebank.
Photo Caption: Dr. Sonya T. Smith with Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka, host of Womanity ““ Women in Unity
Have any of you used X in a similar manner to arrange PR opportunities? Please share in the comments below.