Odds are, if you've written many freelance articles, at some point in your life you've gotten to the point where you just can't find the right source. Or you think you've found the right source, but you don't hear back from them and don't they know you're on deadline?
When you are in a crunch and need a source ASAP there are a number of resources you can rely on to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
Three to try:
HARO: If you're looking for sources, all you do is fill out a simple form on the Help a Reporter Out website. You explain who you are, what sort of source you're looking for, and what your deadline is, and your request goes out in an email digest with other requests to anyone who has signed up for the free service. Then, anyone who thinks they can help will get in touch and voila! you're off and running.
Bridge to Science: This relatively new service connects writers, reporters, and bloggers with researchers, scientists, and other experts—many of whom are from universities and research institutions including Harvard, Yale, Standford, and more. As with HARO, all you do is fill out a request a source form and your information is sent out in a daily email with other requests, so experts will contact you and pitch their take on the topic (for free).
ProfNet: According to its website, ProfNet is an online community of nearly 27,000 corporate, university, and other communicators—in other words, it offers a whole lot of potential expert sources to any writer who's game. Once you register for an account, you can browse expert profiles or query for specific sources, and you can manage all of your responses right in your ProfNet account.
What other resources do you use for tracking down expert sources last-minute? Share here!
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