Five reasons to use the ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service for your media outreach

Trawling social media posts from journalists for requests, taking a chance on emailing, or even cold calling – media outreach doesn’t have to be this difficult. The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service has been connecting PRs with journalists since its launch back in 1998 and is relied upon by the UK media industry every day.

Media professionals sending requests to PRs via the service span leading national and regional press, broadcast, magazines, podcasts, and much more.

Looking for media coverage? Tap into the Journalist Enquiry Service’s huge network to connect with journalists and broadcasters directly with what they need. Here are just five reasons to dip back into the service ( or try it for the first time!) to secure coverage in the press…

1) Journalist requests are relevant to you

Rather than receiving a deluge of potentially irrelevant asks from the UK media to slowly sift through, PRs signing up for the Journalist Enquiry Service have 25 categories to pick from and filter requests with – what you get is what you need.

Categories span from Entertainment & Arts to sector-specific subjects like Medical & Pharmaceutical, and journalists using the service to source PR contributions choose the most relevant categories for their requests.

The Journalist Enquiry Service is also powered by a dedicated team of researchers who ensure each journalist request is clear and is being sent to the right categories.

2) Journalist asks come to you directly

Cutting out the need for extra outreach almost entirely, the Journalist Enquiry Service shares requests from the media directly to PR inboxes. You can choose how often these come through to you depending on your workload and preferred way of splitting up your day.

Sign up for a daily digest of useful requests for review products, case studies, expert comment, statistics and survey results, new research, or filming locations to peruse when you’re ready, or receive each request as and when they’re submitted by media professionals in need of your help, skillset, and contacts.

3) Deadline, topic, format – All the details you need are included

Each request you receive will include the elements you need to ensure your reply is of use for the journalist. Alongside a short enquiry summary, the submitter will include a longer description of what they need in the dedicated Query box – these can include links to previous pieces in a series they’re working on, or extra context for the story the enquiry concerns.

A set deadline is included, as well as a link to more information on the outlet they are writing/filming/recording for. Enquiries drop off from the system once the deadline is passed to prevent any accidental sends for news or features that have already been filed for publication or release.

4) Journalists at the leading UK media organisations use the service to source information

With a quarter of a decade-long track record of trust built with the UK media, the Journalist Enquiry Service is utilised by media professionals across the country’s biggest publishing organisations to source information.

Alongside staffers in newsrooms and on editorial teams across the country, freelancers who work for a variety of top publications rely on the service for the extra information they need for their commissions. And the interaction between a journalist and the public relations professional who offers help with their enquiry doesn’t have to end there. While interactions are managed within the platform for each request, many long-term PR and journalist working relationships have started with contact via the Journalist Enquiry Service.

5) It’s fully secure

The Journalist Enquiry Service platform exists as a place for the media and PR industries to share useful information and build relationships – a neutral meeting space with benefits for both.

A journalist sending a request via the service genuinely wants to hear back from PRs with relevant contributions, removing the need to source contact details, or reaching out without knowing for sure if your offering will be useful or even well-received. Contact begins through the internal network, with email replies coming via a generic address until both sides are ready to share their contact details directly.

Ready to start receiving requests from the UK media? Sign up for a trial.