Peter Shankman (in one of his more vulnerable moments ... and there aren't that many!)
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a relatively new editorial inquiry service developed and managed by the ever-ingenious Peter Shankman. Peter (who started The Geek Factory and travel companion site Airtroductions – now TripLife.com) is a brilliant PR flack, social networker and modern-day, bon vivant of technology.
So, what’s the big deal about HARO?
There are a few services that help put journalists in need of knowledgable sources and information in touch with the experts and PR flacks who represent them. Most of them come with some kinds of strings attached (usually in the form of subscription fees). But HARO is different because it is free. Shankman’s revenue comes from the ad sold at the head of each bulletin (issued three times a day).
The model seems to be working. HARO now boasts a circulation of over 36,000. Multiply that number by Peter’s stated ad rates (as per this article in AdWeek) and we’re talking a tidy sum … all of it earned.
HARO’s system of circulating reporter inquiries to sources is quick and efficient and works because of a level of integrity enforced by Peter, himself. When you receive HARO e-mails, you get the distinct impression that Peter’s watching what’s going on and who’s responding. It’s an impression he reinforces with his own sense of urgency and candid honesty:
These requests only come from reporters directly to me. I never take queries from that other service, I never SPAM, and I’m not going to do anything with your email other than send you these reporter requests when they arrive in my in-box.
This is really the only thing I ask: By joining this list, just promise me and yourself that you’ll ask yourself before you send a response: Is this response really on target? Is this response really going to help the journalist, or is this just a BS way for me to get my client in front of the reporter? If you have to think for more than three seconds, chances are, you shouldn’t send the response.
In the end, we could probably all stand to do this a bit more, huh?
As a friend of Peter’s for some time, I can tell you this IS quintessential Peter Shankman. And because he is who he is – generous nearly to a fault and ingenious to the point of near exasperation, you don’t dare let him down by breaking the rules.
HARO is a must for publicists and marketing pros. Check it out and sign up today!
