Backlinks play a critical role in the success of your businesses. They indicate the relevance and popularity of your content. Backlinks help improve your off-page SEO metrics such as domain authority, page authority, and trust flow. They can improve your ranking and visibility in SERPs. You can get more referral traffic that is more targeted and engaged allowing you to earn more revenue and stay ahead of the curve.
But how can you build links for your website or store? The traditional methods are tedious, expensive, and time-consuming. The start-ups, and small businesses cannot afford them. In such scenarios what you should do to maintain a sustained flow of backlinks and press coverage for your business?
Fortunately, there is a way forward, that can help you build links and find press coverage for your business. It is quick, less tedious, and more importantly absolutely free!
Yes, I am referring to the HARO platform or Help a Reporter Out.
In this blog, we are going to cover everything you need to know to design successful pitch-winning strategies and run them. We will cover:
- What is HARO and who can use this platform
- How to deploy this platform to gain maximum benefits
- How to develop successful pitch-winning strategies
We have a lot to discuss and cover, so we better get started!
What is HARO?
HARO or Help A Reporter Out is a digital platform that connects journalists and sources who create content for journalists in return for gaining backlists in a media house. Getting confused? We explain it.
Journalists working for publication houses such as the New York Times always need to create content and meet deadlines. Hence, to meet these tasks, they seek out sources- experts working for businesses- and request them to write content for them. Since businesses need authority links for their site to improve SEO, they create content for journalists and demand that they should be recognized duly by backlinking their websites.
In this win-win situation, journalists meet their deadlines and businesses get authority links from well-reputed publication houses. Here HARO acts as a virtual bulletin board where reporters/journalists post their queries and sources respond to their queries and create content for them.
Over the years, HARO has become a very popular source for this link-building effort. It has now 1 million registered sources and 75000 plus bloggers and journalists working for media outlets. The media outlets that are using HARO are many and well-reputed such as Reuters, Fox News, TIME, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and more. These names show the increasing importance of HARO as a platform offering Whitehat building tools and coverage for businesses.
Who Can Use HARO Platform?
HARO has evolved a lot since 2007 when Peter Shankman started this as a Facebook group with a few contacts. It was initially targeted at journalists and reporters, and bulk of the today’s users of HARO still hail from this category. Now the users belong to wide-ranging fields, from bloggers, businesses, influencers, and the like.
Businesses use HARO because getting quoted in well-reputed media outlets gives them positive exposure and improved SEO. In addition, brands can be established as they get recognition from well-known names in an industry or niche.
Hence, if you are a brand working to launch SEO strategies to improve your ranking and visibility, HARO is the right choice. If you are running a site and need content and guest posts, HARO is a great choice. Even non-profit organizations looking for enhanced exposure and publicity for their projects should use the HARO platform.
How to Use HARO as a Source and Begin Pitching:
It is just 4 steps away. Follow these steps to get access to the most used link-building tool in 2023.
Step#1: Create an Account:
Just visit https://www.helpareporter.com and click the sign-up button at the top right corner of the home page.
You will be asked to provide information:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Company name
- Country name
When you fill out the form and confirm that you are not a robot and agree to privacy terms and conditions, you will get a confirmation email. Click the verification link within the confirmation email and you will be redirected to the welcome page of HARO.
Here you are. Your account on Haro has been activated. Now comes the next step: creating a profile.
Step#2: Editing Your Profile:
After you have activated the account, you will now have to set up a profile. Most importantly, make sure to select the correct account type when you are on the My Account Screen.
You will fill in information such as a short bio and add social media links that you would like to be shared with journalists and Public Relations professionals.
The next part of this setting up profile step is very important. It would determine the right queries most specific to your expertise.
Normally when users sign in and edit their profile, they automatically subscribe to Master List under HARO PREFERENCES But you must select specific industries/domains to receive queries/questions quickly.
Step#3: Monitoring and Finding the Topic:
Now, you will have to monitor and respond to queries. When you first receive the email from HARO, you will see an index detailing query summaries and media outlets asking for information. You can easily identify the topic by just looking at the subject line of emails.
HARO sends three emails in the morning, noon, and evening regularly and throughout the working days. In this way, you remain updated on new queries and sources specific to your industry or domain.
Step#4: Responding to the Queries:
Now you have gone through the email and identified the topic you are confident of dealing with skillfully, it is time to prepare a pitch and respond.
You must bear in mind that journalists/reporters receive hundreds of pitches or responses to their queries. This necessitates that your response should stand out. It should be short and concise and contain enough information about the topic given. In addition, write enough information about yourself.
After you have submitted the pitch, wait for the response from the journalist for further information and interview.
Now we move to the second part of this blog. We will discuss some tips that can make your response a winning pitch and earn you backlinks from authentic media outlets or publication houses.
How to Write a Successful HARO Pitch:
Here are some strategies and tips that help you write an engaging and highly effective HARO Pitch.
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Read Carefully and Evaluate the Query:
You must read thoroughly every query, in particular, and give more attention to requirements. If you meet these requirements, go for it, otherwise, don’t waste your time and energy in writing a response that is not relevant to you.
More importantly, choose a topic in which you have experience. Simply finding answers online or from a book would not help you much in making your pitch stand out.
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Quick Response:
You must respond quickly. Journalists have to meet deadlines and they are under pressure. It is suggested that you pitch your experience or story within an hour of receiving the query ideally. Otherwise, you must respond within the deadline.
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Write Engaging Subject Line:
Reporters/journalists receive hundreds of emails a day. Your pitch must stand out otherwise it will be either ignored or deleted. You should write an engaging subject line and it should be formatted properly. More importantly, long sentences must be avoided, it would cause irritation and reporters would move to the next email.
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Present Yourself as an Expert:
If you have relevant experience or credentials, do add them at the start of your pitch. That will help you project as an expert source and build the confidence of the reporter. This confidence would then lead to acceptance of your request for an interview or quotation in publication.
It is strongly recommended that you back your claim with solid evidence. You can add a link to your portfolio and references to your past work. This is an important step in a confidence confidence-building effort.
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Write Engaging Pitch:
Your pitch should be engaging and relevant. Go straight to the topic. Address it head-on. Never go off the track otherwise, reporters would never take you seriously.
Make it short as well. It should be concise and to the point. As we have earlier discussed reporters/journalists receive hundreds of responses a day. The short, concise, and targeted pitch will make it easier for them to assess and evaluate the quality.
Writing in soundbites is equally critical. Always use short, crispy, and memorable phrases that can easily be quoted in the publication. It also makes it easier for journalists to incorporate your write-up in the final publication and reward you with due recognition and eventually backlinks.
Proofreading must never be ignored. It shows your seriousness and commitment to perfection. The error-free content will help you get the appreciation of reporters and could help you get quoted.
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Include Contact Information:
On your email signature, you can include links to your company’s home page as well as social media links such as LinkedIn and social media pages of the company. You can also provide your contact number so that reporters can reach out for any follow-up questions or queries.
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Read and Follow the Guidelines and Instructions:
There are specific terms and conditions for each query that you must observe to the smallest details. Furthermore, you will have to observe the guidelines given by HARO as well.
For instance, HARO guidelines regarding pitch submission are listed below:
- No offering should be there for links swap.
- Backlinks can not be paid.
- Images should be linked and must not be sent as attachments.
- No attachment can be emailed to the HARO platform.
If you don’t follow these guidelines, your response will be flagged as spam and it would decrease your chances of success.
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Start with a Captivating Introduction:
Always start with your compelling introduction. The introduction must highlight your credentials and relevant experience related to the query. It would grab the attention of reporters and you will have more chances of getting quoted in the final publication.
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Add Value to Your Response:
All link-building efforts demand continuous efforts and hardware. HARO is no exception. The answer you will pitch must have value for reporters. It must be informative and contain industry-specific solutions to the problem at hand.
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Build Relationships with Media/Reporters
Building trust with reporters is also a critical way to get your pitch accepted. But to build relationships, you must earn the trust and confidence of reporters by showing your expertise and experience. The more confidence you gain, the better your chances of your pitch becoming part of the publication.
Final Thoughts:
HARO platform is fast becoming a tool to build links, improve SEO, and earn revenue and income. Brands and businesses are working hard to get recognition from well-reputed media houses and outlets by creating pitches and offering content-creating expertise and experience.
HARO is simple to use and it does not require any subscription at all. All you need to create an account there select your topic carefully and respond to queries quickly. But the pitch you submit must be prominent enough to stand out from hundreds of emails that reporters receive through the HARO platform.
To make your pitch a success, you need to choose a topic in which you have practical and field experience. Your answer should be short, error-free, and contain value for reporters. The subject line of your email should be engaging. Likewise, you must build a long-lasting relationship with reporters/journalists by demonstrating experience and expertise in a particular niche or industry. The more value you offer, the more chances are there that you will tap the vast link-building potential of the HARO platform.
Thanks for your reading. Hope you now feel confident to launch your own HARO link-building campaign.