HARO - are there similar journalist boards?

[WebMeUp]

You know from my previous posts that I'm on the constant look-up of new opportunities to market WebMeUp. Recently I've subscribed to a new service by Vocus - Haro.

I'm just starting out with it, and there's only one query I replied to, but I'm pretty excited with the whole concept.

Here's how it works. You sign up and start getting dozens of queries from journalists daily. It doesn't take you long to look through the queries, since they're concise and split into categories: Business and Finance, High Tech (my top priority), Entertainment and Media, etc.

In their queries, journalists outline their future articles and specify the type of expert opinion they're looking for. If your opinion is a match and you meet the deadline to submit it, the reporter mentions you in the article, linking to your site.

To sum it up, I like the resource and the idea behind it. My question is: Are there any similar journalist boards you're aware of?

 

[james_firmsites]

Is there much UK activity on Haro? Their site looks very USA specific, would be great if there was a UK section, or equivalent site.

 

[GradwellDotCom]

I've been with Haro for a few months and have signed up to email notifications for specific sectors, including their 'UK Haro'.

It's got hardly any UK based stuff which is a real shame, maybe one thing every week and very rarely relevant to my business.

I would also be really interested to know if a more active UK equivalent of this exists.

 

[WebMeUp]

Is there much UK activity on Haro? Their site looks very USA specific, would be great if there was a UK section, or equivalent site.

I'm not sure there's a separate UK section, I believe queries are split by topic, not by locations.

Never looked at that specifically, since we target global market.

This video, however, testifies there's HARO UK.

 

[ethical PR]

http://www.hacktweets.com/services.htm

 

[GradwellDotCom]

Great, thank you ethical PR!

 

[Qumin82]

Yes there are, check out ResponseSource and Pubilseek.

Mei
Qumin

 

[AlexanderR]

Sport4media is a group I'm signed up with, I get 3-5 e-mails a day with what journalists are looking for. The also do a whole host of other categories, such as beauty, business, books, environment etc, all the end with 4media, so it should be very easy to get the sector your looking for.

 

[WebMeUp]

http://www.hacktweets.com/services.htm

Hi and thank you for your suggestion. Could you please expand on how it was helpful to you personally (if you have any experience as an expert)?

It looks like that it works as follows:

1) Users can choose to be experts (PR people) and journalists.

2) Experts choose a twitter group, which is a best match for them thematically. I've chosen @InternetPWK (For internet and online service issues, such as online gaming, search engines, social networking sites, streaming services, broadband, hosting, software as a service, cloud computing.) Perfect!

3) Experts apply to be accepted as a group member.

4) What happens next? Once permitted to attend, experts get access to the queries from journalists? With 69 followers on board @InternetPWK doesn't look like an overcrowded place.

 

[WebMeUp]

Sport4media is a group I'm signed up with, I get 3-5 e-mails a day with what journalists are looking for. The also do a whole host of other categories, such as beauty, business, books, environment etc, all the end with 4media, so it should be very easy to get the sector your looking for.

Hi Alexander, thank you for your feedback. Could you please provide a link to the resource and/or list of group available.

3-5 email a day is cool, but how often do you see queries that are a match for you? How many queries have you answered to and during what period of time? Did you get any write-ups?

 

[AlexanderR]

The full list can be seen on news4media.com,

Because they have so many divisions, more often than not the journalist queries are relevant. I've not answered any yet, as we want to do an exclusive press release at the start of February, from then on, we shall be taking part.

 

[WebMeUp]

Yes there are, check out ResponseSource and Pubilseek.

Mei
Qumin

ResponseSource looks pretty decent, put it on my list. Any experience of using it please?

Couldn't find Pubilseek.

 

[eventdomain]

ResponseSource looks pretty decent, put it on my list. Any experience of using it please?

Much.... you'll get some pageviews out of it - but wont get Journalists phoning you because of it. You need the IDEA & REAL media for that to happen.

TBH, you need to do pretty amazing things to get into the media - eg: take a huge risk, do something others aren't prepared to do, perform a feat that's regarded as work-heavy or own/can do the thing few can do.

I believe most can get some local PR interest going - but not national coverage, no way - only the best and special people get that. You need to stand out in a huge way or achieve a major thing - that's what sets you apart. Sometimes that thing is idea-based eg: you set up the next Techy product gadget, or can be Crazy-based eg: a shoe-hurling web game etc, most press exposure will be short-term, so you gotta think about constantly about new media-ideas.

If it was easy everyone would be featured wouldn't they, but their not.

 

[james_firmsites]

If you're going after local press remember that most are lazy and if you write a good press release (one they can just cut and paste when they are short on space) and hopefully not to time specific you will probably get it included, although often they will try and twist your arm on buying advertising to get it in.

Love the idea of these press sites but really wonder if your going to get anything out of it.

 

[ethical PR]

Hi and thank you for your suggestion. Could you please expand on how it was helpful to you personally (if you have any experience as an expert)?

It looks like that it works as follows:

1) Users can choose to be experts (PR people) and journalists.

2) Experts choose a twitter group, which is a best match for them thematically. I've chosen @InternetPWK (For internet and online service issues, such as online gaming, search engines, social networking sites, streaming services, broadband, hosting, software as a service, cloud computing.) Perfect!

3) Experts apply to be accepted as a group member.

4) What happens next? Once permitted to attend, experts get access to the queries from journalists? With 69 followers on board @InternetPWK doesn't look like an overcrowded place.

I don't sign up for the individual boards but do follow hacktweets. By all means get on some of the journalists boards and journo request sites on social media, but you need to go to the media, they will only come to you when they need something which they can't source through existing contacts.

I would suggest you if you want to promote your company in the tech media;

• identify media that are read/watched/listened to by your target audience
• become familiar with their content and key journalists working for them that you want to engage
• think about what stories, news, content, ideas you can develop that are likely to be of interest to them
• comment on existing content
• research the best way to contact journalists that are likely to be interested in what you do
• engage them through social media
• put together tailored pitches

 

[ethical PR]

If you're going after local press remember that most are lazy and if you write a good press release (one they can just cut and paste when they are short on space) and hopefully not to time specific you will probably get it included, although often they will try and twist your arm on buying advertising to get it in.

Love the idea of these press sites but really wonder if your going to get anything out of it.

James most journalists aren't lazy...they are often working across a number of titles on and offline, to tight deadlines. If something is well written and relevant, they will sometimes top and tail the content to create a story.

The editorial team aren't interested in advertising, they are interested in whether your release might make a good story.

Advertising in trade/local publications sometimes try and offer you 'free editorial' in return for advertising - this is simply 'advertorial' ie advertising by any other name.

 

[Sabina Rosander]

Hi All,

Thought this will be as exciting for you as it is for me .

At Cision UK are working on a media request system based on social network technology called Seek or Shout (seekorshoutdotcom).

We launched in the US a while ago and are looking to launch it in the UK later this year.

At the moment we are putting together a UK beta group, bringing together PRs and bloggers with an interest in consumer topics such as travel, family, FMCG and household.

If any of you are interested in taking part of this beta group please drop me an email sabinadotrosanderatcisiondotcom. Or if you are a Cision UK client just contact your account manager .

Hope you all find this interesting your feedback is appreciated.

Best regards,

Sabina Cision UK’s community manager

 

[WebMeUp]

Much.... you'll get some pageviews out of it - but wont get Journalists phoning you because of it. You need the IDEA & REAL media for that to happen.

TBH, you need to do pretty amazing things to get into the media - eg: take a huge risk, do something others aren't prepared to do, perform a feat that's regarded as work-heavy or own/can do the thing few can do.

I believe most can get some local PR interest going - but not national coverage, no way - only the best and special people get that. You need to stand out in a huge way or achieve a major thing - that's what sets you apart. Sometimes that thing is idea-based eg: you set up the next Techy product gadget, or can be Crazy-based eg: a shoe-hurling web game etc, most press exposure will be short-term, so you gotta think about constantly about new media-ideas.

If it was easy everyone would be featured wouldn't they, but their not.

Hi, thank you for your passionate and opinionated insights, love them!

I concur you have to stand out to reach top world media and do things others are unprepared to do. Still, I think there's room for press coverage for every business, regardless of it's scale, niche and willingness to perform bizarre things.

The major point here is getting connected to the right media people (who also vary in level and scale of topics they want to cover), that is why I'm looking for services similar to help a reporter.

Over to Response Source now.

How much do you pay for this service? I got subscribed for a free trial, but wasn't contacted yet.

What niche are you in? How many queries a day/week do you get? Not sure what you mean by pageviews anyway, did you eventually end up with any write-ups?

 

[WebMeUp]

If you're going after local press remember that most are lazy and if you write a good press release (one they can just cut and paste when they are short on space) and hopefully not to time specific you will probably get it included, although often they will try and twist your arm on buying advertising to get it in.

Love the idea of these press sites but really wonder if your going to get anything out of it.

Hi James, thank you! I think writing press releases is more about optimizing for search and putting a tick that you let the world know about another updates of yours. Maybe I've never written really cool ones

Also good point about the side-affects and arm-twisting)))

We'll watch and see if haro-like sites work. I believe they do, because the number of journalist queries is overwhelming - people wouldn't be after that in bulk if there were no results at all.

 

[WebMeUp]

I don't sign up for the individual boards but do follow hacktweets. By all means get on some of the journalists boards and journo request sites on social media, but you need to go to the media, they will only come to you when they need something which they can't source through existing contacts.

I would suggest you if you want to promote your company in the tech media;

• identify media that are read/watched/listened to by your target audience
• become familiar with their content and key journalists working for them that you want to engage
• think about what stories, news, content, ideas you can develop that are likely to be of interest to them
• comment on existing content
• research the best way to contact journalists that are likely to be interested in what you do
• engage them through social media
• put together tailored pitches

Hi, that sounds like a compete blueprint, thank you! Perhaps I'm looking for a quick fix with these services, while the truth is the one that you suggest: consistently build relationships, analyze and stand out to get press coverage.

The tip about following hacktweets is much appreciated as well!

 

[Rachael]

I've always found response source to be good - although you do have to pay for it. There's also SourceBottle but that's mainly Australian publications - still worth keeping an eye on.

 

[Richard Glynn]

I don't sign up for the individual boards but do follow hacktweets. By all means get on some of the journalists boards and journo request sites on social media, but you need to go to the media, they will only come to you when they need something which they can't source through existing contacts.

I would suggest you if you want to promote your company in the tech media;

• identify media that are read/watched/listened to by your target audience
• become familiar with their content and key journalists working for them that you want to engage
• think about what stories, news, content, ideas you can develop that are likely to be of interest to them
• comment on existing content
• research the best way to contact journalists that are likely to be interested in what you do
• engage them through social media
• put together tailored pitches

To quote Punch ... that's the way to do it.

Focus on relationships too, not just selling in your news or stories.

To help track down journalists for free you can also search for subjects and competitors on:

- Google news (UK version)
- Journalisted.com
- And to a certain extent, mediauk.com

Get a feel for what makes news. Use this to influence your own media pitches. Tailor and personalise your pitches for specific journalists as Ethical PR girl says. (If we're both saying it, it must be right?!)

There are more sophisticated paid-for databases, but these are fine if you are on a budget.

Check out the twitter hashtags #journorequest and #prrequest

Don't forget bloggers too! Google blog search, Delicious, technorati, digg etc can all reveal people having conversations about key issues in your industry. Even LinkedIN groups and (new!) Google Plus communities. Add value to the conversation, and say something interesting. Tell people what you stand for and care about. Dive in!

 

[Richard Glynn]

Forgot this one. Bit American, but might be interesting?

http://muckrack.com/