a single source, nothing corroborates it

Vet the reporter before you agree to talk

Look the journalist up the way you would an investor: where they have worked, what kind of stories they write and how good they are. Then ask three questions before contributing, what the piece is for, what they want from you and how they fact-check; the answers led one founder to decline four major publications whose framing was already decided. Work out in advance whether no coverage would beat hostile coverage, because press rarely makes or breaks a company.

The method

1. 01

   Look up the reporter before you reply, the way you would research an investor or a partner.

2. 02

   Put three questions to a journalist before you agree to contribute: what the piece is for, what they want from you, and how they fact-check.

3. 03

   Decide before you talk to any journalist whether no coverage would beat inaccurate or hostile coverage, because press rarely makes or breaks a company.

What it returned

• Rand Fishkin searches the name to see where they have worked, what kind of stories they write and the quality of them, then decides whether and how to engage.

• The first two led Rand Fishkin to decline four major publications whose answers showed they wanted to cast SEO as manipulative, and he notes only two pieces in his whole career involved an actual fact-checker, both far better than average.

• Rand Fishkin is arguing directly against advice to simply be open with the press or say nothing, on the basis of a decade of pieces where the published version diverged sharply from what he actually said.

Sources

• A Healthy Dose of Fear is Appropriate When Dealing with the Press - SparkToroRand Fishkin · sparktoro.com · 2012-04-16