After doing a review a few weeks ago on HARO, I came across this very insightful blog post from Ragan’s PR Daily. And here is the article copy, in its entirety (with permission from Ragan’s of course):

(See the original article by Jessica Levco by clicking here)

A list of dos and don’ts for PR pros contacting journalists on Peter Shankman’s free service

Forget the days when journalists called you for stories and waited for you to call them back.

Thanks to Help a Reporter Out (HARO), journalists now have the resources they need at their fingertips. Created by Peter Shankman, this free Web site provides reporters with access to more than 50,000 PR pros representing a wide range of clients.

After sending out an e-mail inquiry, reporters receive responses from PR reps offering information and experts who can’t wait to be their number-one source. For 21st century journalists, beggars can be choosers.

But how do journalists choose? And if you’re a PR rep, how can you make sure your pitch gets noticed?

Here’s what you should know about responding to a journalist’s inquiry, according to HARO experts:

Do: Read the query carefully

This is the number-one tip offered by our sources.

“Give the request serious thought before dashing out your information,” says Shelley Lieber, author of “4Ps to Publishing Success.” “Read the request carefully. What is the angle of the story? Who is the audience?”

Experts agree, saying it’s important to read the query at least twice before sending information. Don’t waste a reporter’s time, but most importantly, don’t waste your own.

Do: Respond quickly

A reporter could receive hundreds of responses from one HARO request. At some point, she is likely to stop reading pitches.

“The reporter is going to go with the most compelling and directly relevant pitches they receive first,” observes Alyson Campbell, partner at AMP3 Public Relations in New York. “So, if you reply three days later, even if your message is completely on target, chances are they already have their sources decided upon.”

Do: Include a subject line

Seems simple enough, but reporters are notorious for juggling different deadlines and stories. When responding to a request, keep your subject line simple: HARO and the topic.

Do: Research the reporter

You can’t go wrong by finding out what stories reporters have previously written.

“It shows the reporter that you’re familiar with their writing and builds a stronger relationship and rapport,” says Rachael Fisher, senior account executive at CPR Strategic Marketing Communications in New Jersey. “It demonstrates you’re willing to go the extra mile to work with a reporter to get the job done. Plus, it shows that your pitch idea is relevant to similar ideas that the reporter has worked on by citing a previous article.”

Do: Give a lot of information

Journalists want details, so sometimes it’s best to give them everything you’ve got. This strategy has paid off for Jenna Petroff, public relations manager at Hardee’s Food Systems, Inc.

She says the most positive feedback she’s gotten has come when she provides a wealth of information in the first e-mail.

“Most pitches will be short and sweet and simply offer to connect with a source or a product,” Petroff says. “This elevator pitch might work in other arenas, but on HARO, I think reporters want the goods right out of the gate.”

Do: Keep the description of your company or client succinct

One, maybe two sentences is sufficient. Your response should include information to help the reporter, not a plug for your client or boss. Reporters don’t care thatyour company is “premier” or “an industry leader”—especially if you tell them.

Don’t: Answer to everyone

Respond to a pitch only if you think you can help. “If your pitch isn’t a natural fit, don’t pitch,” warns Jenny Schmitt, President of CloudSpark in Georgia. “It’s a sure way to have an unhappy reporter and get booted from HARO—or worse ‘outed’ by Peter for a bad pitch.” (Turns out that Peter liked one of her pitches. Take a look.)

Don’t: Miss a deadline

Reporters are conscious of the clock, so you should be too. “Often reporters are on a deadline and they will use the most accessible and qualified expert in the story,” explains Debra Yergen, owner of DY& Co.

“Give them your cell phone number and don’t tell them it’s only for an emergency.”

Don’t: Forget your contact information

Have you included your phone number, e-mail and fax? Most reporters probably aren’t going to have enough time to check you out on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace, but basic contact information is essential.

Remember to include your full name, title and location. “Don’t take any chances on your name getting mangled because it isn’t clear in your e-mail signature line,” says Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, a New York freelance writer and editor.

“Giving the full details in your e-mail response is the best way to ensure being identified [in] the way you want to be identified.”

Don’t: Send attachments

Reporters don’t have time to open up attachments of press releases, media kits or pictures of your poodle.

“If you are contacted by a journalist, the goal is to serve the press, not get free publicity,” Lieber says. “Your purpose in replying to requests or sending pitches is to help the journalist do his or her job, which is serving the needs of the audience.”

Don’t: Be a pest

Resist sending e-mails asking, “Will you quote me?” Following up after an interview is OK, but badgering a reporter is not. Don’t take it personally if you’re not quoted.

Reporters often receive an overwhelming number of responses. If you get bossy or pushy—for instance, you demand to see the story before it runs or won’t budge on an interview date and time—you will quickly lose the reporter’s attention. Be polite, even if the reporter is not.

And remember, even if you’re not exactly what a reporter is looking for right now, she might save your information for later stories.

According to Lieber, “If you establish a pattern of consistent quality and reliability, then you’ll develop a valuable relationship that will pay off for you many times.”

This week, I wanted to feature an invaluable PR tool that I’ve been using for quite a bit now – Peter Shankman’s HARO (aka “Help A Reporter Out”). It’s been around for a little while, but I’m sure there are still a lot of PR people out there who have yet to discover it. Plus, with the recent revel of a HARO rip-off, I wanted to bring some light to the subject to ensure that no one is using the fake version.

In a nutshell, through HARO, Shankman is essentially sharing story requests from his large network of journalist contacts. Basically, you sign up on the HARO homepage, and then 2-3 times daily you will recieve a HARO report, each with anywhere from 15-30 queries.

The service is FREE (always a plus), and Shankman only lists requests that he gets directly from reporters. He won’t SPAM or sell your email address, so no worries there either.

I like it because it’s an easy way to figure out what journalists are writing about and which pitches they WANT to receieve. Always nice to be wanted, right?

For more information or to sign up for HARO, check out www.HelpAReporter.com! …and stay tuned for next Thursday’s “Tool of the Week”.