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How to Get Free Publicity:
5 Tips for Using 'Help a Reporter Out'
 I recently signed up for an amazing free service. It's called HARO (Help a Reporter Out).
NYC PR expert Peter Shankman started it because "a lot of my friends are reporters and they were calling me all the time for sources for their stories." He got tired of going through his contacts all the time, so decided to start e-mailing the lists of requests.
Here's how it works: Journalists go online and fill out a form. Their requests go on a list that comes out three times a day to people who have signed up. If you can contribute to a story, you simply email the reporter.
It only takes a few minutes to scan the requests (they are now in categories to make it even easier). Shankman's only rule for responding to a reporter's query?:
You must promise that you will not e-mail with an off-topic answer. In other words, don't try to wiggle in to get coverage for your business when you don't really have what a reporter needs.
Some recent requests from reporters:
· networking experts with experience in leveraging networking for career advancement
· tax experts to advise on late-year tax savings moves for young people
· interior designers with ideas for high-end green/eco-friendly home products
· businesses with user-friendly, well-designed websites for review in column
· real estate agents who have participated in a real estate auction
· massage therapists who have a successful private practice
5 Tips for Using Help a Reporter Out
To have the best chance of getting a reply from reporters:
1. Reply only if you have what a reporter needs. For instance, if a journalist is looking for an event planner who has planned a golf tournament and you have only done weddings, don't bother. Watch the geographic region, too. Don't reply if you live in Seattle and a journalist asks for Philadelphians.
2. Always follow the specific submission/formatting requests. If a reporter asks for something specific in the subject line, like INCOME INVESTORS, it's for a reason. They may have a filter that sends all those e-mails to a specific folder for that story. If no specific title is given by the reporter, just include keywords on the story's topic: SUB-PRIME MORTGAGES, for example. And pay attention to the deadlines.
3. Give them a few details. Provide two or three bullet points on the story topic, facts or pieces of advice that show your credibility-a little information to make the reporter curious enough to contact you. Also include a short paragraph on your background and credibility as an expert.
4. Leave all of your contact information. Include: your full name; title; business name; phone numbers (daytime and off-hours); location; and e-mail address. If your website has your bio and more information on what you do, include that address, too.
5. Avoid sending attachments unless they are specifically requested. In these days of spam filters, e-mails with attachments are often deleted automatically.
The best way to experience HARO is to sign up at one of two places, at which time you'll start receiving the e-mailed lists three times a day.
For sources (if you are a business looking for some publicity):
www.helpareporter.com
For reporters/writers/bloggers:
www.helpareporter.com/press
A bonus tip: If a reporter says they are "pitching a story," that usually means they have not sold the idea to an editor yet, so keep that in mind.
Now go get some free press for your business! |
