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HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a free service that sends out 3 daily emails with queries from reporters who need sources for stories they’re working on. I’ve been signed up on HARO for years, and I’ve found it to be one of the most valuable tools in my marketing and PR arsenal.

Why should you be on HARO too?

• Get free publicity—The most obvious reason to use HARO is that it gives you the chance to share your expertise so you can land the media opportunities you’ve been looking for. Free publicity can do wonders for your company. Getting your name out there in the media will help you increase brand awareness, improve your credibility, drive traffic to your website, and a host of other benefits. You get media opportunities delivered to your inbox 3 times a day, so there are always fresh opportunities for you to get publicity for your company.
• Build valuable media connections—A strong network of media connections can be an enormous asset for building your brand and spreading your messages. If you use HARO on a regular basis to respond to relevant queries, you’ll eventually start building important relationships with key reporters who cover your industry and who can help publicize your company.
• Refine your pitching skills—The way HARO works is an email gets sent out with queries from reporters who need sources for their stories. You find the queries that you’re qualified to respond to, and you email the reporter, giving them your pitch. A lot of times, you’re going to strike out. Remember, a ton of other people are responding to these same queries. But this is actually a good thing. It helps you improve your pitches over time, making you a stronger, more effective marketer.
• Discover new media outlets—There are tons of blogs, podcasts, TV shows, magazines, and other media outlets out there that you probably don’t even know about. Following HARO will open your eyes to more outlets that you could be targeting to get publicity for your company.
• Identify trending topics—HARO offers a great way to see what’s hot in the news. You can read the queries to see what reporters are writing about, making it easy to spot hot topics and developing trends so you can stay ahead of the curve.

Do you use HARO? Have you had any success with it?

Share your experiences by commenting below.

While this blog primarily focuses on SEO and internet marketing, I think it’s important to point out that public relations should be a part of every company’s overall promotional strategy. Getting your company out there in the news is a great way to increase visibility, boost your credibility, establish yourself as the leader in a niche, drive traffic, increase sales, and so much more.

A big part of public relations involves dealing with the media—reporters, editors, bloggers, etc. How well you manage these relationships will play a big role in determining how much media coverage you’re able to get.

Of course, there are many mistakes you need to avoid when dealing with the media. Here are some of the top ones:

1. Pitching the wrong person—Make sure you know who you’re pitching. Take a few moments to read their past work, and make sure they actually cover your industry. Pitching the wrong person makes you look like an amateur who hasn’t done his homework.
2. Spamming them—There’s nothing reporters hate more than when they receive nonstop press releases and pitches from the same person on a frequent basis. Spray and pray PR is spammy and unprofessional. Personalize your pitches, and only pitch when you have something of value to offer.
3. Missing deadlines—Reporters are on tight deadlines with their stories. If you promise them that you’re going to get something to them or be available to them on a certain date, you’d better live up to that promise. If you don’t, you might as well kiss that relationship goodbye because it’s one strike and you’re out.
4. Disappearing—Relationships require regular communication and management. You can’t drop off the face of the earth, show up when you need media coverage, and expect to see positive results. You have to stay visible to reporters. Even when you don’t have something to pitch, interact with them. Compliment them on a story they wrote, or hook them up with good sources other than yourself.
5. Not saying thank you—Look, I’m not saying you have to kiss a reporter’s read end every time they use you as a source or give your company a mention in a story. However, being appreciative goes a long way in any type of relationship. So, whenever you get media coverage or a media member does something else for you, just take a moment to say thank you. You’ll be glad you did.

Have you ever made these media relations mistakes? Discuss your experiences by commenting below.