If you have done much reading on back link acquisition, you’ve probably heard the recommendation to use HARO.
This is three times daily email subscription you can signup for where pitches are sent out from different media organizations and blogs – many of which are very large publications.
I tried using it quite some time ago, and I found little to no success. However, after reading different tips from people, I decided to give it another go – and this time, I have had a lot more success.
I have been consistently reading the emails and responding to pitches for about two months now, and I think I’ve accumulated about 15-20 backlinks/quotes – some from pretty large websites like Forbes and Romper.
There’s actually a contributor at Romper who has come to me directly with her new assignments!
A few tips for having success:
- Only respond to pitches that you actually have experience with AND that have to do with your niche and what you post about.
- Respond quickly – I make it a point to open HARO emails and respond right away if there’s something relevant. The early bird catches the worm. You can always try and respond days later, but in my experience, the quicker I respond, the more likely I am to be chosen.
- Make the title of your email response the title of their pitch
- Address them by name and get quickly to the point – within the first sentence I tell them who I am, my credentials, and why I can provide valuable insight on the topic. Include a clickable link to your site in the first paragraph
- Get right to the point and to respond to their pitch.
- Respond to any specific questions they have with responses that can easily be used in a publication. Make them succinct, helpful and to the point.
- When you send your email, include the link to your site again. I don’t use social media so they don’t accidentally use that.
- Respond to follow up questions right away
- Create a Google drive folder with your headshot, bio, and social media links.
- Specify that you are looking for a do-follow backlink
- Don’t get discouraged! It can take time to figure out how it all works, but I’ve seen great success. Don’t feel like you have to be a complete and total expert on topics to respond. You should have some experience – and sometimes they want a specific type of person or profession.
But I have seen SO many pitches for SO many different topics – food, travel, health, crafts, parenting, education. I don’t think there’s a niche I haven’t seen included.
Most of the time you won’t get a response but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to include you. Sometimes the link shows up quite a while later.
Most pitches won’t be relevant to you – but there will be more than you think. If they send you the link, and it’s relevant to your audience (which it should be!), share it with them and tag the person or organization.