Unlocking Media Opportunities: Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) stands as a pinnacle in the realm of Public Relations tools, bridging the gap between journalists and expert sources. Owned by Cision, HARO facilitates a seamless connection, offering a robust database of sources to journalists seeking insights for their upcoming stories.

Aided by a simplified pitching procedure, HARO sends out over 50,000 queries per annum, via distinguished media houses. Sources are empowered in this platform by offering them daily opportunities to contribute their knowledge and expertise, thus increasing the chances of getting such valuable media coverage.

Used by some 1 million sources in the field and allowing to reach about 75,000 journalists and bloggers. The service enjoys the goodwill of stringent not only on meeting journalists’ urgent deadlines but also in helping brands tell their stories well.

HARO, an integral component of Cision’s suite, epitomizes the intersection of technology and media, fostering a symbiotic relationship between those seeking stories and those telling them.

Features

Profile Management

Users will easily create and operate the profiles that automate Inclusion of prewritten, doing so every pitch. The system promises an effortless pitching process with just a few clicks and also comes in the form of a mobile application to suit one’s needs on the go.

Keyword Alerts

Using keyword alerts, HARO makes hyper-personalized experiences possible to the users and keep them updated with relevant queries. This characteristic simplifies the procedure for searching and responding to requests that match a certain specialization.

Topic Diversity

HARO encompasses an enormous number of subjects, ranging from business to entertainment, health issues and lifestyle concerns as well as news matters related with politics on science technology among other fields. This diversity empowers users, whether journalists or sources to encounter subjects that correspond with their interests at best.

Source Database

With a huge database of about 800, 0 sources HARO’s easy online access saves journalists valuable time and effort to find the best people for their stories. The platform’s wide network of approximately 75,00 bloggers and reporters pursuing individual cases delivers plenty sources with a vast number opportunities per day.

Email Alerts

HARO followers receive its three email communications every day. Alternatively, users can also personalize alerts on topics of concern to them; therefore timely updates regarding journalist queries relevant would be assured.

Search Functionality

It enables its users to search for pitches that they have expertise in and interest. This characteristic boosts effectiveness, allowing users to identify real opportunities that closely resemble the skills and knowledge they currently have.

Location-Based Filtering

HARO’s filtering function allows users to refine source searches based on location. Particularly beneficial for local stories and businesses seeking localized exposure, this feature streamlines the connection between reporters and relevant sources.

Mass Pitching

HARO facilitates pitching efforts by permitting users to pitch in more than one reporter at the same time. This saves the time for outreach and increases its efficiency as a user can send one pitch to many reporters increasing chances of his / her coverage.

User-Friendly Interface

HARO’s dashboard is very convenient both for journalist and sources, marking the beginning of an ease path through navigation. The platform provides for easy accessibility of information to its users as they are guaranteed a seamless process.

Customer Support

HARO provides via email for the free plan and two of three paid plans customers support. Such aid ensures that the users have assistance whenever applicable, and improving on their general user experience.

Pricing

1. Basic Plan

• Cost: $0
• Receive three daily email blasts.
• Access email support for assistance.
• Initial adjustment is needed to filter through irrelevant offers.

2. Standard Plan

• Cost: $19 per month
• All features from the Basic plan are included.
• Added efficiency with keyword alerts in your profile.
• Mobile alerts for media opportunities on the go.
• Online search feature for active media opportunities.

3. Advanced Plan

• Cost: $49 per month
• All Standard plan features.
• Three profiles for multiple businesses or expertise areas.
• Early access to reporter requests (“Head Start” feature).
• Use of three keywords for filtering media opportunities.

4. Premium Plan

• Cost: $149 per month
• All Advanced plan features.
• Unlimited profiles for comprehensive representation.
• Unlimited keywords for precise opportunity filtering.
• Enhanced customer support with phone assistance.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free to Use: HARO avails its valuable services free of charge, thus being affordable even to the majority.
• Large Pool of Potential Sources: HARO has a large user base which translates to millions of potential sources that increases the chances for getting relevant contributors.
• Widely Used for Valuable Features: HARO is one such platform that has attracted immense recognition and acceptance because of positive features and benefits provided by them.
• Great Source for Media Opportunities: As for this one, HARO proves serving as a vital resource connecting journalists with the right and proven sources.
• User-Friendly Interface: The interface of HARO is very user friendly and it has embedded functions which make the working on computing devices using by journalists as well a PR professionals both, more fluently.
• Powerful Marketing Tool: As it turns out, HARO proves itself to be a powerful tool for gaining branding awareness used by HR users.

Cons

• Spam, Creeps, and Scams: This should be taken carefully with spam, creeps and scams from interactions on HARO.
• Questionable Value for Monthly Charge: Some clients also seem skeptical of the services value in comparison to its monthly cost, wondering if it would actually be worth all that money.
• Time-Consuming Source Finding: The process of finding reliable sources in HARO is time wasting, where the effort has to be invested as a user must search through various options.
• Possibility of Unqualified Sources: It is possible that some of the sources available on HARO fail to match a particular standard and hence have users carry out strict analysis whenever they access it.
• Potential Non-Responsiveness of Journalists: Apart from letting people connect, HARO does not guarantee individual journalists’ responses to every query posing a question on the efficiency of source -journalists interaction.

Summary

HARO happens to be the most in demand tool for Public Relations connecting journalists with experts. Cision’s HARO distributes over 50,000 media journalist queries a year done on its big database; so sources get unlimited opportunities for positive press every day. Constituent lots are access management, keyword cautioning; broad scope of subjects secured and every one of the significant peripheral as well. Interactions are simplified with email alerts, the ability to search for recipients and filtering results depending on location as well as mass pitching.

HARO comes with an easy-to-use interface and customer support available in plans from free to premium, serving wide needs. Even though so many benefits this option comes with, users should remain cautious against possible fraud and reflect on the value of their monthly fee.

About the Author

Anna Malik – digital nomad, enthusiast of everything online and in the cloud, productivity maniac. She travels around the world reviewing web applications and other resources for Web People for our blog.