9 Tips for Great HARO Pitches

A few months ago I read an article Free Publicity and More Exposure with HARO that was written by Tricia from Wonder Thinking. It didn't waste any time and signed right up... nothing sounds better to me than FREE PUBLICITY! Since then I've actually responded to several inquiries pertaining to both earth friendly products and handmade business- bummer is, none of them have actually been followed up on. Even so, I look at it with an optimistic light- 1 more person knows about TrashN2Tees and maybe they'll keep me in mind for something else. Something bigger and better. (I can dream right?) Meanwhile there are things I can do to increase my chance to be one of those sources, the key is to know how to respond in a way that will get you noticed.

• Grab their attention from the get go. Let them know what it is, what it does, and why they should care. Be sure to brand yourself right here. 
• Be quick. HARO is sent to approximately 200,000 email addresses, which means reporters are inundated with responses. If you don’t respond quickly, your pitch might get lost in the shuffle.
• Be Yourself. In other words- don't sound like a spam bot. 
• Be modest. Don't mention your social media rock stardom. You'd think it might lend you additional creditability but the fact is no publication wants to be the last to mention something hot and new! 
• Never send attachments. News flash: even if you “just can’t resist,” the HARO system doesn’t transmit attachments. So you sound foolish when you say that you just had to attach something, and the attachments don’t arrive anyway. If the reporter wants a photo, fact sheet or whatever, they will let you know.
  
• Don't send them looking. Sending just a link and a short blurp will land you in the trash and quick.
• Quote me. Reporters pink sparkly heart quotes. Answering a question or two you think they might have could land you a shout out. 
• Spell check, and Don't Type Like This or LIKE THIS EITHER. or lk ths... (is that proper txt lingo?)
• Be available. Let them know how they can contact you- email address, phone number, twitter handle.

Don't think you have what it takes? Bethany Nixon from ReWare Vintage thought the same thing until she give it a shot, and after responding to a HARO inquiry her Record Notebooks were featured in RedPlum’s 30 under $30 Editor’s Choice Gift Guide!


Responding to HARO inquiries offers up exposure, credibility, and provides a platform for your message all on a silver platter. Explore new avenues of reaching your target audiences and communicate with them in a different way. Go ahead, get sourced, get quoted, get famous!



A special thanks to Rachel Esterline, a double agent PR Pro and Reporter for sharing some of her insights- read her full article 10 Tips for Writing HARO Pitches. Find out more about TrashN2Tees by visiting www.trashn2tees.com