Quick answer: Economists get featured in the media by becoming fast, reliable sources for journalists on data releases, publishing op-eds and columns in outlets like Project Syndicate and VoxEU, speaking at conferences, and translating their research for a general audience. The economists who shape the story are simply the ones reporters, and now AI assistants, already know how to find.
When the data drops, the media reaches for names it already knows
Every jobs report, inflation print, and rate decision sets off a scramble for expert interpretation, and reporters on deadline call the economists they've quoted before. That dynamic is now amplified by AI: when someone asks ChatGPT or Gemini what a CPI number means, the answer is assembled from economists who already appear, by name, in credible coverage and commentary. Increasingly, the public learns economics through whoever the media and the models have learned to cite.
That's the opportunity. Your research can travel far beyond a journal: Project Syndicate (https://www.project-syndicate.org/) alone syndicates columns to a network of roughly 500 media outlets worldwide. Getting featured isn't a distraction from serious work. It's how your ideas reach the policymakers, journalists, and citizens who act on them.
Become a go-to source for journalists
The single highest-leverage move for an economist is to be reachable and fast when a story breaks. Reporters reward the source who replies within the hour with a clear, quotable sentence, not the one who sends three caveated paragraphs the next day. Build a one-line description of your beat (labor markets, trade, housing, monetary policy), make your contact details easy to find, and respond quickly when your topic is in the news. Do that a few times and you become a name on the reporter's shortlist.
How economists get featured, step by step
1. Answer journalist requests
Beyond your existing reporter relationships, request platforms surface fresh opportunities daily. Services like Help a Reporter Out (HARO) circulate reporter queries. Featured, which operates HARO and Connectively and aggregates requests across the web, lets you filter to the ones in your field, for instance: "Seeking an economist to explain what today's jobs report signals for the Fed's next move." A prompt, jargon-free answer is often all it takes to be quoted.
2. Publish op-eds and policy columns
Write your ideas at several depths for several audiences. A working paper becomes a research-based column on VoxEU (CEPR), a shorter argument on Project Syndicate, and an accessible explainer on The Conversation. Op-eds in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or Bloomberg reach the broadest audience, and resources like The OpEd Project teach the form if you're new to it.
3. Speak at conferences and on panels
Academic and policy conferences, from the AEA/ASSA annual meeting to think-tank events, university seminars, and central-bank conferences, establish peer authority, and the talks double as clips and citations. A clear, visual presentation of a single finding travels further than a comprehensive but dense session. Organizers increasingly post recordings and slides, so one strong talk keeps generating visibility long after the room empties, and journalists who couldn't attend often pull quotes from the posted version.
4. Go on podcasts
Long-form shows let you build trust and recognition a single quote can't. Economics-focused programs like EconTalk or Freakonomics Radio reach engaged, policy-literate audiences, while a guest spot on a general-interest business show can put your ideas in front of millions. Aim for the shows your target audience actually listens to, whether that's policymakers, investors, students, or founders, and arrive with two or three plain-language takeaways and one vivid example you want listeners to remember.
5. Earn citations in AI search
Every op-ed, quote, and talk above is training data for how AI systems describe your field. The more your name appears in credible coverage tied to a topic, the more likely you are to be cited when someone asks an AI assistant about it. Think of media work as compounding visibility, not one-off hits.
Translate, don't dumb down
The economists who get featured most are the ones who make complex ideas usable without losing the rigor. Lead with the "so what," use one concrete example or number instead of five, and resist the urge to caveat every clause. Reporters and producers come back to the source who hands them a clear, accurate line they can run with.
Tools economists use to get featured
- VoxEU (CEPR) (free): Research-based policy columns read by economists and journalists.
- Project Syndicate (contributor-based): Op-eds syndicated to a network of outlets worldwide.
- The Conversation (free): Accessible explainers co-edited with journalists.
- SSRN and NBER (free or affiliation): Circulating working papers that reporters and peers pick up.
- Featured (free and paid): An AI co-pilot for PR. Build a workflow that runs as a 24/7 assistant, surfacing the journalist requests in your field the moment they post.
Protect your credibility: disclose
Economists aren't licensed, so your authority rests entirely on trust, which makes disclosure non-negotiable. State who funds your research, name any affiliations relevant to the topic, and make clear when you're speaking for yourself versus your institution or employer. If you work for a bank, fund, or advisory firm, follow its communications and research-distribution rules before commenting publicly. Transparent conflicts protect the reputation that gets you quoted in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
How do economists get quoted in the news? By being a fast, clear, reachable source when their topic is in the headlines, and by answering journalist requests where reporters post exactly the kind of expert they need.
Where should an economist publish op-eds? VoxEU and Project Syndicate for policy and peer audiences, The Conversation for accessible explainers, and major papers like the WSJ or NYT for the broadest reach. Publishing the same idea at different depths multiplies your audience.
How do economists show up in AI-generated answers? By accumulating credible, on-topic coverage such as quotes, op-eds, and talks that AI systems draw on when describing a subject. Consistent visibility on a beat is what earns citations.
Do you need to be a professor to get featured as an economist? No. Industry, think-tank, and independent economists are quoted constantly. What matters is a clear specialty, availability, and the ability to explain it plainly.
How quickly do economists need to respond to journalists? Fast, often within an hour or two of a data release, while the story is still being written. Reporters keep a mental shortlist of economists who reply quickly with a clear, quotable line, and that responsiveness is frequently what separates the expert who gets quoted from the one who gets overlooked.
Get started
The economists who shape the public conversation are the reachable, quotable ones who show up consistently on their beat. The simplest way to start is to let an assistant surface the right requests in your field. Set up a Featured workflow that runs as a 24/7 PR assistant, so the next relevant request never slips by.
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