Following are testimonials from ProfNet users, both subscribers and journalists, who have agreed to share their success stories. If you have a story you'd like to share, please drop me a line.
Stephane Fitch, managing editor, FitchInk: "I have been a heavy user of ProfNet for more than a decade. There is no better way to reach a larger audience of experts and potential subjects than through this essential, robust and ever-growing database. It is a tool of primal importance to any serious journalist."
LaRue Novick, correspondent, Living Magazine: "You guys really provide a terrific service! I always get great stories out of using sources here, so thanks again."
Sheree Curry, freelancer for AOL Real Estate, AOL HousingWatch and others: “ProfNet is a lifesaver when I am on deadline.”
Adam Stone, freelancer for Military Times Edge, Twin Cities Business Journal, GovExec.com and more: “I love ProfNet. As a freelancer who writes on a broad range of topics, I can't imagine doing my job without this service. I get solid, useful results virtually every time from diverse and interesting sources. It makes my job vastly easier and makes available to my readers a greater depth and breadth of views than I could deliver if I were out there slogging away on my own. Thanks.”
Eileen Figure Sandlin, Entrepreneur Press: "I just wanted to say thanks for the great work all of you do at ProfNet. While I usually can drum up my own leads to sources for my articles and books, occasionally I need help, and ProfNet has been absolutely wonderful. Responses from qualified people always come in fast after my opportunity is posted, and the responses invariably lead me to just the right source. Thank you very much!”
Gloria Goodale, Christian Science Monitor, “ProfNet is an invaluable service, I frequently hear from sources I would not have even considered and whose input both broadens and deepens the stories I'm working on. I have come to count on interesting, prompt and thoughtful responses. My only regret is that I frequently get far more than I can use for a newspaper story. I guess I'll just have to get that book career going!”
Amy Nichol Smith, The Monitor: “ProfNet is always the most efficient way for me to find an expert for a quote for an article. Thank you for the service!”
Judy Mandell, freelancer for Los AngelesTimes, USA Today and more: "What would I do without ProfNet?"
Fran Lysiak, BestWeek/BestWire: "Love your service!"
Elysia Nest, Daily Gazette (NY): "I have to tell you again how much I love this service. Time and time again, it has provided me with just the right sources to make my stories shine. Thank you!"
John Buchanan, freelancer for Corporate & Incentive Travel, The Conference Board Review and others: "I currently write regularly for 12 national magazines, and ProfNet is a critical tool for me on every story I do, whether for a business magazine or a travel magazine. And it never fails! I always get great sources, no matter the topic. I also use your expert listings, as well, to equal success. Please consider me your No. 1 fan in the journalistic community."
Steve Weinstein, freelancer for Crain’s New York Business, The Village Voice, The Advocate and more: “Love your service. As an editor, I recommend it to all of my reporters.”
Emery Jeffreys, AroundCentralFlorida.com: "I've had great response from readers on stories using sources from ProfNet."
Melanie Rembrandt, RembrandtCommunications: “ProfNet allows you to reach the right reporters with the right pitch at the right time. But it also gives you an inside look at upcoming story trends and enables you to develop new media relationships. Not only is ProfNet an essential source for your pitching efforts, but it also provides valuable information to help create successful, strategic-communications plans for your clients.”
Julie Lenzer Kirk, Path Forward International: "Over the past year, I was quoted as an expert in Entrepreneur, Redbookand Good Housekeeping because of leads from ProfNet. The service rocks!”
Joseph Andreula, CKO Kickboxing: "Since subscribing six months ago, I have been quoted in Prevention, WWE Magazine, Univision, HealthyLiving.com, Bridges.com and a national cheerleading magazine. The exposure is worth 100 times more than what I pay monthly.”
Phillip Wilson, LaborRelations Institute: “I got quoted in an article on Forbes.com this week. I love your service. Not counting the press release (which was picked up on over 100 websites), I've been quoted eight times in the first month I've been signed up with you … not to mention the quality of the media I am in with your service is vastly superior to anything I did before. Thanks.”
David Leibowitz, Lakelaw: “As a result of my response to one ProfNet query, I have been quoted several times in the St. Paul Pioneer Press mentioning me as the editor-in-chief of the American Bankruptcy Institute Fraud Manual. Very good indeed. But, as a result of those quotes, the story was picked up in the Bankruptcy Beat blog of the Wall Street Journal, which, in turn, quoted me and mentioned me as the editor-in-chief of the American Bankruptcy Institute Fraud Manual -- and referred to me as a 'bankruptcy expert.' It doesn't get much better than that for a bankruptcy lawyer in a small town like Waukegan, Ill.! You can see these media mentions and many more in the 'Press Room' on my home page, www.lakelaw.com.”
Keith R. Crosley, Proofpoint, Inc.:"We get great media hits from ProfNet all the time. Just last week we got Forbes coverage as a result of my response to Chris Steiner's recent request for info on 'social media gaffes.'"
Drew J. Stevens, StevensConsulting Group:“I have had much success with ProfNet. I get at least 3-4 media hits per month because of my association with ProfNet. Here are the three most recent: Modesto Bee, EmploymentCrossing, Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals. These also do not include a half-dozen webinar placements with ExecSense. Thank you for all of your support and the focus of your firm. You are all a pleasure to work with. There is a definite and statistical return on investment with ProfNet.”
Meagan Fazio, University of Hartford: "John Kniering, director of career services at the University of Hartford, got into Time magazine thanks to ProfNet.”
Lori Wright, University of New Hampshire: “We had a nice hit in Northern California newspapers due to a ProfNet query. UNH Professor Todd DeMitchell is quoted in the following story about how school districts are using commercial ventures to supplement their budgets. The original query was from Lisa White with the Contra Costa Times. Her story ran in several Northern California newspapers.”
Cybil Rose, KemperLesnik: “I recently had a fantastic hit due to ProfNet. AP reporter Samantha Bomkamp put a call out for experts connected to the Icelandic ash story. Within an hour or so, I got her in contact with one of our experts. The story hit later that night, and in less than 24 hours we had 40+ hits in top publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post.”
Alison Cohen, Education Development Center: “We saw a query on ProfNet from the Boston Business Journal earlier this year, looking to interview a company on their ‘green’ efforts. I hooked up reporter Keith Regan with Bob Keagy, our facilities manager, who also heads our ‘Green Team.’ Bob provided all kinds of examples of our efforts, including recycling cardboard and paper; using green-tipped lamps that utilize only a minimal amount of mercury to operate; recycling all of our computers and other e-waste, including monitors, keyboards, printers, scanners, etc. We began using a new line of daily cleaning products that are considered ‘green.’ We have begun to recycle other glass, metal and plastic containers. We switched to ‘compostable’ coffee cups that are more environmentally friendly. We negotiated an excellent price for Fair Trade Organic Coffee produced by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. This piece appeared in the Boston Business Journal and we have put it on our website and sent it out in the clip book around the organization. It would not have happened if ProfNet had not connected the journalist with our nonprofit. Thanks, ProfNet!”
Kunal Johar, vOfficeware: “I was a bit hesitant about [ProfNet], as I have never written a book and felt few would listen to my advice/comments without any formal point of reference. Either way, I felt it was a worthwhile investment into promoting myself and my company. I was indisbelief when, within the first 24 hours of receiving [queries], I had been published in Computerworld. I simply responded with some logical advice a journalist was seeking. It turns out the Computerworld article was syndicated, and the increased exposure to my website increased tenfold as the article made its rounds. I am now on my third week of the service and have been quoted three times for the three leads I followed up with. I can truly say the service works as promised. I am getting leads from people that want to talk to me. I am getting a lot more than I bargained for. Thanks again for this incredible service.”
Kristen Ross, R/P Marketing Public Relations: “At R/P Marketing Public Relations, ProfNet serves as a great pitching tool. We appreciate the ability to target specific topics, allowing us to efficiently monitor and pitch. In particular, one of our clients, Halley Consulting Group, has a very targeted niche as a national physician practice management firm. So when we saw a cloaked query on physician payments, we jumped on it -- and we're glad we did! It turned out to be one of our biggest ProfNet hits: a Los Angeles Times story, on the front page of the health section. It was as simple as one, two, three: 1) The query was included in the daily e-mail and we reached out to the reporter; 2) An interview was scheduled within a couple days; 3) The article was published in a week’s time, in print and online. What's more, the coverage opened the door to additional media opportunities from readers of the article.”
Rick Peterson, Lawrence University: “Lawrence's Jerry Podair responded to an early October query from the New York Post regarding the political impact of Tina Fey's impersonations of Gov. Sarah Palin on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Not only did Podair wind up being the first source quoted in the story (click here to view the story), but he was contacted the next day by a CNN producer who saw the story and sent a film crew to campus to talk to him more about this subject. He wound up in a pair of CNN newscasts on two different days discussing the role of comedy as commentary in the election season. Also as a result of the New York Post article, Prof. Podair was interviewed by a U.S. correspondent for a newspaper in Poland and was interviewed (twice) on a news/talk radio station in Regina, Saskatchewan.”
Lawrence Hahn, Peppercom: “This one actually came two days ago from the re-tweet of Ellen McGirt’s request for Fast Company regarding ‘Governing 2.0.’ She was interested in hearing from a representative from PepperDigital (Peppercom’s digital team), and Sam Ford, director of customer insights at Peppercom and a research affiliate in convergence culture at MIT, provided some of his thoughts. In the article, which ran yesterday, Ellen included Sam’s input along with a handful of other thought leaders.”
Hilda S. Mitrani, Multilingual Media & Marketing: “We are toward the tail end of the development of a news report that is to appear in Spry Living, a new monthly newspaper insert that will be in 9 million papers. I don't have a print date for the story yet, but numerous interviews have been done in October. It all began with a ProfNet query. With a circulation of 9 million and a very compelling story, I think this could be big. I also placed an item in the NY Daily News on behalf of Flor Mayoral, M.D., after a ProfNet query I received yesterday. Dr. Mayoral is also profiled in your experts database, and I got her into a new magazine called Radiant Life after the editor found her on your system.”
Julie Baron, CommunicationWorks: “In 2008, as well as many years prior to 2008, I received many ‘hits’ from ProfNet posting responses I submitted. These hits resulted in interviews and coverage for my clients with leading media outlets including Associated Press, Crain's Chicago, Incentive, Smart Money and more. Some of the coverage has occurred from responding to freelancers I would have not been aware of and some of the coverage has occurred because permanent staff of major media outlets simply rely on ProfNet. I continue to see the value in paying for the ProfNet service and continually get my clients coverage that may not have occurred without the ProfNet connection.”
Adrienne Mazzone, The TransMedia Group: “ProfNet has connected me with terrific opportunities, especially for a query I responded to about Georg Carlin. I submitted a quote that my client, Walter T. Shaw, author of ‘A License To Steal,’ said about Carlin and landed us over a dozen radio interviews!”
Ellie Schlam, National Kidney Foundation:“I responded to a query from a reporter looking for unusual athletic stories for the first edition of Open Air, USA Today's weekend fitness insert launched last year, and ended uplanding a feature story highlighting a family who donated their brother's organs and the heart recipient who competes in the National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games.”
Liz Goodgold, The Nuancing Group: “I am a huge fan of ProfNet! With the publication of my new personal branding book looming in February 2009, I signed up with my publisher just a few short months ago. Responding to my very first query allowed me to write an article for Independent Agent Magazine. I’ve since landed quotes, articles, and stories in SmartMoney magazine, blogs, and even a forthcoming book! Most importantly, however, it was another vehicle towards building a relationship -- the underpinning of all business. I now know I can connect with these reporters, authors, writers and bloggers in the future; original thoughts and analysis of the news are forever in demand.”
EdithOnderick-Harvey, M.A., Change Dynamics Consulting: “I've had great success with ProfNet since signing up of the service in late 2007. In 2008, I've been quoted in an HR Executive June 2008 cover story; American Executive; CNN.com (the quote was originally on a CareerBuilder column that was picked up by CNN.com and resulted in being translated into multiple languages and posted on additional sites); WorkWise syndicated column; The Boston Business Journal; The New York Times; SHRM Consultants Forum; and several other niche publications. I also had an article published in the American Management Association's Leader's Edge newsletter. My hit rate with reporters has been about 75 percent (3 out of 4 inquiry responses lead to media coverage). I couldn't have received this kind of coverage without ProfNet.”
Bage Anderson, E.H. Anderson Public Relations: “There was a ProfNet query in late March 2008 from Kristin Chessman of Entrepreneur Magazine,who was asking for examples of ‘Perfect Office Pranks’ in advance of the upcoming April Fools' Day. I responded with a personal story of mine from 20 years ago where my colleagues and I pulled a prank on a co-worker at an Abilene, Texas, television station. Although it happened in the late '80s, it is still funny today and it was listed #5 in the online article. Chessman enjoyed the story of the prank, and now for the success part: While I had Chessman’s attention, I pitched her another story of green entrepreneurial innovation for my client, Two Green Moms, in advance of Earth Day on April 22. Jill Clark and Mandi DuPuy are two moms that wanted to do their small part for the environment. The www.twogreenmoms.com reference is the second of three businesses profiled and the online placement resulted in increased traffic to their site and a significantly higher search engine ranking. This is an example of parlaying one opportunity into another and only one of many success stories my agency has experienced using your service.”
Eva Rosenberg, TaxMama.com: “I've been using ProfNet for years -- both as an expert (TaxMama) and as a journalist for MarketWatch.com and TaxMama.com. Over the years, I've gotten excellent exposure in some of the best and most diverse publications in the U.S.: Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, Chicago Tribune, BankRate.com, Consumer Reports, LA Times, even the National Enquirer and Glamour magazine. The wonderful thing is, after all this exposure, many journalists I met through ProfNet are calling me directly. Incidentally, let me add that, as a journalist, I've met many famous people I'd never have had access to on my own. It's only because their PR firms used ProfNet to find interview opportunities that I've met folks like Robert Kiyosaki and others. Thanks for all the support -- and always being there.”
Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege.com: “We've had hits in Family Circle, Real Simple, Fidelity magazine, Austin American-Statesman and more as a result of ProfNet opportunities. These publications are a perfect fit for our books on college admission and financial aid, and it's great that we are responding to the needs of reporters. It's been a great year with ProfNet!”
Loren M. Gelberg-Goff, WellFromWithin.com: “I have been in private practice for the past 20+ years in River Edge, N.J. I do individual and marriage counseling, hypnotherapy and neurofeedback, as well as workshops and seminars on relationships, communication, anger and stress management, etc. I have written a variety of articles that have been published on a number of self-esteem sites, as well as through EzineArticles.com. I have audio CDs available to enhance self-esteem, promote inner healing, and to aid in stress management and relaxation. I have been part of [ProfNet] since July '08, and have been quoted in newspapers in Oregon, Albany (that was picked up in Tacoma and online) and was quoted in AOL Health. Also, as a result of my connection with [ProfNet], I will also be quoted in two books, one for Reader's Digest and one on procrastination. I was also quoted in Caregivers, both print and online versions, and this month will be quoted in a journal for massage therapists. These leads have led to my increased exposure on the Internet, and increased my overall credibility.”
Elizabeth Yarnell, ElizabethYarnell.com: “A query came through [ProfNet] looking for someone who had healed their health crisis by drinking green tea. Well, I thought, I did drink a lot of green tea while I went about inventing and patenting a unique cooking method for healthy one-pot meals. And, who knows, maybe it did have something to do with the subsequent turnaround in my case of multiple sclerosis. The story ran in Woman's World, a national magazine serving my target market of women. Beyond the initial burst of book sales when the two-page spread came out, for the next 6-8 months customers continued to tell me how they saw the article in waiting rooms, at beach houses, and in other places where such magazines have a long life. It featured food photos and recipes from my cookbook, a dramatic storyline about how my cooking method aided my return to health, and a large photo of yours truly in the kitchen. You can't buy this kind of publicity! It couldn't have been a better experience, and it wouldn't have happened without [ProfNet].”
Eric Papp, Generation YResults-Based Consulting: “[ProfNet] is awesome. I have been using it for less than a year and have been published over 15 times. It is amazing! I have a conversion rate of about 1-4. You can check out my media page for a sample of what I have been in. I am currently being interviewed to go into a e-book. Great service; keep it up!”
Dan Lee, Weber Shandwick Worldwide: “People to People Ambassador Programs provides premier international educational travel opportunities for students, athletes and professionals. From hands-on experiences to community service opportunities, more than 300,000 people have traveled around the world with this organization to connect with other cultures. People to People has a solid history, but has received very little media attention around its travel programs. When we saw a ProfNet query [on youth travel], we jumped on it quickly and secured an Associated Press story with reporter Beth Harpaz. The AP story we landed showcased People to People's Student Ambassador Program. Impressive national coverage included USA Today, MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit Free Press, San Jose Mercury News, Seattle Times, The San Diego Union Tribune and The Tennessean. We love ProfNet and were thrilled with how this story came together and with the outstanding results.”
Cristal Perriello, College of the Holy Cross: “I have included a link to a feature I wrote for our website: ‘Two Holy Cross Professors Give a Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of a History Channel Show.’ This all happened because I pitched a producer through ProfNet!”
Karen Romine: “My first month of [ProfNet] is not yet up, but already I've been quoted in the Globe and Mail newspaper, the New York Daily News, MSNBC.com and the Hartford Courant, and publication is pending on quotes in Glamour magazine and Parents magazine. “To me, it has been an astounding and exciting success. Thank you so much!”
