During your workday, do you tend to answer the phone at every call, regardless of what you’re doing or if the caller ID is one you recognize? And once you do answer, are you hoping a stranger is going to talk to you for about 15 minutes on topics you haven’t considered for a while?
If you don’t do these things, why expect your article contact to do them?
Here’s an intentional strategy I use when calling sources for an article: Treat the first call as if you’re certain you’re going to leave a voicemail. If the person does answer, after you tell them who you are and the project that led to your call, say “I don’t mean to catch you off guard, I was hoping to schedule a time to speak with you later today/tomorrow/next week for X minutes.”
Sometimes, the person says “Right now is a good time” and there you go. But if now isn’t a good time - which is very likely - you’re showing respect for their schedule and setting up a time that works well for your schedule too.
Even better, I always end this scheduling call with another request: “Do you have an email address? I can send you a few questions to give you an idea of the information I’m looking for.” This gives you a chance to provide a heads-up to your subject, it makes them more comfortable with the conversation, and it provides a template for your future call.
With this strategy, you also avoid the procrastinator’s nightmare - you call when the time is best for you, like, oh, the same morning the article is due, and the person is not around at all. By presuming a scheduling call, your subject is better prepared, you appear more professional and you’ll get your info in time to make deadline.
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