HARO – Help a Reporter Out
This Free Tool is Valuable for Writers Seeking Experts on any Topic
Jun 4, 2009
Freelance writers, bloggers, editors, authors, television production assistants, radio hosts, journalists and others benefit everyday from HARO, which stands for "Help A Reporter Out".
Who is HARO Founder Peter Shankman?
Peter Shankman has a public relations background. He describes himself as "CEO, Entrepeneur and Adventurist." He is also an author Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them (Wiley and Sons 2006) and a frequent keynote speaker.
How Did HARO Start?
Shankman found that his reporter friends were repeatedly calling him to request names of sources for stories and articles. Rather than going through his contact list each time, Shankman decided to start a Facebook page in March 2008 to allow reporters to directly interact with sources. Facebook has a limit of 1200 names, though, and within one year over 70,000 people wanted to be included. Shankman switched over to an e-mail system and has topped the 100,000 mark.
What Can Reporters Expect From Joining HARO?
Plan to get three e-mails every weekday with "shankman.com" listed in the subject line. The e-mail begins with an advertisement – a few lines of text with a link or two. Shankman makes the advertisements themselves interesting as he interjects personal statements such as "I wish this was around when I was a kid" or "This is a great hotel and they're offering HARO members a big discount". Following the advertisement, expect a few lines from Peter himself. Often, this is information about business trips and speaking engagements – where he is and what he's doing. It's almost like hearing from a friend a couple of times a day.
Then the query list begins. It is indexed into categories:
- Urgent
- Business and Finance
- General
- Health/Fitness
- Lifestyle
- Technology
- Travel
Typically, the list includes 30-40 queries. Under each category is a line explaining what the writer/reporter/ editor is seeking. A new addition has been the ability to click and link directly to the specific information- reporter's name, media outlet, contact information, specific need, etc. Additional links for "Back to Top" and "Back to Category Index" make it easy to navigate and look through the e-mail quickly.
How to Sign Up?
You can sign up at helpareporter.com. There is a link on the sign-up page if you are seeking a source and want to complete the form that will lead to a listing on HARO.
Other Things to Know:
- By signing up to Shankman's Twitter page, you will receive urgent requests from reporters that come in throughout the day. He can be found on Twitter as "skydiver".
- A separate gift bag product list has been created. This list connects groups seeking products to include in gift bags, with companies or individuals who have products to share.
- If you don't follow "The Rules", Shankman drops you from his list, and may even publicly shame you. The rules are simple: do not spam reporters with off-pitch topics, do not post queries on blogs or other websites and do not use reporter e-mail addresses for other purposes. In other words, as Peter Shankman says, "Be excellent to each other".
So, writers, be excellent to yourself ,and take a look at this valuable resource as you begin research on your next article, story, or book.
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