1. Set Up and Daily Monitoring

• Registration: Sign up for a HARO account at helpareporter.com. Choose the appropriate subscription level based on the client’s needs and budget.
• Preferences Setup: Customize your HARO account settings to receive queries relevant to your client’s industry. Select the correct categories to ensure you receive pertinent media opportunities.
• Daily Checks: Monitor HARO emails which are typically sent out three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening). It’s crucial to review these promptly as many journalists are on tight deadlines.

2. Identifying Opportunities

• Evaluation: Scan each HARO query to identify potential opportunities that align with your client’s expertise and PR goals.
• Client Coordination: Discuss potential queries with your client to confirm their interest and availability to provide insights or comments. This ensures that responses are timely and relevant.

3. Crafting Responses

• Gather Information: Collect necessary details from your client, including quotes, statistics, case studies, or expert opinions that strengthen the response.
• Crafting the Pitch: Write a concise and compelling pitch. Begin with a brief introduction of your client, highlighting their expertise. Answer the journalist’s query directly, providing clear, detailed, and unique insights.
• Proofreading: Ensure the response is free of errors, jargon-free, and tailored to the journalist’s audience.

4. Submission

• Timely Response: Submit your response before the deadline. Responses should be sent as soon as possible, as journalists may begin their selection process before the official deadline.
• Follow-Up: If permissible, send one follow-up email if you haven’t heard back within a reasonable timeframe (e.g., 48 hours). Keep it brief and polite, reiterating your client’s unique position to contribute to the story.

5. Managing Placements

• Confirmation and Coordination: Once a journalist indicates interest in your pitch, coordinate any further details they need. This might include additional quotes, a full interview, or photos.
• Prepare Your Client: If an interview is requested, prepare your client by discussing key messages, potential questions, and the overall focus of the piece.
• Thank You Note: After the interview or once the piece is published, send a thank-you note to the journalist. This helps in building a relationship for future interactions.

6. Leverage Coverage

• Promotion: Share the published piece through your client’s social media channels, website, and newsletters to maximize the exposure and benefit of the media hit.
• Monitoring Impact: Track the impact of the coverage on brand awareness and website traffic. Use tools like Google Analytics and social media monitoring tools to gauge the effectiveness of the PR effort.

7. Review and Refine

• Feedback Session: After each successful placement, review the process with your team and your client to identify what worked well and what could be improved.
• Refine Strategy: Continuously refine your HARO strategy based on feedback and results to improve response rates and the quality of media placements.