Your Expertise Is Needed By the Media

Let's say for example you're watching the 6pm news.  The anchor announces the top story, which is about the economy, then introduces the reporter that will be doing the story.  The reporter gives us the broad strokes about key economic indicators and then there's a cut to her produced package.  First, there's an  interview with an economist, whose comments have been edited down to just a few salient points. Cut back to our reporter, who is now standing in front of a local restaurant.  The reporter begins explaining how some small businesses are thriving despite the economy.  The owner of the restaurant describes how she has paired a new service with select menu items.  The camera pans around the establishment, giving us a good view of the interior.  So although the story was about the economy, we met the owner of a local restaurant, learned something about the food and fare and we even got a glimpse of the ambiance as we watched diners enjoying their meals.

Have you ever wondered how reporters go about picking that regular person or business to feature in a news story?  Of course they have contacts, but these are often noted experts in a given field. But what about the woman that clips so many coupons that she spends about $10.00 a month on average for groceries?  Or the teen that volunteers for an after school reading program?  How likely is it that a reporter would have them in their contacts?  Not very.  But there's a great way for regular people and business owners to get this type of exposure by sharing their expertise. It's Help A Reporter Out, or HARO, the source repository that pairs over 30,000 members of the media with sources just like you.

Here's HARO founder Peter Shankman with a quick overview:



You can register for free, and receive three media opportunities a day delivered to your inbox.  There are other packages that offer more, but these costs.

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