With the existence of fabulous (free!) media lead services such as HARO and Pitchrate and paid services such as Profnet, there are plenty of opportunities to find out what reporters are covering - increasing the chances of getting coverage for your business in fabulous national and local outlets.

As a member of the media, I use HARO when I need products to take on television for various news segments. On any given query, I get about 500+ responses. Of those responses, I see the following issues:

• Responders don’t follow instructions in the query
• Responders copy/paste a press release, but don’t explain why the product would be good for my particular segment
• Responders pitch “experts” for a segment in which I am already serving as an expert, and when I clearly asked for products
• Responders pitch products with no visual (example – online-based items with no physical product can be used, but I need to know if there will be a sign to use in the segment,  B-roll or screen captures provided)

When responding to a query, keep the following tips in mind to increase your chances of getting that placement!

• Follow the instructions in the query. Read it carefully and pay attention to items such as geographic location, subject line, and deadline.
• Respond quickly. Once a query goes live the contact is inundated immediately with responses. If they are on deadline, chances are they will fill the request quickly. Make it a point to check your morning, afternoon and evening HARO’s as they come to your inbox so you don’t miss out.
• When a query is looking for experts to provide advice, offer a few tips along with your response so the reporter has an idea of what you can offer. For example, if the query is looking for tips on slimming your figure with clothing, offer 2-3 tips on how you can look slimmer through your style.
• Keep your responses short and interesting. Reporters are very busy, so it’s important to grab them in the first few sentences and keep your total response to 2-3 short paragraphs.
• Subject lines are often a topic of debate. Many queries provide what they want in the subject line, so you don’t even have to worry about thinking up something clever! Since the reporter is actually seeking expertise or a product/service and wants responses, I personally use the query title as my subject line – example: HARO: Dressing Slim in the Summer. Some reporters have multiple queries for multiple stories, so this helps them know instantly which you are responding to.
• Queries are not the time to follow-up with endless calls and emails to reporters. If you haven’t heard back from them after sending your pitch, then they have already received what they need for the story.
• Your contact information included in your pitch should be where they can reach you instantly. A mobile number and email that you access regularly work best.

Good luck and happy pitching!