Following are some of their success stories, shared with the members’ permission. If you have a success story you’d like to share, please e-mail profnet@profnet.com with “ProfNet Success Story” in the subject line.

Rick Peterson
Manager of Media Relations
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 Prof. 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
Junior Account Executive
Peppercom

I saw your Tweet about great hits resulting from following the ProfNet feed, and I wanted to share my story. 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. (Click here to view the story.)

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
Communication Works

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
VP, Arts & Entertainment
The TransMedia Group

ProfNet has connected me with terrific opportunities, especially for a query I responded to about George 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
Director of External Communications
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 up landing 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
CEO, The Nuancing Group
Branding expert, speaker and author, “Red Fire Branding: Creating a Hot Personal Brand to Have Customers For Life” (February 2009), “DUH! Marketing: 99 Monstrous Missteps You Can Use to Learn, Laugh, and Grow Your Business” (2006)

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 Smart Money 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.

Edith Onderick-Harvey, M.A.
President, 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:

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. The CNN.com posting of it has resulted in it being translated into multiple languages and posted on additional sites
WorkWise syndicated column
The Boston Business Journal
The New York Times
The 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
www.ehandersonpr.com

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. (Click here to view it.)

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 resulting story from April 18 can be seen here.

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, MBA, EA
http://taxmama.com

As you realize, 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
Co-publisher, SuperCollege
www.supercollege.com

We’ve had hits in Family Circle, Real Simple, Fidelity magazine, Austin American-Statesman and more as a result of ProfNet opportunities in 2008. 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, LCSW
Well from Within
www.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, CNHP, CNC
Author, Inventor, Natural Health Expert, Publicity Coach
“Glorious One-Pot Meals: A Revolutionary New Quick and Healthy Approach to Dutch Oven Cooking,” due out in January 2009 from Broadway Books/Random House (www.GloriousOnePotMeals.com)
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ElizabethYarnel
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 Y Results-Based Consulting, LLC
Developing and Retaining Gen Y employees/customers
www.ericpapp.com

[ProfNet] is awesome. I have been using it for less then 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!

Melanie Rembrandt
CEO
Rembrandt Communications, LLC
www.rembrandtwrites.com

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
Author/Speaker/Consultant
President & CEO
Path Forward International

Over the past year, I was quoted as an expert in Entrepreneur, Redbook and Good Housekeeping because of leads from ProfNet. The service rocks!

Dan Lee
Group Manager
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.

Here is the link to the USA Today story: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-03-19-teen-exotic-trips_N.htm

We love ProfNet and were thrilled with how this story came together and with the outstanding results.

Cristal Perriello
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
College of the Holy Cross

I have included a link to a feature that I wrote for our Web site: “Two Holy Cross Professors Give a Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of a History Channel Show”: http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2008-2009/modernmarvels_08

This all happened because I pitched a producer through ProfNet!

Karen Romine
www.karenromine.com

I just wanted to say, 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, [ProfNet] has been an astounding and exciting success. Thank you so much!

[Coming soon: Tips and tricks on how you can score your own ink through ProfNet...]

You can view urgent reporter queries (with the reporter’s permission), updates of new Topic Alerts for your experts to participate in, and other news and announcements.

If you’re on Twitter, follow us at http://twitter.com/profnet

You can also follow PR Newswire on Twitter (http://twitter.com/prnewswire) for updates on media moves and other media news.

Booster: A booster is an Opportunity that is being re-sent, usually because the reporter needs additional sources.

Cloaked Query: When reporters submit an Opportunity, they have the option of “cloaking” it — meaning, they may leave off any identifying information, because they are concerned that other reporters will see their requests. If an Opportunity is cloaked, we’ll include a generic description of the news outlet (e.g., top U.S. daily, national women’s magazine, news and opinion magazine, etc.).

Expert & Topic Alerts: Expert Alerts are like a “reverse Opportunity” — instead of responding to a reporter’s request for an expert, you provide a brief on the expert (his/her name, expertise, opinion) and we distribute it to reporters who cover the industry. Topic Alerts are “roundups” of experts who can all discuss the same topic, e.g., “China Earthquake,” “Presidential Election,” “Myanmar Cyclone.” For more detailed information on Expert & Topic Alerts, click here.

Experts Database: The Experts Database is a searchable database of expert and information officer profiles. Reporters can search the database by keyword(s) and send a “targeted query” to any of the experts that come up in the search results. (The information officer has the option of having the targeted query go to them or to the expert directly.)

Feed: A feed is the list of Opportunities you get throughout the day. You can choose how often you want to receive the feeds: every half hour, once an hour, every two hours, every six hours, twice a day or once a day. To edit the frequency of feed delivery, log on to the site and click on My Feeds, then on E-mail Options.

Heading: The heading is the part of the query that summarizes what the reporter’s looking for, e.g., “POLITICS: Obama vs. Clinton.” Headings are broken up into two parts: the “subject tag” (POLITICS) and the headline (Obama vs. Clinton). The headings allow you to quickly scan the queries to prioritize your feeds more easily.

Interest Category/Subcategory: An interest category is just that — the category (or categories) in which you an interested in receiving Opportunities. We currently have 13 categories (Arts & Entertainment, Education, Health & Medicine, etc.), which you can filter by over 300 subcategories. To view and edit your list of interest categories and subcategories, log on to the site and click on My Feeds, then on Interest Categories.

IO/SIO: An “information officer” (IO) is a PR person who receives the Opportunity feeds. A “super information officer” (SIO), in addition to receiving Opportunities, is also the person in charge of administering the organization’s subscription. Both IOs and SIOs can submit expert profiles for the Experts Database.

Member Inquiry: A member inquiry is similar to a reporter request, in that it asks for experts or other sources for a media opportunity. Examples: a PR agency seeks experts to round out a client’s press release; a company’s public relations representative is in talks with a reporter and seeks “real people” to personalize the pitch. Member inquiries may be submitted online by logging on to the site and clicking on the Create Member Inquiry tab.

Non-Expert: A non-expert request is submitted by reporters in search of “real people,” and will have a NON-EXPERT subject tag. If a request is for non-experts, please adhere to the reporter’s needs and only provide anecdotes.

Opportunities: Formerly called “queries,” Opportunities are requests from originators, primarily reporters, who are looking for expert sources.

Originator: An originator is anyone — a reporter, author, member — who submits an Opportunity.

ProfNet Links: ProfNet Links is a service by which companies submitting press releases via PR Newswire may embed a URL link in the release that links to the expert’s profile in the Experts Database.

ProfNet Post: ProfNet Post (http://profnetpost.prnewswire.com) is a Web site containing news of interest to the PR community. Sections include a calendar of PR events, job postings in the PR field, Q&As with reporters, and Promotional Opportunities (see below). The site does not require registration, and access is free.

Promotional Opportunity: ProfNet members are sometimes in need of finding information that is not related to their media relations duties, such as finding testimonials for a company’s product or securing gift-bag items for event participants. In those cases, they may submit a Promotional Opportunity. These are different from member inquiries in that there is not a media angle — that is, the organization is not working with a news outlet on a story and the request is not part of a media campaign. There is no charge to submit Promotional Opportunities, which are posted on the ProfNet Post on Wednesday afternoons and are included in an advisory alerting members to the new promo opps available. Submit via e-mail to profnet@profnet.com with “Promo Opp” in the subject line.

SIO: (see IO/SIO)

Speaker Service: Via Speaker Service, conference organizers can submit a request for speakers/panelists. Requests are sent to members via the Opportunities feed, with the SPEAKER SERVICE subject tag.

Subcategory: (see Interest Category)

Targeted Query: Targeted queries are Opportunities sent directly from reporters to specific experts profiled in the Experts Database (see Experts Database for more info).

Turnoff: When reporters have gotten the responses they need, they will send a “turnoff” message, indicating they no longer need responses. This is usually done if the reporter has finished gathering sources before the initial Opportunity deadline.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/prnewswire/31696/

PR Newswire has developed a new CSR channel within ProfNet, where experts in diversity, philanthropy, socially responsible investing, environment, human rights, workplace issues, business ethics, community development and corporate governance, can connect directly with journalists who are working on relevant stories, in addition to interacting and sharing ideas and information with each other.

“CSR programs are becoming more and more of a driving force behind many business initiatives,” said Juliet Herman, director of ProfNet, PR Newswire. “Those in charge of these initiatives within organizations need a forum to share best practices and to engage with environmental, social, or other subject-matter experts. ProfNet was created over a decade ago as a forum for connecting communications professionals, experts and the media, and was really one of the first truly social networks of its kind. It is therefore perfectly suited to become the platform for a CSR community network.”

Through a successful partnership with CSRwire, the leading distributor of corporate social responsibility and sustainability news, reports and information, PR Newswire has been delivering its members’ news directly to influential audiences such as investors, journalists, analysts, academics, activists, influencers at CSR organizations, socially responsible investment houses, NGOs, educational institutions and government bodies within the CSR community since October 2007. The addition of CSR experts into the ProfNet network is a natural extension of this partnership.

“Although CSR is a growing trend among smart businesses, it is still a relatively new practice and as with anything new it is always beneficial to collaborate and share best practices with peers,” said Greg Schneider, chief operating officer of CSRwire. “ProfNet has connected leading academic, business and non-profit experts with the media successfully for more than a decade and it is precisely what the CSR community needs to elevate these increasingly important issues. We are excited to be able to leverage ProfNet’s proven capabilities into the CSR community that we work with so closely and so passionately.”

Effective immediately, ProfNet is now transmitting daily media opportunities on CSR-related topics to the tens of thousands of communications professionals representing ProfNet experts. In addition, CSR experts that are paying members of ProfNet can create profiles within the ProfNet database for access by media and other experts. Subscribers to ProfNet search the database using keywords such as environment, green business, and sustainability to find these profiles and connect with experts directly.

About ProfNet
ProfNet (www.profnet.com) is an online community of academics, government officials, business people, non-profit executives, and other subject matter experts. Through ProfNet, journalists, and many non-media professionals such as meeting planners, bloggers, corporate researchers, publishers, analysts, and authors can connect with these experts for story sources, speaking events, to keep up on trends and initiate relationships.

ProfNet Opportunities (formerly ProfNet Queries) enables reporters to send short descriptions of the stories and the type of experts they are seeking to the tens of thousands of experts in the ProfNet database. ProfNet Opportunities are available in 13 categories with the recent addition of Corporate Social Responsibility. In January, ProfNet distributed 3,010 ProfNet Opportunities, the most in its 15-year history.

Reporters can also sign up to receive, via email, Expert Alerts, short story ideas summarizing an expert’s perspective on a timely issue or trends, and Daily Topic Alerts, a round-up of experts on a particular timely issue or trend culled from the Expert Alerts. Currently, the ProfNet expert database has more than 25,000 experts profiles.

About CSRwire LLC
CSRwire is the leading source of corporate social responsibility and sustainability news, reports and information. CSRwire members are companies and NGOs, agencies and organizations interested in communicating their corporate citizenship, sustainability, and socially responsible initiatives to a global audience through CSRwire’s syndication network and News Alerts. CSRwire content covers issues of Diversity, Philanthropy, Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) Environment, Human Rights, Workplace Issues, Business Ethics, Community Development and Corporate Governance. CSRwire is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest global corporate citizenship initiative.

Here is a glance at the new feature names:

Opportunities (formerly Queries): requests from journalists seeking commentary from experts interested in increasing visibility

Expert Alerts (formerly Leads): provides a three-sentence story idea that summarizes an expert’s perspective on a timely issue or trend and proactively alerts reporters to interested experts

Daily Topic Alerts (formerly Roundups): lists experts who are available to comment on a specific breaking news story

Member Inquiries (formerly Member Items): build relationships with other experts

Click here to find out more.

With the addition of corporate social responsibility, ProfNet will now provide coverage in 13 industries to mark ProfNet’s first foray into the social networking arena, creating an even more powerful connection to media and other experts.

For more information, click here: www.hightech-pr.com/prn/2008_01_23/find_out_more.html

The presentation covered how to:

· Receive and respond to daily leads from journalists seeking expert sources
· Proactively engage with media by connecting with journalists you couldn’t access individually
· Create expert profiles that can be searched by journalists
· Gain additional exposure by linking to expert profiles in news releases
· Maximize your ROI by combining reactive and proactive methods

Special guest journalists Catharine Hamm from the Los Angeles Times and James Burnett from the Miami Herald discussed how the media use ProfNet, including tips on writing an effective pitch.

Presented by:
Juliet Herman, director of ProfNet

To listen to an archive of the webinar, please visit http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=44358

As a PR/marketing consultant and as a journalist, I am afforded the opportunity to understand the needs of both sides of the fence.

As a journalist, I write about a wide array of subjects for newspapers and magazines. In any given month, I can write about careers, spa treatments, equestrian, health and wellness, education, hospitality or real estate. When I need resources outside of my area, I rely on ProfNet to post queries.

In today’s ultra-competitive market for editorial content, though, there appears to be a new generation of PR professionals who are completely missing the boat when they respond to journalists’ queries. When they miss that boat, they not only lose the opportunity to make their clients shine, but they also leave a poor impression of their agency (even in some of the country’s most prominent agencies).

So, in an effort to make life better for both sides, I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 Don’ts and Dos — yes, in that order — to help you succeed in getting your clients into our stories.

The Top 5 Don’ts:

1. If the query asks you to pitch us, don’t simply “instruct” us to call your client or to go to their Web site without a pitch. Tell us why we should want to include them in our story.

2. Along the same lines, don’t simply cut and paste information from a Web site. Often, it doesn’t address the specifics of our story, and we’re not going to research it when a dozen other practitioners are feeding us exactly what we want.

3. Don’t pitch what doesn’t fit. It won’t get you in the story, nor will it endear you to us.

4. Don’t ask for the “drop-dead deadline.” The deadline is in the query. Freelance journalists are normally paid by the project. The sooner we complete the story, the sooner we can accept new projects.

5. Don’t add journalists’ names to your e-mail blasts without permission. Not only is it against ProfNet’s member rules, but many journalists find it unprofessional. Remember, the art of media relations is about permission marketing.

The Top 5 Dos:

1. Do respond to the query before the deadline to increase your client’s chances of inclusion in a story.

2. Do ask questions if, for any reason, the query isn’t clear to you.

3. Whenever possible, do offer to have your client call us. Freelance journalists aren’t normally reimbursed for phone calls, and we’ll love you for this one!

4. Do stay on top of your game. The key word in public relations is the word “relations.” When you build relationships with the media for your clients, it reflects well on both you and your client. Always be the consummate professional.

5. Do follow up to ensure we made the connection with your client. Sometimes it’s the clients who drop the ball, and we’re delighted to have great PR professionals like you who make things happen.

My favorite PR pros are the ones who do what it takes to make my job easier. They set up the interview, instead of letting me spend days tracking down their client. They provide photos in a timely manner, follow up to ensure the interview went well, and offer to support my every need. These are the people who make it to my contact list, the ones I’ll call for similar articles down the road, even before I post my next query.

One way to increase media exposure for your organization or clients is to make sure your roster of expert profiles is up-to-date. If there are any outdated expert listings, simply follow these instructions to update or delete their profile:

1) Go to https://profnet.prnewswire.com/CommunicationProfessional.aspx and login.

2) Click on “My Organization”

3) To delete or update a profile, click on “Organization View”

4) Expand the view by clicking on any of the plus signs next to the names listed.

5) Click on the expert’s name to access his/her profile or put a checkmark next to the name of the expert you wish to delete.

6) Click on “Delete” at the bottom of the page.

If you need additional assistance with expert profiles, contact Bob or any of our product support specialists at productsupport@prnewswire.com or (800) 482-4220, ext. 2.