Jul 9, 2013
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“I Can Be Your HARO”
Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is considered one of North America’s fastest-growing services for publicity. HARO was founded in 2008, and as of today, thousands of news sources, bloggers and reporters communicate daily, promoting their services, products and brands.
Statistics prove that more than seven million pitches have been made since HARO launched. Those pitches were made for a variety of products and services. Almost one-hundred thousand journalist queries have been published. Your content could be chosen by a HARO reporter if you use the proper strategy.
Tips to Follow
Knowing your expertise area is the best tip. You do not want to respond to leads that you are not familiar with. If you think you can spin the situation, you are mistaken. A reporter will know if you have knowledge of the subject, and if you do not, the reporter will not quote you. There are a large number of leads each day, so you should stick to the areas that you have expertise in.
Do not submit pitches to anonymous queries. It does not matter how grand the source or company is, but you do want to choose a reputable source. If you pitch to an anonymous source your content could end up in the wrong hands. If you receive an anonymous query, proceed with caution.
Responding to a lead is very crucial if you want to have your content published. Even though you want to respond to a query as quickly as possible, you want to make sure your response is as thorough as it can be. Editing your material is mandatory. If your response if full of errors or written sloppy, your content will not be chosen. Writing well-written responses lightens the load for a HARO reporter. This will increase your chances of being quoted.
Stay Encouraged
You should always stay encouraged, even if your content is not chosen. Continue to respond to your leads each day, and submit high-quality content. Eventually you will attract a reporter, due to the large amounts of leads that go out each day. You need to stay focused, encouraged, and always remember, it is your job to follow-up, not the HARO reporter.
If a HARO Reporter chooses your content, you can save yourself from spending thousands of dollars. Your content could be noticed in various outlets, including radio, television, and print or online content. Use the tips above to get your content – or business – noticed.