So I’m writing an article for another site about a topic that’s relevant to journalists. It’s a topic I have personal experience in, but I definitely wanted to get input from others to round the piece out.
First, I put out a call on Twitter—twice actually. And I got back a couple of leads, but that still didn’t seem like enough sources to build my article.
I’d heard about this service that connects reporters to sources: HARO, Help A Reporter Out, and decided to try it out.
Yesterday morning, I spent all of two minutes composing my query and sent it off. Just a few hours later dozens of responses from amazingly qualified and experienced sources answered my query offering their help.
Every once in awhile a product or service comes along and you just go, wow, how did I ever do this job before I had this resource? HARO is now on that very short list for me. Journalists, freelancers, check it out.
Have you used HARO? Or is there another similar service you adore? Share the joy here.
-Maria Schneider
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I put out a HARO request to find cancer survivors for my book and had dozens of responses right away. Some of them weren’t applicable, but I think that’s because my query wasn’t worded clearly. I think HARO is a great service and commend Peter Shankman for doing it.
HARO is an amazing resource! I have used it both to obtain sources for pieces I am writing, as well as offering my expertise and knowledge as a source to reporters (which has lead to free publicity and wonderful media contacts).
@Tami, cool to hear that HARO helped with your book!
@Laura, I just started thinking about recommending HARO from the other side too, as a publicity tool for authors. Such a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Maria, for the kind words! I’m so glad to hear HARO helped you as well as it did! That’s the point of it! :) Tami – You know that if you get off-topic pitches, send them to us – We’ll make sure those people are dealt with.
Thanks again!
-Peter
Maria, HARO is IT. A friend and I were talking about it. I said something about how I wish I could come up with a simple idea like this one. But then my friend made a good point — even if I did the same thing Peter did before he started HARO — it might not have been the success that it is now simply because I am not Peter. She was right.
Some people believe they don’t get the top notch experts on HARO like Profnet. True or not — you get more diversity because not every article you write needs experts. Besides, if you make your query clear saying you want an expert who regularly speaks on the topic or wrote a book… then that will help get the message across. Most subscribers are good about following directions.
I’ve used HARO in the past when working on PR projects and it has been helpful. As a book reviewer with a site that has good traffic, HARO has not been good at all. I posted via the website two queries (when I launched and once I had consistent traffic) to let book publicists know I was out there and the editor never bothered to list them. Thank goodness publicists can find me since I’m listed in Cisions, but I was very disappointed in HARO. I’ve transitioned out of PR to full-time freelance writing and now I’m very hesitant to use the service. Obviously the editor didn’t feel my previous queries were good enough to post (and yes, I know how to write succinctly). Personally, I think HARO has become too big for its britches. Sorry, Peter, just my opinion based on my experience.
I’ve had some incredible luck with HARO. I pretty routinely write on a couple of obscure topics and I’ve been able to find top-notch sources through HARO for articles that I thought it would be absolutely impossible to find sources for. We’re talking local, niche topics that ten years ago I would have had to pull teeth to find a decent source.
I check HARO three times every weekday to see if I fill the bill as an expert/source, and almost everyday I find at least one or two solid matches. Of course these days experts in thrift and frugality are in high demand, and I am The Commander-in-Cheap.
HARO is a terrific service, and I’ve netted a bunch of media from it, as well as a couple of paid speaking gigs. Peter Shankman is a God to me.
I have used HARO multiple times, both to get sources and to garner publicity, and it’s always been a great resource. I’ve started to monitor Reporter Source (http://www.reporterssource.com/), as well. To date, I have found one match for me through that venue.