I use association experts, too. Sometimes they have exactly the expert or statistic I need.

So I e-mailed to ask what the problem was. After all, they'll let bloggers send requests, so shouldn't a site that has thousands of readers throughout the US and Canada qualify, like it did a few months before? They said they don't allow people writing for subscription sites to submit requests. They'd done it before, and I didn't see anything in their guidelines about subscription sites. Go figure.

I've also used PR Newswire, but that tends to draw a lot of unrelated pitches. exactly how can an author of a book about sales be an expert for my article on how to help your dog recuperate from major surgery?

That's why 90% of the time I tend to go through publicists. A publicist at a large company or a university can pinpoint the best experts they have for my particular article.

Now I need to go prepare for the arrival of my new refrigerator!

I often contact museums and/or universities with specialists in whatever field I'm researching. They tend to understand what I'm looking for, and they love to talk about their specialties. They're also great at pointing me towards other types of research I might not have found on my own.