Ready to get more media coverage?
Help a Reporter Out (HARO) connects journalists and bloggers with relevant expert sources to meet journalists’ demanding deadlines and enable brands to tell their stories. HARO distributes more than 50,000 journalist queries from highly respected media outlets each year. Its straight-forward pitching process allows sources to find topics related to their expertise, industry or experience, while allowing journalists and bloggers to spend more time writing and less time sourcing. HARO reaches more than 1 million sources and 75,000 journalists and bloggers, making it a vital tool for brands and reporters alike. Follow HARO on Twitter @helpareporter.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Register
Join the 800,000 + HARO users already using our service to connect with journalists. Registering is simple and only takes a minute out of your busy schedule! Choose the “BASIC Free!” package – there will be more than enough media opportunities there to start with.
2. Monitor Source Requests
Once you have an account you’ll be able to select the types of media requests that are relevant to your business. Make sure you only select categories that are directly relevant to your business and its speciality.
Check your inbox three times a day (5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. ET), Monday through Friday. Look out for source requests relevant to you or your client’s industry, expertise or personal experience.
3. Send the Perfect Pitch
Pitch the masked email address listed in the source request. The secret is to get straight to the point and give the journalist EXACTLY what they have requested. Your email subject line is critical. Make sure it stands out as interesting and an answer to their question. Make sure you include answers to the journalist’s questions, any specified requirements and a bio with you or your client’s contact information. If the journalist is interested, they’ll reach out!
HARO’s RULES:
- Do not spam reporters with off-topic pitches in response to their queries.
- Do not pitch products in your source request reply unless the source request specifically asks for a product.
- Reply with complete, relevant answers to their questions, include a short bio and your contact information.
- Do not reply with incomplete information or solely, “Would like to talk to you about this.”
- Do not include attachments in your reply to a reporter source request. Attachments are automatically stripped from the email in order to protect reporters from viruses.
By the way, you will see quite a few “Anonymous” queries – ones where the media outlet has not been named. DON’T ignore! Most likely, these are often larger outlets that choose to mask their listing to alleviate spam or deter story poaching.
If you ignore these you could miss out on the opportunity for media coverage with some of the biggest media outlets in the world. The likes of the New York Times, Mashable, Time and Reuters all use Help A Reporter Our to source information on stories.
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