Post by surovyakter on Jul 31, 2024 1:53:18 GMT -5
Today, being an expert in your niche is priceless. Having the ability to create the perfect blog is a bonus for most marketers. Unfortunately, the online space has become very competitive. You can have 30 years of experience and a group of expert writers on your team, but that’s not enough. If you don’t have visibility, you have nothing.
This is where authority branding comes in to Barbados Email List save the day. Experts from different industries are now earning high-authority links via HARO (“ Help A Reporter Out”), which has several benefits, including:
establish and strengthen your brand as an expert, authority and thought leader
boost your SEO , which in turn leads to additional free organic traffic and more
Whether you’re new to the concept or an avid Help A Reporter Out user , this ultimate guide will show you the best strategies for converting leads on the platform.
But first, let’s address the elephant in the room: what is HARO?
What is HARO?
“ A source for every story!”
Simple, yet powerful. That’s HARO’s tagline. Help A Reporter Out is a service that connects journalists with experts who have answers around the world.
A typical day for a journalist is characterized by a full schedule. Journalists at high-authority websites like The New York Times and Forbes often have a calendar for their top stories months in advance.
However, it would be quite onerous for these reporters to properly conduct comprehensive research for all of their publications. When you’re on a schedule to write 100 blogs in a week, you seriously need all the help you can get.
That was the case for Peter Shankman in 2007. He started small in his apartment, answering all sorts of questions from journalists on his Facebook page. “Do you know anyone who can do this or that?” Soon, the inquiries turned into an active email list.
At first, Shankman had no intention of making money from the show. His only intention was to help people. But soon, advertisers were asking to run ads on his site. And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, HARO emerged.
How does HARO work?
The service is free , although you can request a premium version. We recommend working with the free membership for businesses, as this option has proven to be more valuable for us in improving our clients’ backlinks.
When you join the site, you can either sign up as a journalist or become a source for journalists. Each category has its own set of rules. At worst, you’ll have your account closed if you don’t follow the community guidelines. We’ll briefly touch on how to use HARO both as a journalist and as an expert source (although for link building, you’ll almost certainly be using HARO as a source).
How does HARO work?
How to Use HARO for Journalists
As of this writing, Help A Reporter Out has over 75,000 journalists and bloggers looking for expert material.
After you provide your contact details, including your name and means of communication, the service will first verify the validity of your identity. You will be asked to provide your email address, although HARO usually masks this data from other users.
Now let's move on to the section you're probably most interested in.
How to Use HARO as a Source for Media Coverage
First, register and learn about the rules and guidelines for using the Help A Reporter Out platform .
You can then select the topics that cover your area of interest. HARO will send you emails three times a day throughout the week:
At 5:35 am EST
At 12:35 PM EST
At 5:35 PM EST
Monitor and filter requests to find the perfect pitch. Give an accurate response following the given requirements. Provide sources for your feedback (if any) and provide your contact information.
How to use HARO as a source for media coverage
Why HARO?
Link building has become a huge challenge for most businesses. Many vendors sell cheap SEO , which involves showing everyone the same lists of websites that are circulating in the market, and that:
AT BEST: Your competitors can catch up quite easily
WORST CASE SCENARIO: It will be toxic and will cause your sites to lose traffic, rankings, sales and more
While there are other options for better link building, HARO is great because it helps you be seen as an expert, as well as earn links from high-authority publications . These are links from legitimate mainstream publications, and most, if not all, have a better editorial process in place to eliminate the possibility of, say, an article granting links to 3 insurance sites, 3 casino sites, 1 online shoe retailer, and 1 luxury watch retailer.
Most importantly, we feel that HARO is not about earning these do-follow backlinks alone. Since:
No-follow links can help you have a more natural backlink profile that Google would like and appreciate.
Unlinked mentions would help you gain more social proof. For example, when we received an unlinked mention from MSN , we used that to get do-follow backlinks from other high authority sites like Business Insider .
Google’s algorithm updates may change from time to time, but some things remain constant. A press feature or a backlink (even a no-follow one) through HARO will help you maximize several of the factors below at once.
Components of Google's ranking algorithm
Source: Neil Patel
Still not convinced?
Let's share our success story! We've sent thousands of HARO pitches and earned hundreds of links with DRs up to 90+. You can do the same!
Our journey with the HARO platform started with the first three months of zero leads. But after using the tips (which you will learn in the next section), we were able to achieve a 47% success rate with this service. This includes earning links like:
Problem 1
Several of the most well-known sites have gone the route of granting only no-follow links . Here are some examples of some of the no-follow links we have earned:
If I had to estimate, 90% of the links we earned went to our clients' sites. You know, as the saying goes, the cobbler always wears the worst shoes. And I'm not so comfortable sharing clients' links without asking them.
Now, let’s get to the most interesting part – tips on how to gain publicity and backlinks with HARO!
Top Tips for Earning High Authority Links on HARO
1. Understand the reporter’s psyche and needs
HARO’s working model is somewhat like a business-client model. The journalist is your client with many options to choose from. If you haven’t taken the time to understand your client’s needs , you may end up offering an undesirable product.
However, if you blend in seamlessly with the journalist’s query, you can stand out from all the other responses, giving you a better chance. Make sure your expertise is relevant to the topic being raised if you want to help the reporter. Take the time to assess your audience and blend in with them.
2. Choose the right query
Instead of applying to topics in your category, another strategy would be to apply to all (or most) topics . But why exactly should you do this?
HARO preferences
Similarly, due to the diversity of your experience, you might be familiar with simple health tips, which you might miss if you hadn’t checked the health category. It may seem tedious to receive all these emails, but you can create separate labels for each type.
However, you need to be careful to only choose queries where you can offer tips and information that are not common in the online space. If you don’t have anything new to offer, save yourself the hassle.
3. Grab attention with a powerful introduction
A spot-on subject line followed by a charming introduction works like bread and butter for most journalists. Remember, you’re interacting with a human being—and a busy one at that. Work to be intriguing and answer the question directly.
Begin the introduction section by addressing the reporter by name . Prove that you meet the journalist's eligibility requirements
This is where authority branding comes in to Barbados Email List save the day. Experts from different industries are now earning high-authority links via HARO (“ Help A Reporter Out”), which has several benefits, including:
establish and strengthen your brand as an expert, authority and thought leader
boost your SEO , which in turn leads to additional free organic traffic and more
Whether you’re new to the concept or an avid Help A Reporter Out user , this ultimate guide will show you the best strategies for converting leads on the platform.
But first, let’s address the elephant in the room: what is HARO?
What is HARO?
“ A source for every story!”
Simple, yet powerful. That’s HARO’s tagline. Help A Reporter Out is a service that connects journalists with experts who have answers around the world.
A typical day for a journalist is characterized by a full schedule. Journalists at high-authority websites like The New York Times and Forbes often have a calendar for their top stories months in advance.
However, it would be quite onerous for these reporters to properly conduct comprehensive research for all of their publications. When you’re on a schedule to write 100 blogs in a week, you seriously need all the help you can get.
That was the case for Peter Shankman in 2007. He started small in his apartment, answering all sorts of questions from journalists on his Facebook page. “Do you know anyone who can do this or that?” Soon, the inquiries turned into an active email list.
At first, Shankman had no intention of making money from the show. His only intention was to help people. But soon, advertisers were asking to run ads on his site. And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, HARO emerged.
How does HARO work?
The service is free , although you can request a premium version. We recommend working with the free membership for businesses, as this option has proven to be more valuable for us in improving our clients’ backlinks.
When you join the site, you can either sign up as a journalist or become a source for journalists. Each category has its own set of rules. At worst, you’ll have your account closed if you don’t follow the community guidelines. We’ll briefly touch on how to use HARO both as a journalist and as an expert source (although for link building, you’ll almost certainly be using HARO as a source).
How does HARO work?
How to Use HARO for Journalists
As of this writing, Help A Reporter Out has over 75,000 journalists and bloggers looking for expert material.
After you provide your contact details, including your name and means of communication, the service will first verify the validity of your identity. You will be asked to provide your email address, although HARO usually masks this data from other users.
Now let's move on to the section you're probably most interested in.
How to Use HARO as a Source for Media Coverage
First, register and learn about the rules and guidelines for using the Help A Reporter Out platform .
You can then select the topics that cover your area of interest. HARO will send you emails three times a day throughout the week:
At 5:35 am EST
At 12:35 PM EST
At 5:35 PM EST
Monitor and filter requests to find the perfect pitch. Give an accurate response following the given requirements. Provide sources for your feedback (if any) and provide your contact information.
How to use HARO as a source for media coverage
Why HARO?
Link building has become a huge challenge for most businesses. Many vendors sell cheap SEO , which involves showing everyone the same lists of websites that are circulating in the market, and that:
AT BEST: Your competitors can catch up quite easily
WORST CASE SCENARIO: It will be toxic and will cause your sites to lose traffic, rankings, sales and more
While there are other options for better link building, HARO is great because it helps you be seen as an expert, as well as earn links from high-authority publications . These are links from legitimate mainstream publications, and most, if not all, have a better editorial process in place to eliminate the possibility of, say, an article granting links to 3 insurance sites, 3 casino sites, 1 online shoe retailer, and 1 luxury watch retailer.
Most importantly, we feel that HARO is not about earning these do-follow backlinks alone. Since:
No-follow links can help you have a more natural backlink profile that Google would like and appreciate.
Unlinked mentions would help you gain more social proof. For example, when we received an unlinked mention from MSN , we used that to get do-follow backlinks from other high authority sites like Business Insider .
Google’s algorithm updates may change from time to time, but some things remain constant. A press feature or a backlink (even a no-follow one) through HARO will help you maximize several of the factors below at once.
Components of Google's ranking algorithm
Source: Neil Patel
Still not convinced?
Let's share our success story! We've sent thousands of HARO pitches and earned hundreds of links with DRs up to 90+. You can do the same!
Our journey with the HARO platform started with the first three months of zero leads. But after using the tips (which you will learn in the next section), we were able to achieve a 47% success rate with this service. This includes earning links like:
Problem 1
Several of the most well-known sites have gone the route of granting only no-follow links . Here are some examples of some of the no-follow links we have earned:
If I had to estimate, 90% of the links we earned went to our clients' sites. You know, as the saying goes, the cobbler always wears the worst shoes. And I'm not so comfortable sharing clients' links without asking them.
Now, let’s get to the most interesting part – tips on how to gain publicity and backlinks with HARO!
Top Tips for Earning High Authority Links on HARO
1. Understand the reporter’s psyche and needs
HARO’s working model is somewhat like a business-client model. The journalist is your client with many options to choose from. If you haven’t taken the time to understand your client’s needs , you may end up offering an undesirable product.
However, if you blend in seamlessly with the journalist’s query, you can stand out from all the other responses, giving you a better chance. Make sure your expertise is relevant to the topic being raised if you want to help the reporter. Take the time to assess your audience and blend in with them.
2. Choose the right query
Instead of applying to topics in your category, another strategy would be to apply to all (or most) topics . But why exactly should you do this?
HARO preferences
Similarly, due to the diversity of your experience, you might be familiar with simple health tips, which you might miss if you hadn’t checked the health category. It may seem tedious to receive all these emails, but you can create separate labels for each type.
However, you need to be careful to only choose queries where you can offer tips and information that are not common in the online space. If you don’t have anything new to offer, save yourself the hassle.
3. Grab attention with a powerful introduction
A spot-on subject line followed by a charming introduction works like bread and butter for most journalists. Remember, you’re interacting with a human being—and a busy one at that. Work to be intriguing and answer the question directly.
Begin the introduction section by addressing the reporter by name . Prove that you meet the journalist's eligibility requirements