Do you HARO?
June 24th, 2009
In 2008, those of us in the PR world began to hear whispers of a revolution in our industry. For as long as we could remember, agencies had been paying thousands of dollars to a subscription service where reporters requested sources for their stories, and those requests were distributed to PR reps, who then could pitch the reporter.
Great idea - huge cost
It was, and still is, a fantastic idea. Reporters loved the ability to connect with sources quickly and efficiently, and PR reps had many more chances to pitch their clients to relevant sources. The only problem was its high cost.
Peter Shankman, a PR rep and pioneer of social media online, recognized the need connect reporters and sources - but for free. Shankman’s plan was simple - give great content to a target audience for free and eventually it will catch on and make him money with the good karma of passing along a free resource.
Why does HARO work?
Shankman was an overnight success. His business exploded with new found notoriety - he had become a social media sensation by identifying his target audience and catering to it with a valuable resource.
HARO has all the ingredient of today’s successful online viral marketing: a simple idea, great content, easy way of sharing and passing on to others and, it was free. It grew and expanded to include Twitter (for urgent queries), promotional content (giveaways by companies with product to followers) and most importantly to Shankman advertising.
Today, HARO is 100,000 sources strong and continues to provide value to reporters and sources alike. Shankman makes money from the simple idea, and is able to do so while keeping his service largely free.
How do I use it?
Instructions are simple. Visit www.helpareporterout.com if you are source (PR person, layman, etc.) or here if you are a journalist looking for a source. For top rules of the service, check out http://shankman.com/haro-master-faq/ where Shankman spells out the details for you.
A few suggestions from the MMCC team for pitching on HARO:
1. Be FAST. The queries are on East Coast time zone, and the reporters are often working on fast deadlines. The sooner you pitch yourself or your source, the more likely you will be read by a reporter.
2. Pitch on topic. Carefully read the query before pitching and really think to yourself, “is my pitch truly a good match for this source?” If not, you are going to get kicked off the query list and possibly outed publicly by Shankman.
3. Craft a great pitch. While people disagree on the best way to do this, we suggest keeping it short and to the point, with relevant details and easy to get to contact information. Making a reporter’s job easier is more likely to land you a story.
4. Be careful of what you share if you are pitching yourself. Remember that many of the outlets are also online, and they often require a full name. If you aren’t comfortable with 100,000 people reading your quote or hearing your harrowing ex-boyfriend tale, DON’T SEND IT!
5. Spread the good karma. Reporters and sources love the service, so if you know someone who can benefit, don’t be afraid to spread the good word.
Last, check out the following resources for detailed info on the site, and most importantly, JOIN TODAY!
Facebook Page for HARO:
http://es-la.facebook.com/HelpAReporter?v=wall&viewas=0
For Urgent HARO queries:
http://twitter.com/helpareporter
http://resourcesforwriters.suite101.com/article.cfm/haro_help_a_reporter_out
http://blog.journalistics.com/2009/what-we-like-about-haro-help-a-reporter-out/
Written By:
Melissa Gullickson, account executive with MassMedia Corporate Communications
Tags: advertising agency, HARO, Las Vegas PR Firm, LV PR Firm, marketing, MassMedia, public relations, social media