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For Reporters: How to Get the Most out of ProfNet

As a community of tens of thousands of corporate, university and other communicators with access to hundreds of thousands of quality experts, we have been a trusted reporter resource since 1992.

As with all of PR Newswire's services for journalists, ProfNet is always free for reporters. If you're looking for a source, or even just a story idea, we can help.

Submit a ProfNet Opportunity.

Are you working on an article for which you need expert input? Submit a ProfNet Opportunity (query) online at http://www.profnet.com (click on "Journalist") or http://budurl.com/profnetquery

Once we receive your query, our editorial staff will proofread it to ensure it has all the necessary information, and will distribute it to the appropriate members. If any of our members have an expert who can help with your request, they will contact you directly by e-mail. If you prefer, you can also "cloak" your query, which means we remove all identifying information from the query, and members reply to your query via our Web site. The site will then forward the response directly to your e-mail inbox.

You can also limit the types of members who will receive your query, targeting specific regions/states and institution types (e.g., colleges, PR agencies, legislative offices) to make sure you get exactly the expert source you need.

Tip: When filling out the query form, be as specific as possible as to the type of expertise you need. We find that reporters that provide the most specifics in their queries are the ones most likely to get the responses they need.

Lastly, if your query is of an urgent nature (same-day deadline), you may also opt to post it on ProfNet's Twitter page, which has thousands of followers. When you submit your query, just let us know that you would like us to post the query on Twitter. You may also follow us on Twitter at http://www.profnet.com/twitter

Search the Experts Database.

If you're looking for experts but would rather not make your request public, you can search ProfNet's Experts Database, which features tens of thousands of experts from all over the world.

To search the database, log on to the site at http://www.profnet.com and click on "Search Expert" in the dark blue section along the top of the page. You can search by keyword, institution type and location.

Tip: Given the large number of experts in the database, searches work best when you use specific keywords, rather than general searches like "health" or "law." Also, select all regions when searching, as companies in other countries/regions may have experts in the area you're interested in.

Find Experts and Story Ideas on ProfNet's Expert & Topic Alerts.

Expert Alerts are sort of a "reverse query" -- instead of a reporter asking for an expert, a PR person will compile a few sentences "alerting" reporters to an expert who can discuss a timely news topic.

Expert Alerts include the following info:

•    Expert's name, title, organization name and location
•    Brief quote re: expert's knowledge of /opinion on selected timely topic
•    Links to bios and social media profiles
•    Fluency in foreign languages (helpful to international reporters)
•    Direct contact info for PR person and/or expert

Example:

LAW: New Patent Rules Equal New Strategies for Lawyers, Companies.
Jim Murphy, intellectual property attorney with Thompson & Knight: "New rules designed to make the government's patent examination process more efficient likely will force significant change in the way some companies and attorneys manage the process. The rules essentially place limits on the number of continuations that can be filed and on the number of claims that can be made for each application without penalty. It will make it much more expensive and more difficult to justify stringing cases along as a protective or competitive strategy, requiring firms to make a more precise initial set of claims." Murphy cautions that it may take at least a year to assess the full impact of the new rules, which go into effect Nov. 1. Contact: …

Sometimes, ProfNet editors will put together a Topic Alert, which includes various experts on the same topic. Examples of recent Topic Alerts: "Health Care Reform," "Credit Card Industry Reform," "Antitrust Law Regulation," "Swine Flu" and "Earth Day."

We distribute Expert & Topic Alerts via e-mail according to the following schedule*:

Mondays: Business & Technology
Tuesdays: Education & Science
Wednesdays: Government & Law
Thursdays: Health & Medicine
Fridays: Entertainment & Living

* Subject to change, depending on volume and breaking news.

To receive Expert & Topic Alerts in any of the above feeds, e-mail your contact information to profnetalerts@prnewswire.com. Please make sure to indicate which feed(s) you want to receive.

Have additional questions? Check out our Reporter FAQ: http://budurl.com/reporterfaq