Peter Shankman, creator of Help A Reporter Out (HARO), recently sat down with PRWeek to offer his perspective regarding the current status of media relations. His point of view is very relevant as his creation of HARO has been described as “redefining the art of networking.”HARO is a free service that distributes up to five e-mails a day to subscribers, highlighting more than 1,200 media queries each week and providing journalists with more than 100,000 sources overall. HARO has quickly become the most popular service for connecting journalists with PR professionals and resources. And did I mention that Shankman also has a knack for adding humorous anecdotes and sharing paid promotions and advice with his subscribers?

He also goes to extreme lengths to make sure none of his subscribers are “spammed” and enforces the rules to using HARO, suggesting that anyone who joins the list asks themselves a few questions before responding. “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?” His unique perspective and dedication to networking makes Shankman an extremely knowledgeable source on the future of media relations.

In his interview with PRWeek about the future of media landscape, Shankman advises PR pros on how to pitch to journalists in this fast-paced, ever changing media world. As the number of journalists decrease at many print publications, it is important to utilize tools like HARO to better connect with the right sources. With little time, the probability of getting a reporter to read a long pitch or idea is unlikely, especially if you do not have an existing relationship. Instead, he says the “answer is two-fold – write really well, and be dead-on topic. There’s no middle ground anymore.” PR professionals can learn from this; present the right information in the right way with the right sources and you will be successful.

As a current subscriber to HARO, it is easy to see how beneficial Shankman’s service is. Instead of trying to network through a one-way channel, HARO facilitates connections between journalists who need sources and PR professionals with ideas to pitch on behalf of their clients and companies. Communiqué PR has used HARO many times, enabling us to reach analysts, journalists and third-party resources on behalf of our clients. For example, while working to secure an article in Desktop Engineering, we needed to connect with an industry analyst who could provide quotes and information regarding research and a breakthrough in flow separation. After posting a HARO inquiry we sparked interest with an analyst from Frost & Sullivan and we were able to secure quotes for the article.

We’d like to hear from you. Have you had success using HARO? Share your story and comment!