Twitter and social media have opened up a new kind of transparent dialogue between journalists and public relations professionals. If you have an open mind, and pay attention, it is possible to foster relationships with reporters and get clients placed.

As a PR professional, I am always on the lookout for media opportunities for my clients. Several months ago, I started developing a Tweep list of reporters who proactively use Twitter for help with their stories. Today, my list has more than 42 journalists who actively use social media for help with their stories. Click here to view and follow.

By paying attention to these reporters tweets on a daily basis, you’ll be in a good position to reach out and help them when they need it. What to watch out for? Watch for reporters who need sources for stories, or ideas for stories on slow news days. Set up Twitter searches for terms that relate to your clients and watch closely for opportunities. Now while this is no substitute for regular pitching, it is an easy way to connect with journalists on a more personal level. Suggestion: Just because your client isn’t a good fit for a reporter’s story, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still try to help them. They’ll remember, and it will help you in the long run.

Here are a few examples of successful placements I’ve secured as a result of following the right people, and paying attention to their tweets:

Businessweek (@awesomechoi – was looking for entrepreneur’s “eureka” moments), “How 20 Business Ideas Were Hatched”
- Covia Labs, Inc.
- TwitVid

VentureBeat (@paulboutin – was looking for story ideas relating to funding, new product launches, etc.), “5 O’Clock Roundup”
- RowNine

Walletpop (@josh_smith – was tweeting about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so I pitched one of my clients to him because I knew it was something he was already working on), “Ready, set… click! Cyber Monday deal roundup”
- RowNine

Do you have any social media success stories? Would love to hear from both PR people and journalists.