Some Observations
People tend to be flattered by an e-mail asking for their opinion or expertise and rarely react negatively, even if they don’t have anything to say. People have a much stronger sense of being part of the process.
They know what kind of story you are working on before it appears. Soliciting their input also de-mystifies a news organization and how newsgathering works.
It’s amazing how much time people are willing to take, and how open they are, about addresses, phone numbers, occupations, etc. They also tend to be more cooperative in follow-up phone interviews.
We’ve had much better luck finding articulate, well-informed, untainted sources with e-mail than with some of the alternatives, such as cold-calling people out of the phone book or contacting people suggested by agencies or interest groups.
The response rate varies dramatically depending on time of day and day of week, but varies primarily depending upon the nature of the question and how it resonates with people. It’s best to e-mail earlier in the day, and earlier in the week.
While the use of mass e-mail is not a true, random sampling poll, the variety of responses typically crosses the entire spectrum. Often beyond what you even imagine.
Examples of messages that might not resonate with people
The local air pollution board just voted to change locations of air monitoring stations to save money. Is this a good idea? (Routine governmental activities rarely inspire much feedback.)
Martha Stewart has been released from prison and soon will resume her television shows. Is this appropriate? (For stories with no local connection to draw local feedback, it should have greater significance.)
Which high school football teams are likely to advance in tonight’s playoff games? (Two problems: pointless speculation and timeliness. By the time people check their e-mail and respond, the games might already be over.)
Some Caveats
To quote one reporter: “I continue to feel a bit guilty about using this method to find people for stories - it feels too easy, like cheating.”
- The use of e-mail is not scientific and should never be characterized that way.
- The use of e-mail is not a substitute for connecting with your community in more traditional ways, by attending meetings or events or conducting face-to-face interviews. In fact, if you use e-mail, you need to be very diligent about reaching out to communities that are under-represented in the digital age.
- The use of the e-mail tool is not a replacement for traditional reporting, and is not appropriate for many stories. It is simply a cool new tool and should be used judiciously.
- You must avoid sending out too many messages too frequently, or “spamming” people. A general rule is that no one should receive more than one e-mail message a week from you. And Internet etiquette requires an “opt-out” method at all times for people who want to be removed.