We have a link in the footer of our website called “In the Press.” Here, you can find a library of articles that KORE has been featured in all over the web. We’ve been quoted on MarketWatch, Quickbooks, Fit Small Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other reputable websites. How did we pull this off? We don’t have inside connections with these huge companies, as one may think. Rather, we submitted responses to reporters through a free tool called HARO.
HARO stands for “Help a Reporter Out.” It’s a FREE tool that connects journalists and column writers with the experts in various industries, in order that those experts may provide information for the reporters to use in their upcoming articles. HARO is a win-win because:
(1) Reporters have access to thousands of experts and can instantly receive insight from experts to include in their articles.
(2) Experts (you) have the opportunity to get in front of audiences they may not have access to otherwise.
(3) Experts (you) can share these articles on your social media platforms and your website, further establishing yourself as an expert in your profession.
(4) Experts (you) can boost your SEO, as backlinks (being linked to by others on the web) is GREAT for search engine optimization (read more about SEO here).
Sounds great, right? Well how does it work?
The process is simple. Go to helpareporter.com, click on “I’m a SOURCE,” and then SIGN UP. You’ll select the industries you have expertise in. You’ll see that not every industry is listed, and some are “coming soon” - this is still a growing platform. From there, you’ll start receiving three emails each day that include a list of article headlines in the industries you select. The emails come through first thing in the morning, around lunch time, and then later in the afternoon. If you’re like me and like to keep your inbox squeaky clean, you may get overwhelmed after a couple weeks of this! So, set up a rule in your inbox to redirect these emails to a HARO folder. Then, you can review the most current email at your convenience without cluttering your inbox). In order to be considered for an article, you have to respond pretty quickly - so if you haven’t had a chance to submit anything by the time the next email comes around, go ahead and move on to the most recent email you received.
If you find an article headline that interests you, click on it - and you’ll be taken to a section that has more specific instructions about what the reporter is looking for. It may say, “I’m looking for CPA’s or CFO’s to answer the question, “What should I look for when searching for a bank for my business?” Include your qualifications and a headshot in your response.” < Or something to this effect. You’ll simply reply to the email, and if you get chosen, the reporter will most likely send you a link to the published article. They may ask you to expand on something you said, and they may even keep your information in case they want to reach out to you for another article in the future.
Don’t be discouraged if your response isn’t selected. There’s no way for you to know how many people sent in a submission for any particular article, and some headlines and sources may be more competitive than others. The key to success with HARO is to keep trying. You may submit 10 responses before you get in an article. That said, doing this does take time. Set a monthly goal for the number of articles you submit a response for - and increase or decrease that depending on how much time you spend writing the responses (and your other responsibilities).
If you have any questions about how to use HARO for your business, let us know!
Emily Kern
Co-Founder