Taking their cues from wildly popular websites such as MySpace and Facebook, new services are using social networking for professional ends.
Consider Help A Reporter Out, a service that connects journalists to potential sources. If you crave publicity for your publication or website—who doesn’t?—acting as a source is a great way to achieve wide exposure.
The best part: it’s convenient and free.
Sign up, and you’ll begin receiving up to three e-mails per day, each with as many as 30 queries. Scan the queries, verify that your expertise matches up with a journalist’s needs, and you’re likely to see your publication or website’s name in print.
I used the site for an article about Brooklyn commercial real estate, and I was able to find a source just 40 minutes after submitting my query. The source was happy, and so was I.
Part of what makes HARO so appealing is that it minimizes the role of the middleman. There is no fee for the journalist or source, and only a brief verification process to deter spam, which means that you will be able to contact journalists within hours or even minutes after they submit their queries.
PR Newswire, or ProfNet, is HARO’s biggest competitor. ProfNet was founded in 1992, and many large businesses have been relying on it for years. It charges sources for its services and points with pride to its success.
Both sites are worth checking out, but for those of you seeking free publicity, I recommend signing up with Help A Reporter Out. Why not peruse a few days’ worth of queries? You’ve got literally nothing to lose.
One Comment
Hi Brian,
I also use HARO and it’s great and free. In Canada an inspired version of HARO also started called journalist source take a peep http://www.journalistsource.ca
Way to use social media!