Pitching a HARO reporter can be challenging. Founded in 2008 by Peter Shankman, HARO (Help a Reporter Out), is now one of the fastest-growing social media services in North America. HARO brings nearly 30,000 reporters and bloggers, over 100,000 news sources and thousands of small businesses together to tell their stories, promote their brands and sell their products and services.

I recently “attended” a conference call hosted by Peter Shankman about how to pitch a HARO reporter. Joining Peter with insight were big-time members of the media: Sarah Needleman, a WSJ small biz reporter, Barbara De Lollis with USA Today, Hilary Potkewitz at Crain’s New York Business and David Moye with AOL weird news.

When crafting the perfect pitch, they suggest using these do’s and don’ts:

When is the best or worst time to pitch?

It all depends on the reporter’s schedule. “If it’s a good pitch, it’s always a good time,” said Moye. Most prefer email pitches so they can look at it in their free time and process the information.

Do journalists like to receive phone calls?

“Emails are always safer because they are easy-to-read and convenient,” said Moye. Sometimes emails get lost, so always follow-up.. However, be cautious of the deadline.

What guarantees a journalist will open the email?

• A good subject line – Don’t put “press release” or “quick question” in the subject line, and don’t be generic. Do not send mass emails –Always tailor each pitch to the specific reporter. The best subject line is short and sweet, but catchy and clever.

• The email – Know your reporter’s reader! If the reporter opens the email, they can tell after the first sentence whether to keep or toss the pitch. Creativity and relevance are very important. The word “exclusive” is fine, but overusing it will get you ignored—and if it’s not an exclusive, you will lose reporters’ trust and never get your email opened again.

Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind when you’re pitching, and common mistakes to avoid:

Pitching Tips

• Awards are not newsworthy in most cases – unless they lead to something bigger.
• Adding a link to your client’s website can help the journalist get more information without doing a lot of searching.
• NEVER just send a link by itself – explain the pitch. Saying, “You have to see it in order to understand it,” is not acceptable. If you can’t explain it to them, then they can’t explain it to their readers.
• Use bullet points, it helps the reporter read quickly without missing anything.

Remember KISS – Keep It Short and Sweet. The pitch should be no more than three paragraphs. Be sure to quickly explain what you are pitching and why it works for that specific outlet. Reporters want the pitch you’d tell your friends.

PR Pitching Mistakes

• Pitching off topic – Know what and who you are pitching!
• Not knowing the reporter’s audience
• Misspelling the reporter’s name
• Making false claims or making a reporter dig for information
• Setting unrealistic expectations – An example, “this is the perfect person for your column.”Stay humble.

The number one mistake PR people make when pitching: Trying to make your client the news. It’s better to put your client in the news, rather than trying to make the news about them. Tell the reporter how your client can be a part of what’s happening.

Pitching any reporter can be an intimidating process, from beginning to end, research to clicking send; but in the end the feeling you get when a response hits your inbox is immense. Hopefully these tips help the PR community achieve big on their next pitch!

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