Pitching HARO and ProfNet
For entrepreneurs, small business owners and experts, the daily query boards like HARO and ProfNet can be incredible resources for gaining media placements. From major news broadcast shows to popular niche bloggers, these sites host queries from journalists and producers looking for specific sources for current stories. Despite how great these resources are, reporters tell me most folks blow their chances completely by the time they write the first sentence in response to a query. Here are some ways to up your chances for getting the media to email you regarding a query, and hopefully get mentioned in a major story!
(If you’re familiar with these newsletters, skip the next couple of paragraphs)
First of all, what are these? HARO is the brainchild of PR guru Peter Shankman ( @skydiver on Twitter ) Sponsors pay a fee to lead off the query list, and “sources” (that’s YOU) can sign up for the newsletter at no cost. Each day a couple newsletters are sent with queries from reporters and others, looking for specific sources. After you respond, a HARO staffer double checks your email to make sure it’s a fit, and then sends it on. (Note: See Shankman’s correction in comments below) If you’re lucky and wrote a good pitch, the media will then contact you for more information.
ProfNet is HARO’s older, more professional sister. You pay a fee (and it’s expensive for a small business person) to be included in a list of journalist queries that are also sent each day. In ProfNet, you can pick the topics of queries you want to see. Some people say that the ‘bigger’ media outlets use ProfNet more often than HARO, but I’m starting to see some morning shows and dailies using HARO as well, so that’s hard to say. You can follow Maria Perez on Twitter ( @profnet ) to see urgent needs from the media and get a feel for the kind of queries they send.
Here is a list of do’s and don’ts that should help you “up” your percentage of responses back.
- Respond to the queries in a timely manner. I used to get emails a week or so after I sent the query! As a freelancer, sometimes that still worked but daily journalists and producers need responses ASAP. Or it’s a waste of time.
- Include reference to the journalist’s query in your subject line. Many people just use their company name or their name in the subject line. Sometimes a reporter will get many, many responses. They need to see what you’re emailing about. I usually use something like “HARO query on menopause – new book sheds light on subject” or “ProfNet query for divorce expert – Dr. Tim Nelson available”
- Your first sentence should address the query and how your product or service, or expertise, will fit. Many people start off with a big long paragraph about themselves, their book, or their product. For a journalist, the only thing they care about is whether or not you’re going to be able to contribute to their story. Here’s one of my responses to a recent query on how to work in a team environment:
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I have two possibilities for your story on advice for working in teams.
1) Dr. Tim Elmore is the author of the Habitudes series and a consultant who works with schools and employers on helping the Millenium generation enter the workforce successfully. He can provide tips that would be specifically geared toward young people entering the workforce and working on their first team. www.growingleaders.com
2) Robert Biswas-Diener is the co-author of The Strengths Book, a new book that identifies the 60 strengths humans possess, and how to evaluate and use your strengths. He can provide tips on evaluating the strengths that lead to good teamwork, and how to improve strengths to help succeed on their first team. www.strengths2020.com
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- DON’T just send a pre-written release. This is so annoying….if a journalist is taking the time to customize a query, the least you can do is write up a response that addresses their need specifically. Trying to look through a release to see if it fits the needs of a story is something most media just don’t have time for. Send a release only if it’s a PERFECT fit for what they’re looking for.
- Provide links to more information, rather than including tons of information in the email. Chances are if they’re interested, they’ll want to go to the website or source for your information rather than trust your paraphrased info.
- Use bullets to organize the information. Remember, media has little or no time these days. Bullets that are straightforward and succinct really help.
- Stay factual and DON’T SELL your product, service or expertise with fancy words or oblique phrases. (Remember when we interviewed Elizabeth Millard and how much she hates the ‘thought leader’ phrase?)
- Suggest small items as sidebars, or comment on other resources you’ve seen that might help. If you’re pitching something, chances are you’ve seen a lot of resources that also might be helpful. Don’t be stingy with your information – share it freely and the media will usually be grateful – and often pay you back with a mention!
Finally, if they do contact you, respond with lightning speed and get them everything they ask for, and more. There is nothing worse than getting a response from ProfNet and then waiting for days for the source to get back to you. Many of these reporters and producers are on tight deadlines. The faster you respond initially to the query, and then to any journalist requests, the better your chances of getting in!
Tags: Bonnie Harris, HARO, how to pitch HARO, how to pitch ProfNet, Maria Perez, Peter Shankman, ProfNet, Public Relations, small business marketing, social media, twitter, waxmarketing, worst pr pitches
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:02 am
Thanks for the article – One major thing to be cleared up, though – We do NOT participate once you email the reporter. We never see the pitches you send, and we certainly never check to see if it’s “appropriate.” That’s the sources job. We don’t have ANY editorial control over what a source sends to a reporter – This is critical to understand, because it’s definitely not our job to interfere. The source has to make sure they’re sending a proper pitch that fits. We’d never make that call.
Otherwise, great article!
PS: One other thing – It’s 3x per day, not 2.
Best,
-Peter Shankman
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:04 am
Also, as long as I’m commenting, I wouldn’t say Profnet is “more professional” in the slightest, they’re simply a different service. I think to imply HARO is less professional than Profnet does a severe disservice to the over 50,000 professional journalists, serving everything from USA Today to the NY Times to the Wall St. Journal to the Today show.
Finally, people can follow @helpareporter for urgent requests from journalists, not @skydiver.
Best,
-Peter Shankman
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:16 am
Thanks for the clarifications and corrections Peter! Instead of saying the site was more ‘professional’ I should have said that ProfNet is a traditional tool used by many agencies and PR professionals.
Folks if you want to know how the definition of “lightning fast” I tweeted Peter at 9:48 CST and he responded with comments by 10:04 CST. Now THAT’s the timing of a brilliant PR person!
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:10 am
Bonnie, these are great tips! I can’t think of anything to add — you’ve really covered it all. I recently posted a similar tip sheet (http://budurl.com/querytips) that included suggestions from ProfNet members who’ve been successful at scoring placement for their experts. The common themes were: be relevant, be informative, be timely. It’s the reason we give our members so many options for filtering their queries. They can choose queries by category and hundreds of subcategories, and have the option to receive queries up to every half hour (and in real-time online). Reporters tend to get a lot of responses to their queries, so if you can get them what they need, and do it quickly, you’re well ahead of the game. I would also like to add that we do offer a reduced rate for small businesses (solo practitioners), and members can subscribe to individual categories (e.g., Technology, Finance) to further cut down on costs and target the types of queries they receive. — Maria
June 9th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
This is very good advice. I really like how the companies commented on your article as well. It’s great to see their feedback.
February 17th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
[...] some budget, I strongly advise getting the Profnet feeds. (For more on HARO and Profnet, visit my post on those ) I may get a nasty Peter Shankman comment on this, but Profnet is where traditional media send [...]
March 28th, 2011 at 9:42 pm
Great advice on how to use the source. This is often an issue for many websites, as users have many different styles and techniques. Good idea!