by Leo Wiles
13 May 2015
Help! I’ve landed a new corporate client and all they seem to want is first person stories. I’ve mined pretty much all of my nearest and dearest – where do I go from here? Louise
Locating case studies is one the reasons I have gray hair – I’m sure of it. There’s nothing like nearing a deadline and you still haven’t located that one-legged pregnant dwarf who plays the trombone. Okay – that may sound far-fetched, but given one story required me to find a pre-op drag king who legally married a woman before coming clean that he was a she, I can tell you the devil really can be in the detail. (It was much easier at Take 5! where their readers line up to recount their weird and wonderful lives.)
If, however, you’re stuck trying to locate good case studies, here are some of my top trawling tips.
Nail it down. What does the client /editor want EXACTLY. Is there any wiggle room? How long have you got?
Think twice. If you’re the one pitching this incredible tale of unicorn taming then make sure you can deliver it and the interviews are signed up before offering the story.
Mine the motherlode. If you’re writing for a company, chances are they have a research department and a media press room and other employees who have had contact with the case studies you’re dreaming of.
It pays to advertise. When working as a water conservation PR, I’d often rub shoulders with all those like minded people at events and let them know what style of stories we were after. I also wrote a weekly newspaper column and would sometimes add a breakout letting people know I was looking for people who were proactive in saving water.
Expand your inner circle. Once you’ve written about everyone in your family it’s time to see who they know. Remember, it can be six degrees of separation.
Hit up social media. If you’re active on Twitter or FB, those platforms can also be minefields for elusive case studies. For example, I know a photographer pal who’s located ALL of her models through a community board.
Post it here. In the past when I’ve gotten stuck, Rachel’s List has always come to the rescue with one of our 3000+ members able to put me in touch with those elusive interviewees.
Go the pub. I’m serious. You just never know who’ll be propping up the bar – and chances are one of the will know a one-legged pregnant dwarf who plays the trombone.
How do you find your case studies? We’d love to know.
For medical stories – and others – support groups often have a list of people willing to talk about their experiences.
I agree that this has definitely got legs. Especially when it comes to finding people who have never spoken out before.
My only concern in the past with this route is it is very hard to explain to would be interviewees the fallout that can follow publication…
To find professionals with a niche specialisation, LinkedIn is a fantastic tool if you know how to use the search and filter function. Helps if you have a pro account so you can send InMail as well.
Expertguide.com.au (for academics who may be close to certain types of research/research subjects) and Sourcebottle.com are also worth a shot.
Loving this – thank you we sometimes forget the more traditional routes and LinkedIn certainly narrows those degrees of separation.
Out of curiosity though, as we’ll be posting a best practice LI blog in the future, what’s your hit rate been like? Do the majority of people agree and do you have a formula for approaching strangers this way?
I love Expert Guide. I’ve used them for years. Sourcebottle can also be handy but I agree with NicolaC, above – I used to get bombarded by people who weren’t relevant which can waste time.
Sourcebottle is quite good, although you do tend to get bombarded with emails from people who don’t fit the bill but are desperate for publicity. If you don’t mind picking through 20+ emails to find the right person, it can be very handy.