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Work with the media
Dr Sten Odenwald
NASA astronomer, writer and creator of "The Astronomy Café", a "web site for the astronomically disadvantaged", USA
Learn to relax and not feel that you have to speak or write in perfect diction with sophisticated vocabularies. The media appreciate, and seek out, people who can explain complicated things in common language, and especially with a sense of humour.
Be prepared to be asked questions that have nothing to do with your immediate research. You must have a broad understanding of astronomy so that you can answer questions that range from solar and earth science to cosmology. Do not put yourself in the position of being asked to comment on 'the future of our Sun' or the latest on 'dark matter' and not be able to offer at least a short intelligent and accurate reply.
Do have fun! Your body language has to show that you are a happy researcher that does not take themselves too seriously. After all, your grandmother went through her entire life without knowing about helioseismology or black hole event horizons. The average person likes to see a happy person being interviewed, and one that is nurturing, not condescending, about what they are saying.
Make yourself known to the print media by creating a 'reputation' and marketing yourself to various key websites .Write articles for popular science magazines and be patient. Growing a name for yourself in the media takes many years, unless you are lucky enough to be part of a team that did something spectacular and newsworthy, then you can get in on that visibility and work with the media reporters to make yourself a 'spokesperson' for that area of astronomy or research.
Having a sense of humour and drama, having something unique to say and having a unique perspective or style, are all factors that will eventually help you become more visible to the media.
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