If you do public relations, you’ve almost certainly “pitched” on HARO. You get the email, find a query that fits you or your client, and fire off what they ask for.
It’s a great way to get placements!
But if you run an active blog of any note, you don’t need to restrict yourself to just pitching journalists. You can be a publisher on HARO.
Why would you want to?
Let’s think about two blog posts about marketing challenges.
One is written by you, with only your perspective.
The other is based on comments from a dozen or so experts. They have varied perspectives.
Which is a richer user experience? Usually, the latter.
And you can create just that type of post by being a publisher on HARO!
The best step in becoming a HARO publisher is signing up. To do this, you’ll want to:
That’s it. Simple, right?
Of course, there’s a bit more to it.
You’re not going to get much value out of being a publisher on HARO is you do it wrong.
The first thing to keep in mind is their rules for journalists. These are wide-ranging, but a few are of particular note.
Basically, you need to be honest. Sources will be pitching you earnestly. You owe it to them to honor their time commitment.
The next big key for your HARO query is the topic. The golden rule here is to:
Be specific enough that you’ll get usable answers and sources, but not too niche.
What do we mean by that?
If you ask for sources’ “favorite business technologies,” you’re going to get a ton of irrelevant answers. There’s no clear throughline there. It’ll be everything from POS systems and payment gateways to CRMs and live chat platforms. That’s too broad.
On the other hand, if you ask for how B2B tech sellers in Tennessee dealt with a specific event in April 2017, you’re not going to get any responses. That’s just as bad.
Instead, find a middle ground. If we were looking for content here at the Altitude Blog, that would be topics like:
Pretty much any digital marketer – our audience – can answer those questions. Very few folks who aren’t digital marketers would. Those are sweet-spot HARO query topics.
Once you post your query (and it’s approved), you’ll start getting “pitches” in response. In our experience, about half are truly qualified. Even if they’re not, be kind in your responses. A simple email from the source goes a long way, even if it’s a “thanks but no thanks.”
If you do use someone’s submission or interview them, it’s not typical to give them prior review of the content. Instead, let them see it just after you publish, but before you distribute broadly. This gives them a chance to promote it on their social channels and show off their placement internally.
Again, honesty and politeness go a long way. HARO is all about give and take. Both sides have something to offer the other, but each has to give up some time to get it. Remember that, and respect it.
If you have a reasonably popular blog or online outlet, you can use HARO to get experts’ thoughts and opinions in front of your audience. Pick the right topics and deal with the responses the right way, and you might even build some real-world relationships.
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