What Is HARO?
Do you ever read news
articles and wonder where reporters find experts to offer advice or
people to share their personal stories? The answer is often HARO. You
might think of HARO as one of those you-scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours
kind of opportunities. Writers and journalists get sources for the
articles they’re working on, and professionals and small businesses
(that would be you) get free publicity.
HARO is free to use
(although there are paid tiers, too—more on that below) and perfect for
busy people because the leads literally come to you. For each subject
area you sign up for, you’ll get three emails a day. These emails will
contain a list of stories that writers are seeking sources for, along
with the name of the publication in question. Publications range from
personal blogs to huge media outlets like Wall Street Journal,
Washington Post, and The New York Times.
How to Use HARO
for Link Building
The first step to using
HARO for link building is to sign up. Go to helpareporter.com, then
click on I’m a Source. Read through the guidelines, sign up via the
link in the upper right corner, and enter your contact information.
You’ll want to sign up
for the subject areas that align with your professional expertise, but
don’t be afraid to be broad in the categories you choose. You might
have triplets and be the perfect fit for a New York Times story about
parenting multiples—while it might not have anything to do with your
small business, a link is a link when it comes from such a prominent
website. Selecting the Master HARO option will send you all media
opportunities submitted each day.
Some SEO experts
recommend only shooting for links on websites with super high domain
authority—NYT or bust, basically. We think if you see an opportunity
for someone with your knowledge or experience, it’s worth responding,
even if it’s not a noteworthy site. These organic links are always worthwhile
and if you’re holding out for the biggest of the big names, you might
be waiting a long time.
Responding to a
Call for Sources on HARO
If an inquiry piques
your interest, you’ll send an email to the reporter through a special
HARO email address, which prevents people from collecting journalists’
personal contact information. Keep in mind that reporters may be
getting dozens, or even hundreds, of responses, so it’s important to
make sure yours is relevant, well-written, and strikes the right
balance between being detailed and concise.
Here are some tips:
- Reply
as soon as possible—ideally, within an hour or two
- Include
a relevant subject line
- Start
by listing your credentials—what makes you an expert?
- Thoughtfully
answer any questions posed in the inquiry using complete sentences
and proper grammar (no text speak or emojis!)
- Don’t
attempt to sell your products or services
- Include
a short bio—a line or two—at the end of the email
- Link
to your website in your bio
Keep in mind that it’s
not a reporter’s job to boost your SEO. Responding on HARO is not a
guarantee that you will get a link—in fact, many major websites have a
no-link policy as a result of unscrupulous reporters selling links in
their stories or SEO firms spamming HARO to try to place links for their
clients. Most reporters will tell you upfront if they aren’t able to
include your link. Don’t push the issue if they can’t (it’s probably
not up to them, anyway) and don’t ask for specific anchor text.
The good news is that
you don’t necessarily need a link to your website to get value out of
being a source for an article via HARO. Google also looks at unlinked
mentions from authority websites as it evaluates the E-A-T of content
creators. Just having your name or your business mentioned in The New
York Times, Newsweek, or Washington Post is enough to boost your
profile and prove your bona fides.
Should You
Consider a Paid HARO Account?
Once you’ve gotten in a
good groove with HARO, you may wonder if it’s worth upgrading to a paid
plan. HARO has three different paid tiers:
Standard
- $19/month*
- Includes
one keyword alert, one profile to insert into pitches, text
alerts, and the ability to search for media opportunities online
and apply to them via the HARO website.
Advanced
- $49/month
- Includes
three keyword alerts, three profiles, text alerts, access to the
online database, and extra lead time for media opportunities.
Premium
- $149/month
- Includes
unlimited keyword alerts, unlimited profiles, text alerts, access
to the online database, extra lead time for media opportunities,
and access to support.
*Prices are as of this
writing.
If you run a small
business, we don’t think it’s worth paying for a HARO account unless
you have absolutely no time to read through the daily emails to find
inquiries that are relevant to you.
Should You Hire
Someone to Submit Responses to HARO for You?
Ideally, no. In our
view, it’s best for you to handle HARO yourself. You are the expert and
you really don’t want to run the risk of having someone respond with
something you wouldn’t say (or, even worse, that isn’t accurate) and
end up having it quoted in a major publication. While there are
services that promise links via HARO, we’re skeptical—as discussed
above, there’s never any guarantee that your responses will be used.
While we don’t
recommend hiring someone to respond to HARO opportunities for you, as
part of our SEO services at
Main Street ROI, we can formulate a link-building strategy for your
business that includes HARO. Our professional copywriters can also help
you craft a bio and pitch templates that get noticed.
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