You may have heard that HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is an efficient way for businesses to get backlinks and increase their PR efforts. This website is a free service for journalists and bloggers seeking sources for their articles. It helps both sides achieve their goals since journalists get a better story with quotes and concrete examples, and brands earn media coverage. Win-win!
Due to its simplicity and efficiency, many brands have started using HARO recently, leading to oversaturation on that platform. To get the best results, you must stand out among the crowd.
We’ve gathered some tips to help you navigate HARO and get the best results.
Let’s dive in!
Consider Hiring an Outreach Service
Succeeding with HARO can take up a lot of time and dedication. For some people, HARO outreach is a full-time job. If you are a business owner who doesn’t have enough time or expertise to do this task by yourself, you can hire someone else to handle HARO on your behalf, such as a PR or marketing agency. Here’s why collaborating with a HARO outreach service might be beneficial:
1. Outreach services handle the task of monitoring and responding to HARO inquiries, freeing up valuable time for business owners to focus on other essential tasks.
2. They have a team of professionals with the experience and knowledge to craft effective responses and get exposure for your brand with placements in quality media publications.
3. They have established relationships with journalists and media outlets, which increases the chances of securing coverage.
If you want to do HARO yourself, don’t worry – we have some advice! Let’s check out all the strategies for achieving the best outcomes with HARO.
Time Your Responses
The majority of journalists work tight deadlines and have busy work schedules. To shape their story, they need expert quotes as soon as possible. That’s why they will likely pick the first relevant reply they get. Even if you submit your pitch before the deadline, reporters may have already picked out another quote.
Set up alerts and notifications that remind you to check your email frequently so you don’t miss any queries, and ensure that your pitch is one of the first in the journalist’s inbox. Set aside 30 to 40 minutes for each inquiry, and concentrate on creating a pitch. Generally, you should answer questions within one to two hours of getting them.
Although it’s essential to craft a unique and original pitch, you can have a preprepared, standard pitch ready to quickly edit and tailor for specific inquiries. Furthermore, consider using email templates to save time and ensure that your responses are professional and consistent.
Establish Your Credibility
Credibility is vital for HARO because it directly affects your chances of being selected by a reporter for a story. A credible image means that you are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and experienced in your field. This increases the value of your contribution to the story, thus making it more likely to get excellent media coverage.
Do not neglect your online presence, as it is a crucial factor in appearing reputable. Before responding to journalists, polish your website, LinkedIn profile, and Instagram, and look for mentions of your brand online.
Your website should have a quality design, both in terms of aesthetics and user experience, and provide meaningful content. Journalists frequently visit the websites of their sources before making a final decision. Spammy, poorly designed websites with no useful material are less likely to get backlinks. Respectable media outlets refrain from citing sources with questionable qualifications and a lack of subject-matter knowledge.
Also, don’t forget to include contact information and a short bio (50-70 words) in which you mention your credentials and expertise.
Craft A Great Pitch
Before crafting your pitch, ensure you understand the guidelines and requirements for the story. Keep your pitch short, to the point, and focused on the reporter’s needs.
Always include your experience and perspective to make your quote valuable and helpful, no matter how broad the subject may be. If you believe that your story stands apart from others in some way, emphasize it in your pitch, and provide concrete examples.
A HARO pitch should be no longer than 300 words. Most journalists prefer pitches with 175 words or fewer. Use sites like Google or Dropbox to send links to images or documents in your pitch since email attachments are automatically removed to safeguard journalists from viruses.
Many journalists will quote directly from your response, especially if they’re on a tight deadline. The easier you make it for them to do their job, the higher the chances they will cite you. For example, if you are replying to a source request on behalf of your client, reply directly with your client’s response.
Respond Only To Relevant Queries
Responding to as many queries as possible might be tempting, but this is generally considered a bad practice. Journalists won’t consider your pitch if it’s irrelevant, so you’ll waste both their and your precious time.
Additionally, try to be selective when answering queries. Research the media outlet, look at their website’s Domain Authority and the organic traffic it receives, etc. Although your primary goal is to get a mention and a link, you shouldn’t pitch to websites with little relevant traffic.
Prioritize Giving Valuable Advice
Remember that your job on HARO is to help the reporter by offering valuable insights to the publication. Don’t advertise your business or offer any products and services. Try your best to provide relevant information without using pushy and sales-y language.
Build Relationships with Reporters
When you collaborate with a reporter who covers stories from your industry, stay in touch via social networks, follow their work, and take a genuine interest. Building relationships with reporters can lead to more future media coverage opportunities.
Keep Track of Your Efforts
Monitor your HARO efforts like you track conventional PR and marketing goals, initiatives, and other business success metrics. Test your pitches, subject lines, and media outreach strategies. Keep experimenting and improving until you gain traction and get the desired results.
Also, analyze the effects of published articles that mention your brand. For example, find the correlation between a recently published article that includes your quote and new visits to your website.
Repurpose the Content You Use
Finally, don’t let unaccepted pitches go to waste. After the source request closes, gather your responses and adapt them into a blog or another asset for your business. You can go the other way around, too: use your previous relevant content marketing materials when crafting a HARO pitch.
Practice Makes Perfect: Dedicate Time and Effort to Reap Full Benefits of HARO
Building backlinks with HARO is a long-term game that ultimately pays off if you give it a chance. Be persistent, and tweak your strategy if you don’t get desired results in your first few tries. With careful effort and a thought-out strategy, you can unlock the power of HARO and achieve your public relations and marketing goals.
Good luck!
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