Top Four Ways to Get More Relevant-to-you Queries on Help A Reporter
By popular demand… The top 4 ways to make HARO requests more relevant to you:
4) Ask yourself how well you really know your clients: Every time I sign a new client, I sit with them over pizza (or whatever they want to eat, I usually make it pizza…) and ask them seemingly off-the-wall, off-topic questions. What do you do for fun? You fish? Got any kids? How old? Public school? Private? Are you married? For how long? Parents still alive? Belong to any civic organizations? Perform? Play an instrument? Any clubs?
See where I’m going with this? The more information I find out about each of my clients, the more potential I have to pitch them to reporters who might be doing stories that aren’t entirely up their professional alley, but fit them in a personal way - And when was the last time you ever had a client get angry for getting them, and their company name, into a major publication? If your client, in his or her spare time, is a rock-climber, or a master-Bass fisherman, or whatever, there are a ton more media opportunities out there. So go find out what your clients do when they’re not sitting at their desk, and then apply that to HARO requests, as well! I remember once getting a client into Cigar Aficionado magazine because the company CEO liked Cohibas!
3) Suggest story ideas to reporters! Too many times, publicists get shot down when pitching because the pitch is the same: “Cover my client, write a story about them.” This is obviously pointless.
But - Broaden the story! Make it about an industry, or about a specific way companies are starting to do things - Your company is still in the lead, but you can offer a “bigger” story. Then, recommend HARO to the journalist as a way to find additional leads for the story - That was you’re not just “handing” the journalist competitors to you or your client. “I notice that several companies are doing XYZ this year - I think it’s finally a trend. Of course, my client has been leading this charge since 2004, I’m happy to give you the CEO to chat with…” Story landed.
2) If you wait a few weeks until after the reporter who used HARO is done with their story to pitch something different, it’s not off-topic!
Off topic pitching only applies when a reporter issues a query and you reply with something completely NOT what they want at the time they don’t want it. If you wait and pitch them when they’re not insane with deadlines, “I noticed a few weeks ago you were looking for sources on A. Now that your deadline has passed, would it be ok if I sent you a pitch on A+b2? It’s similar, but different enough that it could warrant a separate story. Any interest?” That’s a good pitch!
1) Finally - the hands down, number one, no-questions-asked best way to get more relevant queries on HARO: TELL MORE REPORTERS ABOUT HARO! Fact is, a small fraction of the reporters out there in the world currently know about HARO. Simply tell more of them! Send an email out to every reporter you know, offering HARO as a solution to their query problems. Tell them it’s free. Tell them I’m nice. Tell them you’ve had other reporters use it with great success. Tell them you’re helping them out, don’t want anything from them, and are just doing it because you’re a decent human being.
Send reporters here: www.helpareporter.com/press
Send your publicist friends here: www.helpareporter.com
Look - I’ve even written the letter FOR you. Just cut and paste this. How much more brain-dead do you need it?
Help a Reporter Out helps editors and reporters locate authors and other subject area experts willing to be interviewed for articles, books, blogs, and podcasts. Once you register–for free–you will receive up to 3 e-mails a day, each containing up to 10 detailed queries from reporters looking for individuals willing to be interviewed.
If you’re a journalist looking for individuals to interview, visit the press page at www.helpareporter.com/press and submit your query. Your query will go out to over 10,000 publicists, small business owners, and other professionals and experts in all walks of life, increasing the chances of you finding that hard-to-find source pre-deadline.
If you’re a source, simply sign up for the 3x per day newsletter at www.helpareporter.com
Got any ideas yourself? Post them below!
-Peter
11 Responses to “Top Four Ways to Get More Relevant-to-you Queries on Help A Reporter”
Excellent list, Peter — especially #1. I’ve written for many business magazines that often run articles on the hobbies / passions of CEO’s, so kudos for that one.
Char in Miami Beach
Thanks for clarifying the wait-a-few-weeks option to pitch a story that’s related to but different from the reporter’s HARO query. Fantastic!
Thanks Peter! I have to admit that #2 was a “DUH” for me…can’t believe I didn’t think of it - yep definitely brain dead! I’m actually using HARO in my emails when I’m pitching ideas for my website. Hope that’s helping!
How about - get more clients so the queries will apply to at least one of them?
Just kidding, sort of.
maybe this is item 4a)… get to know your press contacts too!!! Invite them to a quick meeting over coffee. In 15 minutes make sure to find out how they want to receive pitches, about what topics, from what kinds of sources, with what kinds of graphics or b-roll, etc etc. This has been especially helpful for my clients with their target trade pubs.
THANKS for the great list and service that is HARO Peter!
-Carrie
“Three is a trend!” is the mantra is most newsrooms, where I spent 16 years as a reporter before coming over to “the dark side.” So, your No 3 is close to my heart. You lose nothing by pitching a story that mentions others doing something similar, especially with national media who look for the big picture. I also own a small t-shirt company and have done lots of cross-marketing and story trend pitching with other companies aimed at the same niche. It works.
I’m with you and Allison: learn to be a better PR person or get more newsworthy clients.
This is why PR people are considered a necessary evil by some journalists (and I’ve worked–still do–on both sides so don’t blast me.)
A) People are complaining about a FREE resource. FREE!
B) Journalists have chosen these stories and editors have approved them. Obviously they know what what their readers/viewers want and people on this list are going to take issue with that? Are you kidding?
I think that getting reporters that cover your beat to join and use HARO is probably the best one. The fact that you deep 6 off topic pitchers should also give reporters a good feeling about using it.
But here is a new one for the list. How about giving reporters leads even if it isn’t for a client? I have done this several times on HARO. The good news is that this gives you practice in non-promotional pitching (since it won’t benefit you or a client directly) and it builds up goodwill with reporters who come to see you as a credible source of news.
Plus, it is just a nice thing to do.
I don’t know - as a reporter who’s used HARO, I’m not sure I like #2. If I share my contact info in an attempt to find sources for one story, it doesn’t mean I want to be barraged with pitches for other stories–especially if you’re trying to divine my beat based off a single inquiry. It’s exactly that kind of junk that soured me on Profnet years ago.
To be honest, I’ve already had a few too many people responding to my first HARO request weeks after my deadline, which was clearly stated in my request. I for one would be hesitant to use HARO again if I though PR people were being encouraged to get creative with my contact info.
Not trying to be a snob, just giving you the honest opinion of one reporter.
Great tips Peter! The only hurdle to #4 is that occasionally you’ll get a client that doesn’t like disclosing that type of personal information. They keep work and play 100% separate. That makes not only learning more about them challenging, but it often makes for an less-than-thrilling client/agency relationship. Totally agree, though, it helps to know more about who your working with!
http://www.chicagobusiness.com.....leId=29944
case in point for your thoughts on #4.