Meet the Experts

This past month, University Strategic Communication launched the Media Experts Guide as a way to connect USI faculty and staff with media outlets both local and beyond to share their expertise across a wide variety of topics. The guide is an easy-to-use database to search USI “experts,” and offers featured experts and trending topics, as well as lists of articles experts have previously been featured in.

University Strategic Communication hopes the list will encourage media to think of USI first when seeking sources to talk about local and global issues. “The Media Experts initiative was created to provide a more effective way to showcase and maintain a comprehensive list of campus experts,” says Kaylee Johnson, Media Relations Specialist. “While we previously relied on internal lists, we recognized the need to make this resource accessible externally, allowing media professionals to browse it at their convenience.”

Not only is the guide an easy, searchable list for journalists looking for insights in specific fields, but it can serve as a resource to help local media professionals brainstorm future story ideas that can feature USI experts. “Our Media Experts webpage also includes a ‘Featured Topic’ section and a selection of ‘Featured Experts.’ This provides an opportunity to stay relevant with trending news topics and highlight specific experts and their area of expertise,” Johnson added.

After the beginning of the year, members of University Strategic Communication will visit local media outlets to introduce the Media Experts Guide to journalists. While the guide has many experts already listed, USI faculty and staff interested in being featured are encouraged to join online.

Prior to the launch, University Strategic Communication was already seeing some success with pitching experts for both USI and local and national trending stories, including appearances in media markets such as Indianapolis, Louisville, Kentucky, and several national publications.

“We are excited to launch the guide and encourage anyone who frequently speaks with the media, or anyone open to doing so, to complete the form to be added to the list,” Johnson says. “Our goal is to showcase the incredible people and expertise here at USI, and we hope this new initiative helps us do that on an even larger scale.”

If you would like to know more about the Media Experts Guide, visit USI.edu/media-experts-guide, or reach out the University Strategic Communication at  university.communications@usi.edu.