Today, I’m back again to share another feature from one of my favorite sites I’ve shared before: HARO aka Help a Reporter Out. This site “connects journalists seeking expertise to include in their content with sources who have that expertise.” Since you’re an expert in the area of your book’s topic or your profession, so this is the perfect opportunity to brag on yourself. Reporters come from larger sites like Forbes, Cosmopolitan, etc or smaller, local media outlets.
The second feature I received from HARO was over on the blog My Four and More.com and can be found here. The site is a smaller one, but its niche (focus) aligns perfectly with the topic of my first book New Mom Thoughts: Real Questions for Moms with Real Feelings. Sometimes we get caught up in shiny object syndrome and hear the big names and think it’ll instantly mean tons of sales. However, when looking for marketing opportunities, it’s often better to make sure the audience of the company or source you’re focusing on matches your book’s topic. The blog focuses on mommyhood, encouraging women. Both of those are perfect matches for my book.
Another tip to consider is to stand out when you’re responding to postings on sites like HARO. Reporters can get tons of responses, and making sure yours is worth posting means that you need to get creative. For example, one reason I got selected for the Four and More blog post is because I presented my book as a unique option. The post is about picking the perfect baby shower gift. Normally moms are left out when it comes to baby showers, so my book New Mom Thoughts is a perfect fit to help stand out in a sea of the other baby items that were suggested for the posting.
One more thing….
Now, I like to keep things 100 with y’all so I’m gonna tell you right now, that they will send you at least 1-3 emails a day, so here’s how you can reap the benefits of the site without letting your inbox drive you crazy:
Set up an email filter so that you can either mark the emails as read, or add them to a folder to look when you are ready to check them out.
Read through for key words or use control + f (control find) to search for words that fit your areas of expertise
Save your responses like your bio and or common questions you find come up often.
Comment below and let me know if you’ve signed up for HARO yet, and if you’ve applied for any of the postings yet.
