Reporters are always looking for credible sources to provide information. Here's a step by step guide on how to be featured by reporters.

1. BUILD YOUR CREDIBILITY USING HARO
(HELPAREPORTER.COM)
Nancy Gaines, Founder
Women Gaining Wealth, LLC
1

2. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
 What is HARO
 How can HARO benefit you
 How HARO works
 How to write a submission that gets selected
 How to avoid common mistakes
2

3. MEET NANCY
 Nancy Gaines owns Women Gaining Wealth
 She left IBM consulting to help entrepreneurs
 Her niche is women working to grow their
business to 6 figures and beyond
 She works with people through an intense
VIP day or a series of phone calls so they
can take their business to the next level
3

4. WHAT IS HARO?
 Free resource that connects reporters to
sources
 The website is www.HelpaReporter.com
 Over 250,000 sources provide input to
reporters looking for information and quotes
 Used by well established companies like Fox
and ABC plus online websites
4

5. HOW CAN HARO BENEFIT YOU?
 Opportunity to get quoted online, in magazines,
books, and radio which builds your credibility
 Instant Authority – being quoted positions you as
an expert (less effort and cost than writing a
book)
 Provides content for the ‘as seen in’ or ‘press
section’ of your website
 Obtain link-backs to your website which help
your searches and rankings
 You are an expert at something, so own it and
take credit
 Chance to help someone which is good karma 5

6. HOW HARO WORKS
 Register to be a source at helpareporter.com
 Receive three emails per day Monday - Friday
 Requests are grouped in 10 major categories – skip
sections that don’t fit your expertise
 Skim the major categories that match your
knowledge and experience – Biotech and
Healthcare, Business, Entertainment, High Tech,
Lifestyle, Fitness, Sports, General, or Travel
 Respond to the specific email address provided in
the request with your input
 I typically respond to 3-4 requests per month, so it’s
a low time commitment for a high return 6

7. SAMPLE HARO EMAIL TOPICS
7

8. SAMPLE HARO DETAILED REQUEST
8

9. HOW TO WRITE A SUBMISSION
THAT GETS SELECTED
 Over the last 5 months, I wrote 18 submissions and was picked
for 6 – four online, one magazine, and one book. I learned
what worked and what didn’t through trial and error.
 Remember, the reporter is the writer, not you. You are the
resource who provides facts, quotes, expertise, and opinions.
Here are my top 4 tips and tricks:
1. Create a subject line that grabs attention
 Be original and make the HARO screeners curious to read more
 Use some capitalization like FRESH IDEAS TO CONSIDER, BIGGEST
MISTAKES TO AVOID, MOST COSTLY ERRORS
2. Write with the expectation that the reporter will use your words
exactly as submitted
 I was surprised when I saw one reporter published my submission
word for word. I didn’t anticipate this, but glad I know now.
 Be accurate, write well, and spell check.
9

10. HOW TO WRITE A SUBMISSION
THAT GETS SELECTED (CONT.)
3. Make it easy for the reporter to pick you
 Write 3-5 concise bullet points, not a paragraph or narrative,
that exactly answer the request. The reporter will do the rest.
 Don’t make the HARO screener read through long paragraphs,
preambles, your credentials, etc. Be simple.
 Get to the point quickly. Respect their word count if one is
provided.
3. Mention when other reporters have featured you
 If you were selected by HARO reporters previously, say it.
 Provide a link to the Press Section of your website so reporters
know that others felt you were a credible source.
10

11. HOW TO AVOID COMMON
MISTAKES
 Be patient and don’t give up
 It took 6 weeks to get my first submission accepted
 Respond from the same email account you used to register with
HARO
 Your submission will get rejected if you don’t use the registered email
 Watch deadlines closely
 Twice I spent time writing a great submission only to learn the deadline
was an hour ago
 Most deadlines are the next day, but some are same day. Watch the
time zone.
 Don’t think you aren’t smart enough, experienced enough, whatever
to respond
 You likely know more than the reporter which is why she/he is asking for
help. Be confident and own your answers. Expect them to see you as
the expert. 11

12. HOW TO AVOID COMMON
MISTAKES
 Don’t be selfish and just pitch your company
 Mention briefly what you do in the opening line, then jump
right into serving the reporter
 Politely request she/he link back to your site if your
contribution is selected and most will agree
 Save your submissions
 Many reporters have similar requests, so save your
responses so you can reuse them with some slight
modifications. This will save you a lot of time.
 Thank the reporter for selecting you
 Suggest the reporter keep your name when they need
sources for other articles
12

13. NANCY GAINES
nancy@womengainingwealth.com
www.womengainingwealth.com
facebook.com/WomenGainingWealth
WomenGainWealth
WomenGainingWealth
(303) 697-0736
13