opencode-skills-collection 3.1.12 → 3.1.13

package/bundled-skills/public-relations/references/media-outlets.md

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+# Media Outlets — Where to Pitch
+
+A curated, opinionated list of *where* to pitch for software/SaaS PR. This is the media-outlet slice of resources like submit.co — the journalist-driven half. For startup/SaaS/AI directories (Product Hunt, BetaList, Futurepedia, etc.), use the separate `directory-submissions` skill — different intent, different audience.
+
+## How to use this list
+
+- **Don't pitch a publication. Pitch a journalist at that publication.** See [journalist-pitching.md](journalist-pitching.md) for the discovery workflow.
+- **Tier signals quality, not effort** — a small tier-3 outlet might be perfect for your niche
+- **Submission/tip URLs are listed where they exist** — but a journalist's email beats a tip form every time
+- **This list ages fast** — verify the outlet still exists and the journalist is still there before pitching
+
+---
+
+## Tech & Startup Press (Tier 1)
+
+The big names. High bar to clear, high payoff when you do. Pitch the specific reporter, not the tip line.
+
+| Outlet | Best for | Tip URL |
+|--------|---------|---------|
+| **TechCrunch** | Funding, product launches, startup news | techcrunch.com/got-a-tip/ |
+| **The Verge** | Consumer tech, product reviews, policy | theverge.com/contact |
+| **Wired** | Long-form tech, culture, business | wired.com/about/feedback |
+| **Fast Company** | Innovation, design, business strategy | fastcompany.com/contact-us |
+| **VentureBeat** | AI, enterprise tech, gaming | venturebeat.com/contribute |
+| **Ars Technica** | Deep tech, science, policy | arstechnica.com/contact-us |
+| **The Information** | Subscription-gated, scoops on tech industry | theinformation.com/about |
+| **Bloomberg / Reuters** | Business, finance, big-picture stories | bloomberg.com/feedback |
+| **WSJ Tech** | Enterprise, business angle | wsj.com/tips |
+| **NYT Tech** | Mainstream tech, culture | nytimes.com/tips |
+
+---
+
+## SaaS & B2B (Tier 1–2)
+
+Lower-profile than the consumer tech outlets but often higher ROI for B2B SaaS.
+
+| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
+|--------|----------|-------|
+| **SaaStr** | B2B SaaS founders, growth, sales | Jason Lemkin's outlet; pitch contributed posts |
+| **First Round Review** | Operator-level B2B insights | High bar; original frameworks only |
+| **OpenView** | SaaS metrics, PLG, pricing | Often runs research-backed pieces |
+| **Lenny's Newsletter** | Product / growth | Subscriber-only; pitch via Lenny directly on X |
+| **Future (a16z)** | Tech + culture pieces | Long-form, original thinking required |
+| **Stratechery** | Tech strategy analysis | Don't pitch Ben Thompson; engage via responses |
+
+---
+
+## AI / ML Press (Tier 1–2)
+
+The hottest beat right now. Reporters here are inundated — your angle has to be sharp.
+
+| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
+|--------|----------|-------|
+| **The Decoder** | AI news, fast-turn | Daily AI news cycle |
+| **Import AI** (Jack Clark) | Weekly AI newsletter | Pitch research-backed angles |
+| **The Batch** (Andrew Ng) | AI industry analysis | Submitted by deeplearning.ai team |
+| **MIT Technology Review** | AI policy, capability, ethics | Higher bar, slower cycle |
+| **Hugging Face blog** | Open-source AI tools | Contributed posts welcome |
+| **Latent Space** | Practitioner-focused AI/ML | Podcast + newsletter |
+
+---
+
+## Developer & DevTools Press
+
+Where to pitch if your audience is engineers.
+
+| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
+|--------|----------|-------|
+| **The New Stack** | DevTools, infra, cloud-native | Active contributor program |
+| **InfoQ** | Enterprise dev, software architecture | Long-form technical pieces |
+| **DEV.to** | Self-published, community-driven | Build credibility before pitching |
+| **Hacker Noon** | Tech blogging platform | Easy to publish but low signal |
+| **Console** | DevTools newsletter | Curated weekly; submit projects |
+| **DevTools FM** | Podcast | Pitch as guest |
+
+---
+
+## Business & Marketing Press
+
+For pitching the business / marketing angle of your story.
+
+| Outlet | Best for | Notes |
+|--------|----------|-------|
+| **Inc.** | Founder stories, business advice | Contributor program available |
+| **Entrepreneur** | Small business, growth | Volume publisher; quality varies |
+| **HBR.org** | Original research, frameworks | High bar; long lead time |
+| **MarketingProfs** | B2B marketing | Contributor-friendly |
+| **Marketing Brew (Morning Brew)** | Daily marketing newsletter | Reporter-driven, pitch directly |
+| **Marketing Land / Search Engine Journal** | SEO, SEM, channels | Niche but high-intent audience |
+| **Reforge** | Growth, product, retention | Original framework required |
+
+---
+
+## Newsletters (Reporter-Driven)
+
+Newsletters are increasingly the most valuable PR placement — small audiences, but high-intent.
+
+| Newsletter | Audience | How to pitch |
+|-----------|---------|--------------|
+| **Lenny's Newsletter** | Product/growth, ~600k readers | DM Lenny on X with sharp angle |
+| **The Pragmatic Engineer** (Gergely Orosz) | Software eng leaders | Pitch via email; original engineering insights |
+| **The Generalist** (Mario Gabriele) | Tech business analysis | Pitch via email; deep angles |
+| **Stratechery** (Ben Thompson) | Tech strategy | Don't pitch; engage in replies |
+| **Newcomer** (Eric Newcomer) | Tech business + scoops | Tips welcome via email |
+| **Platformer** (Casey Newton) | Tech + policy | Pitch via Substack |
+| **Big Technology** (Alex Kantrowitz) | Big Tech analysis | Pitch via Substack |
+| **Not Boring** (Packy McCormick) | Tech + culture | Tough to crack; original takes only |
+
+**For B2B SaaS:**
+- **SaaStr Daily**
+- **Demand Curve**
+- **Growth Unhinged** (Kyle Poyar)
+- **Trends.vc**
+
+**For AI:**
+- **Import AI** (Jack Clark)
+- **The Batch** (Andrew Ng)
+- **The Algorithm** (MIT Tech Review)
+- **Interconnects** (Nathan Lambert)
+- **AI Tidbits**
+
+---
+
+## Podcasts
+
+A podcast appearance is often higher leverage than a press hit — longer engagement, evergreen replay, audience trust transfer.
+
+### Top SaaS / startup podcasts
+- **Lenny's Podcast** — product/growth
+- **My First Million** — founder stories, business ideas
+- **The Twenty Minute VC** — funding angle
+- **SaaStr Podcast** — B2B SaaS
+- **Acquired** — deep-dive company stories (don't pitch unless you're a unicorn)
+- **The All-In Podcast** — broad tech/business (very hard to get on)
+
+### Top AI podcasts
+- **No Priors** (Sarah Guo, Elad Gil)
+- **Latent Space**
+- **Practical AI**
+- **The TWIML AI Podcast**
+- **The Cognitive Revolution**
+
+### Top dev / engineering podcasts
+- **The Changelog**
+- **Software Engineering Daily**
+- **DevTools FM**
+
+### How to pitch a podcast
+
+1. **Listen to 3 episodes** — non-negotiable
+2. **Find the host's preferred channel** (X DM, email, guest form)
+3. **Pitch a topic, not yourself** — "I'd love to come on and talk about [specific angle]" not "I'd love to be a guest"
+4. **Bring evidence** — links to other appearances, your unique angle, what listeners will learn
+5. **Make it easy** — bio, headshot, suggested questions in the pitch
+
+---
+
+## Industry / Vertical Press
+
+Don't overlook trade press — smaller audience, much higher intent.
+
+| Vertical | Outlets to investigate |
+|----------|----------------------|
+| **Marketing** | Adweek, Marketing Brew, AdAge, Search Engine Land |
+| **Sales** | Sales Hacker, Modern Sales Pros |
+| **HR / People Ops** | HR Brew, SHRM, HR Dive |
+| **Finance / Fintech** | The Block, CoinDesk, Finextra |
+| **Healthcare tech** | STAT, MobiHealthNews, Healthcare IT News |
+| **Education tech** | EdSurge, EdScoop |
+| **Real estate tech** | Inman, The Real Deal |
+| **Legal tech** | Above the Law, Law360 |
+| **Climate tech** | Heatmap, Canary Media, Latitude Media |
+| **Devtools** | The New Stack, InfoQ, DevOps.com |
+
+For your specific vertical: Google `"top publications" + "[your industry]"` and run the same scoring exercise from [journalist-pitching.md](journalist-pitching.md).
+
+---
+
+## Regional / Local
+
+If your company has a regional angle (HQ location, customer concentration, government contract), local press is underrated.
+
+- **Local business journals** — Bizjournals network covers 40+ US cities
+- **Local NPR affiliates** — high-quality, business angle welcomed
+- **Local TV business segments** — high reach, easy to get
+- **State / regional tech news** — e.g., Built In (Chicago, Austin, etc.), TechBuzz (Utah)
+
+---
+
+## What's NOT On This List (And Why)
+
+- **Product Hunt, BetaList, Indie Hackers** — these are directories, not press. Use the `directory-submissions` skill.
+- **Press release wires** (PRNewswire, BusinessWire, GlobeNewswire) — overpriced for early-stage; journalists ignore them. Skip until you have IR / SEC requirements.
+- **"As featured in" badge mills** — paid "media coverage" services. Worthless and damaging.
+- **Random "guest post" SEO link networks** — Google penalizes these. Don't.
+
+---
+
+## Maintaining This List
+
+This list will go stale. Recommended cadence:
+
+- **Quarterly:** verify your tier-1 contacts are still at the outlet
+- **Monthly:** add new outlets/newsletters relevant to your category
+- **Per pitch:** confirm the journalist is still there before sending (check X / LinkedIn for "joined [new place]")
+
+Store your live, working version in `.agents/media-list.md` (per [journalist-pitching.md](journalist-pitching.md)).

package/bundled-skills/public-relations/references/newsjacking.md

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+# Newsjacking — Reactive PR Workflow
+
+Injecting your POV into a story that's already trending. Done well: free distribution off a wave of attention. Done badly: cringe at best, brand damage at worst.
+
+## Contents
+- When newsjacking works (and when it doesn't)
+- The detect → score → angle → pitch loop
+- Newsworthiness scoring rubric
+- Story angle library
+- Speed: the only thing that matters
+- Sources & tooling
+- Failure modes
+
+---
+
+## When Newsjacking Works
+
+- **Tech/regulatory news in your category** — new law, new platform launch, competitor pivot, big acquisition
+- **Industry data drops** — a major report drops, you have a sharper take or contradicting data
+- **Public conversation** — a debate or controversy where your expertise is genuinely relevant
+- **Seasonal/cyclical moments** — earnings season, year-end reviews, conference weeks
+
+## When to Skip
+
+- **Tragedies, accidents, deaths** — no exceptions. Don't.
+- **Politically charged stories** unless your brand explicitly takes political stances
+- **You have no genuine expertise** in the area
+- **The window is already closed** — if a story is 48h+ old and you weren't first, you're late
+- **The angle is "we have a product for this"** — that's marketing, not journalism
+
+---
+
+## The Loop
+
+A repeatable workflow Claude can run on demand or daily.
+
+1. **Detect** — surface trending stories in your category (see [Sources & Tooling](#sources--tooling))
+2. **Score** — apply the [newsworthiness rubric](#newsworthiness-scoring-rubric); drop anything below threshold
+3. **Angle** — generate 2–3 angles per story using the [angle library](#story-angle-library)
+4. **Validate** — sanity-check: do you actually have the expertise/data to back this angle?
+5. **Pitch** — draft a tight pitch to 3–5 journalists who cover this beat (see [journalist-pitching.md](journalist-pitching.md))
+6. **Post** — also publish on your blog, LinkedIn, X — it builds the trail journalists check before quoting you
+
+Output format Claude should produce:
+
+```
+NEWSJACK CANDIDATE — 2026-06-10
+
+Story: "EU passes AI Act amendment requiring agent registration"
+Source: TechCrunch, 3h ago
+Score: 8/10 (high relevance, fresh, you have proprietary data)
+
+Angles:
+1. Data hot take: "Our analysis of 12,000 agent deployments shows 73% would fail this requirement"
+2. Contrarian: "Why the registration rule will hurt safety, not improve it"
+3. Customer story: "How [customer] is preparing — interview offer"
+
+Recommended: #1 (you have unique data, strongest hook)
+Pitch draft: [see journalist-pitching.md for template]
+Target journalists: [list with rationale]
+```
+
+---
+
+## Newsworthiness Scoring Rubric
+
+Score each candidate 1–10 on five dimensions, multiply by the weight, then sum. Max possible: 80 (10 × the 8x weight total).
+
+| Dimension | What it measures | Weight |
+|-----------|------------------|--------|
+| **Timeliness** | Story <24h old? Window still open? | 2x |
+| **Relevance** | Genuinely in your expertise area? | 2x |
+| **Angle uniqueness** | Can you say something no one else is saying? | 2x |
+| **Authority** | Do you have data, customers, or experience to back it? | 1x |
+| **Reach potential** | Will this story keep growing or has it peaked? | 1x |
+
+**Threshold:** weighted total ≥ 50/80. Below that, skip.
+
+**Auto-disqualify if:**
+- The story is about something tragic
+- Your angle is "I disagree" with nothing to back it
+- You haven't actually formed an opinion — you just want to be quoted
+
+---
+
+## Story Angle Library
+
+Use these templates to generate angles fast.
+
+### 1. Data hot take
+*"We analyzed [N] [things] after [event]. Here's what we found."*
+
+Best when you have proprietary data. The journalist gets a stat, you get the citation.
+
+### 2. Contrarian
+*"Everyone says [popular take]. Here's why they're wrong."*
+
+Best when you can defend the position with specifics. Weak when it's just contrarianism for attention.
+
+### 3. "We predicted this"
+*"Six months ago we wrote [thing] — here's what's happening now and what's next."*
+
+Best when you actually did predict it. Lethal to your credibility if you didn't.
+
+### 4. Customer impact
+*"Here's a [customer type] who's directly affected. We can put you in touch."*
+
+Best for B2B. Reporters love named customers willing to talk.
+
+### 5. Insider explainer
+*"This story is complicated. Here's what's actually happening."*
+
+Best when most coverage is missing nuance. You're not arguing — you're educating.
+
+### 6. Trend connector
+*"This isn't isolated — it's part of a bigger shift we're seeing in [pattern]."*
+
+Best when you have several data points or examples to connect.
+
+### 7. Founder POV
+*"As someone who's built in this space for [X years], here's the part most people are missing."*
+
+Best for opinion pieces / op-eds. Weak as a soundbite pitch.
+
+---
+
+## Speed: The Only Thing That Matters
+
+Newsjacking decays fast. Approximate windows:
+
+| Story type | Effective window |
+|-----------|------------------|
+| Breaking tech news | 4–12 hours |
+| Major regulation / policy | 24–48 hours |
+| Industry report / data drop | 24–72 hours |
+| Conference announcement | Same day |
+| Acquisition / funding news | 12–24 hours |
+
+**Implication:** if you can't draft and send within the window, don't bother. Set up the loop so detection → pitch takes <2 hours.
+
+---
+
+## Sources & Tooling
+
+Reuses tooling from the `social` skill's listening workflow. Same install: `brew install jq`.
+
+### Google News RSS (no auth)
+
+```bash
+# Replace QUERY with topic (use + for spaces, %22 for quotes)
+curl -s "https://news.google.com/rss/search?q=QUERY&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en" \
+  | xmllint --xpath "//item[position()<11]" - 2>/dev/null
+```
+
+### Hacker News (Algolia) for tech stories
+
+```bash
+SINCE=$(($(date +%s) - 86400))
+curl -s "https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search_by_date?query=QUERY&tags=story&numericFilters=created_at_i>${SINCE}" \
+  | jq '.hits[] | {title, url, points, num_comments, created_at, hn_url: ("https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id="+.objectID)}'
+```
+
+### Reddit (for category-specific subs)
+
+```bash
+curl -s -A "newsjack/1.0" \
+  "https://www.reddit.com/r/SUBREDDIT/top.json?t=day&limit=15" \
+  | jq '.data.children[].data | {title, url, score, num_comments, created_utc}'
+```
+
+### Journalist research (browser-driven)
+
+For finding *which* journalists are covering the story right now:
+- **dev-browser** → Google News search for the story → click through to articles → note the bylines
+- Then go to those journalists' X / LinkedIn / Muck Rack profile to confirm beat and recent coverage
+
+See also [journalist-pitching.md](journalist-pitching.md) for the full discovery workflow.
+
+### Source list
+
+For repeatable monitoring, add a "Newsjacking topics" section to `.agents/listening-sources.md` (template in the `social` skill's references):
+
+```markdown
+## Newsjacking topics (Google News RSS)
+- "AI agent regulation"
+- "[your category] funding"
+- "[your competitors] OR [adjacent competitors]"
+
+## Industry data drops (RSS / manual)
+- Pitchbook reports
+- a16z state of [industry] reports
+- [your category] benchmark reports
+```
+
+---
+
+## Failure Modes
+
+Things that have ended careers and brands.
+
+- **Tragedy-jacking** — Oreo's 2013 Super Bowl tweet worked. Most attempts since have not. Wartime, disasters, deaths: don't.
+- **The forced fit** — "Here's our take on [trending story] — it's actually about [our product]." Journalists see through this instantly.
+- **The empty take** — pitching "we have an opinion" without specifics. Journalists need a quote-worthy line, not "we're closely watching this."
+- **Speed without judgment** — being first with a bad take is worse than being late with a good one. The 30-minute "is this brand-appropriate?" gut check exists for a reason.
+- **Pitching the same angle to 50 journalists** — they talk. Get caught once, lose the relationships.
+- **No follow-through** — pitch goes out, journalist responds in 20 minutes, founder takes 6 hours to reply. Story moves on.
+
+---
+
+## Companion Practice: The Public Trail
+
+Every newsjack pitch is stronger if the journalist can find evidence you've been thinking about this publicly. Before pitching:
+
+1. Publish a short post (blog, LinkedIn, X thread) with your take
+2. Reference it in the pitch ("more thinking here: [link]")
+3. This signals you're not opportunistic — you're an actual voice in the space
+
+If you don't have time to publish, you're probably not ready to pitch.

package/bundled-skills/public-relations/references/press-platforms.md

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+# Press Request Platforms — Inbound PR
+
+Journalists posting "I need a source for X" — you respond, sometimes you get quoted, sometimes you don't. The cheapest PR play available, but only if you treat it seriously.
+
+## Contents
+- The major platforms
+- Daily triage workflow
+- Response template
+- What makes a response get selected
+- What kills a response
+- ROI reality check
+
+---
+
+## The Major Platforms
+
+| Platform | What it is | Cost | Quality |
+|----------|-----------|------|---------|
+| **[Connectively](https://www.connectively.us)** (formerly HARO) | Daily email digest of journalist queries | Free tier; paid for filters | Mixed — high volume, lots of noise |
+| **[Qwoted](https://www.qwoted.com)** | Web app with journalist requests | Free; paid for outreach | Good — better-quality outlets |
+| **[Featured](https://featured.com)** | Web app, expert profiles, journalist requests | Free tier; paid pro | Good for thought-leadership snippets |
+| **[Help A B2B Writer](https://helpab2bwriter.com)** | Twice-weekly email of B2B queries | Free | High — B2B-focused, low spam |
+| **[SourceBottle](https://www.sourcebottle.com)** | Australia-focused but global queries | Free | Variable |
+| **[Terkel](https://terkel.io)** | Roundup-style ("we asked 50 experts…") | Free | Volume-heavy, low effort |
+| **[JournoRequests](https://twitter.com/journorequests)** | X account aggregating tweets | Free | UK-skewed, real-time |
+| **#JournoRequest** (X hashtag) | Live journalist requests | Free | Real-time, fast-moving |
+
+**Recommended starter set:** Connectively + Qwoted + Help A B2B Writer + monitoring `#JournoRequest` on X.
+
+---
+
+## Daily Triage Workflow
+
+These platforms generate volume. Treat it like email triage — fast pass, deep response on the rare matches.
+
+### Step 1 — Filter (5 min)
+
+For each digest / request feed:
+- Drop everything where you don't have **direct experience or data**
+- Drop everything from outlets your ICP doesn't read
+- Drop everything with a deadline you can't meet
+- Keep only requests where you can give a **complete, named, on-the-record answer**
+
+Realistic conversion: 50 daily requests → 2–4 worth answering.
+
+### Step 2 — Deep response (15 min per request)
+
+For each keeper:
+- Read the request 3 times — what's the *actual* angle?
+- Look up the journalist if possible — recent coverage, beat
+- Write a custom response (see [template](#response-template))
+- Send within their stated deadline (early > late)
+
+### Step 3 — Log
+
+Track in a spreadsheet:
+- Date
+- Platform
+- Journalist + outlet
+- Topic
+- Response sent (yes/no)
+- Outcome (no response / passed / quoted / linked)
+
+After 30 responses, you'll see which topics/platforms convert.
+
+---
+
+## Response Template
+
+Keep responses under 200 words. Journalists are scanning 50+ replies for one quote.
+
+```
+Hi [name],
+
+Quick response to your request about [topic].
+
+[Specific credential — 1 sentence. "Built X for 5 years" / "Led marketing at Y" / "Have analyzed N companies in space"]
+
+The most important thing about [topic]: [your actual point in 2 sentences].
+
+[A specific example, story, or data point — this is what gets quoted.]
+
+[If applicable: a contrarian or surprising angle that differentiates from typical answers.]
+
+Happy to expand on any of this, share data, or be quoted directly.
+
+Feel free to use this attribution:
+[Your name], [your title], [your company]
+
+Contact for follow-up: [email + phone]
+```
+
+**Note the structure:**
+1. One-sentence intro
+2. One-sentence credential
+3. Two-sentence answer
+4. Specific example (the quotable part)
+5. Optional: differentiator
+6. Clear offer
+7. Pre-written attribution (saves them 30 seconds)
+8. Contact info
+
+---
+
+## What Makes a Response Get Selected
+
+After analyzing hundreds of quoted responses, the patterns:
+
+### Quotable specificity
+**Bad:** "Companies should focus on customer experience."
+**Good:** "When we A/B tested 47 onboarding flows, the version with a 30-second video at step 3 increased activation by 41%."
+
+The good version is a quote. The bad version is filler.
+
+### Concrete credential
+**Bad:** "As a marketing expert..."
+**Good:** "I've run growth at three Series B SaaS companies, all in B2B sales tooling."
+
+Specificity beats title-stacking.
+
+### Story over advice
+**Bad:** "It's important to track the right metrics."
+**Good:** "We almost shut down because we were optimizing for MRR when our real problem was activation. Once we switched to tracking 7-day activation, everything else followed."
+
+Stories make articles. Advice makes filler.
+
+### Pre-formatted for their workflow
+- Pre-written attribution
+- Multiple quotable lines (let them pick)
+- High-res headshot link (don't attach)
+- One-line company description
+
+### Time match
+**Most quotes come from responses sent in the first 6 hours.** After 24 hours, your chances drop sharply. Treat deadlines as if they're 24h earlier than stated.
+
+---
+
+## What Kills a Response
+
+- **Pitching your product** when they asked for expert commentary
+- **Generic advice** that could come from any expert
+- **Multiple "experts" from your company** responding to the same request (looks coordinated, often is)
+- **Hiring a PR firm to spam responses** — journalists smell it
+- **Demanding a link back** to your site — most can't promise links
+- **Ignoring the deadline** by 1+ days
+- **Long bio sections** before the actual answer
+- **Asking to "see the article before publication"** — you don't get to do that
+- **Asking what other experts said** so you can differentiate — they won't tell you
+
+---
+
+## ROI Reality Check
+
+Most teams overinvest in these platforms because they're cheap. Be honest:
+
+| Effort | Realistic outcome (90 days) |
+|--------|----------------------------|
+| 5 hr/week, custom responses | 3–10 quoted placements |
+| 1 hr/week, template responses | 0–2 placements |
+| Outsourced to PR firm | Lots of submissions, few quotes |
+
+**A quote in a tier-1 outlet is worth:**
+- A backlink (DR depends on outlet)
+- A sales-collateral asset ("As featured in...")
+- AI-citation surface area
+- Brand legitimacy in the abstract
+
+**A quote in a tier-3 outlet is worth:**
+- A backlink, often nofollow
+- Maybe an Instagram screenshot
+
+**Decision rule:** if you can sustain 5 hr/week of quality responses for 90 days, this is worth it. If you can only do 1 hr/week, skip it and invest in [proactive pitching](journalist-pitching.md) instead.
+
+---
+
+## Setup Checklist
+
+Before you start responding:
+
+- [ ] Press page exists and is current (see main SKILL.md)
+- [ ] One-line credential is written and rehearsed
+- [ ] Headshot is high-res and at a public URL
+- [ ] You have 3–5 specific stories / data points ready to deploy
+- [ ] You've decided which 2–3 platforms to use (don't try all 7)
+- [ ] You've blocked a daily 20-min window for triage
+- [ ] You're logging responses in a tracker
+
+Without these, you're spamming and wasting their time and yours.