Editorial Team Most non-profits do great work but struggle to get media attention. It’s a common problem. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a solid, free tool for getting your organization quoted in articles, which amplifies your message and gets you in front of new audiences. But how do you actually use it to land press consistently?
Key Takeaways
- You can register as a source on HARO in less than five minutes and immediately start getting daily media queries.
- Using keyword filters for terms like “non-profit,” “charity,” or your specific cause can slash your email volume by up to 70%, letting you focus on what matters.
- Your pitch has to be short and direct, around 150-200 words, giving the reporter expert insight that answers their exact question.
- Including high-resolution photos and specific data, like a statistic from your latest impact report, makes your pitch about 25% more likely to be chosen.
- Sending one polite follow-up email 48-72 hours after your pitch can sometimes flip a missed chance into a successful media mention.
1. Register Your NPO as a Source on HARO
First thing’s first: you need to get your NPO properly set up on the HARO platform. The point is to make your profile as relevant as possible for reporters. Head to the HARO website and click “I’m a Source.” The sign-up is quick, just asking for your name, email, and a bit about your expertise. For a non-profit, your expertise *is* your mission, the people you serve and the problems you solve. So if you run a youth literacy NPO, your expertise could be “youth education, literacy programs, community development.”
After you register, HARO will start sending you emails with journalist queries, usually three times a day. That firehose of emails feels like a lot at first, but we’ll get that under control in the next step.
Pro Tip: Optimize Your Profile Keywords
When HARO asks for your “Industry,” pick the closest fit. The more important field is “Expertise.” This is where you need to be very specific with keywords a journalist might actually use. Think beyond a generic term. Instead of just “non-profit,” use phrases like “homelessness advocacy,” “environmental conservation,” “veteran support services,” or “food insecurity solutions.” That kind of precision helps the system send you better-matched queries.
Common Mistake: Vague Expertise Description
A huge mistake I see is a general expertise description like “we help people.” That tells a reporter absolutely nothing specific about why they should quote you. Be precise. Clarity is what gets you the right opportunities.
“In the end, marketing automation issues are rarely tool problems. They are most often caused by unclear strategy, bad data, siloed tools, and weak team alignment.”
2. Configure Your HARO Email Preferences for Relevance
Getting hundreds of queries that have nothing to do with your work is the fastest way to give up on HARO. If you want to stick with it, you have to filter what comes into your inbox. After you’re registered, go into your account settings and find the “Subscriptions” or “Preferences” area. This is where you can choose the categories that actually fit your NPO’s mission. For an environmental group, you’d select “Environment,” “Green Business,” and “Science.”
On top of categories, you can use keyword filters to only see queries that contain specific words. If you’re a mental health non-profit, you could add keywords like “mental health,” “wellness,” “therapy,” or “community support.” You can also add negative keywords to block out terms that are always irrelevant. This cuts out the junk and helps you spot genuinely good leads right away.
Pro Tip: Test and Refine Your Filters Quarterly
The news cycle changes fast, and so do the topics reporters are covering. What was a hot topic six months ago might be old news today. I make it a point to review my HARO filters every quarter, adding new keywords based on what’s happening in the world or new projects my clients are launching, while also removing filters that just bring in noise. This keeps your inbox full of actual opportunities, not spam.
Common Mistake: Neglecting Filter Configuration
So many NPOs sign up and just let the default firehose of emails hit their inbox. This always leads to burnout, and good opportunities get buried in the mess. Taking just 15 minutes to set up your filters will save you hours of pointless sifting every single week.
3. Identify Relevant Queries Swiftly
With your filters working, you’ll have a much more focused list of HARO emails. The next skill is learning to scan them quickly to find the queries that are a perfect fit. I always scan the subject lines first, as they give a quick summary. Look for the keywords you know are in your wheelhouse.
When a subject line looks promising, read the whole query. Pay close attention to exactly what the reporter needs: what type of expert are they looking for and what’s their deadline? Sometimes a query looks good at first glance, but the reporter is actually after a different angle. For instance, a query on “child development” might sound perfect for your after-school program, but if the text specifies they need a pediatrician, pitching them is a waste of everyone’s time.
Pro Tip: Prioritize Queries with Shorter Deadlines (Strategically)
Queries with a 24-hour deadline usually get fewer responses because most people can’t turn a good pitch around that fast. If you can react quickly with a high-quality response, your odds of getting picked go up. But don’t ever sacrifice quality for speed. A great pitch sent a little later is always better than a rushed, sloppy one.
Common Mistake: Responding to Every Tangentially Related Query
It’s tempting to throw your hat in the ring for anything that seems vaguely related to your work. Don’t do it. Reporters can spot a forced pitch a mile away. You’ll just get a reputation for not reading the instructions. Put your energy into the queries where your NPO can offer real, specific insight.
4. Craft a Compelling and Concise Pitch
This is the part that matters most. A great pitch is a direct, helpful answer to the reporter’s question, almost like a mini-consultation. It is not a press release. Here’s how I structure mine:
- Start with a clear, direct answer: Get right to it. If the reporter asks for “three tips for managing donor fatigue,” your first sentence should be something like, “Here are three effective strategies we use to combat donor fatigue…” Don’t make them hunt for the answer.
- Highlight your NPO’s specific expertise: Briefly say why you’re the right person to answer this. Mention your experience or unique data. For example: “As an organization that’s run food banks in urban centers for 15 years, we’ve seen this trend firsthand.”
- Provide actionable insights or data: Reporters need specifics. Give them real examples, statistics, or quick case studies from your NPO’s work. If you have an Nielsen report that supports what you’re saying, mention it.
- Keep it concise: Stick to 150-200 words. These reporters are buried in pitches. Be quick and to the point.
- Include a call to action: End by offering to provide more details or jump on a quick call. Always include your name, title, NPO name, and direct contact info (phone and email).
For example, if a reporter needs a source on how inflation is affecting food banks, your pitch should include data from your own NPO’s rising costs or the increased number of clients you’ve seen in the last year. According to a HubSpot report on media relations, this kind of specific, relevant data gives your pitch a much higher chance of success.
Pro Tip: Prepare a Media Kit Snippet
Have a short, pre-written paragraph about your NPO’s mission and a few key stats (like “served 10,000 individuals last year”) ready to copy and paste. Also include a link to your “About Us” page. This saves a ton of time and keeps your messaging consistent.
Common Mistake: Sending a Generic Press Release
Reporters on HARO are not looking for your latest event announcement. They need direct answers and expert quotes for the story they’re writing right now. Every pitch must be tailored to the specific query.
Tailor every pitch to the specific query.
5. Provide High-Quality Supporting Materials
A good pitch gets even better if you have materials ready to go the moment a reporter expresses interest. Be prepared to immediately send over:
- High-resolution images: This means professional photos of your team, your work in action, or your executives. Make sure you have the rights to share them for publication.
- Relevant data or reports: If your NPO publishes impact reports or collects its own data, offer to share a key finding or the full report.
- Short bio of the NPO spokesperson: Just 2-3 sentences explaining who they are and why their expertise is relevant to the reporter’s topic.
- Video clips: Sometimes a short video clip can be powerful (like a quick program explanation). Just send a link to where it’s hosted. Never attach a large video file.
The more you act like a professional source who understands what a journalist needs, the more likely they are to work with you. It shows you know how the media game is played.
Pro Tip: Create a Dedicated “Media Assets” Folder
Do yourself a huge favor: create a “Media Assets” folder in a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox. Put your logos, headshots, spokesperson bios, and key fact sheets in it. When a reporter asks for something, you can just share a link instead of scrambling for 20 minutes to find a file.
Common Mistake: Sending Low-Quality or Irrelevant Assets
Don’t send a blurry iPhone photo or a 50-page annual report when the reporter asked for one statistic. Give them only what they need, and make sure it’s professional quality.
6. Follow Up Appropriately
You’ll send a lot of pitches into the void and hear nothing back. That’s normal for HARO. But sometimes, a single, polite follow-up can make all the difference. Wait at least 48 to 72 hours after sending your pitch. If the deadline hasn’t passed and you’ve heard crickets, send one brief follow-up email.
Keep it super short. Something like: “Hi [Reporter Name], just wanted to politely follow up on my pitch regarding [query topic] sent on [date]. Happy to provide any more info if you need it. Thanks, [Your Name].”
Do not send more than one follow-up. Do not call them unless they ask you to. Being too aggressive is a great way to get blacklisted. Reporters are slammed. If you don’t hear back after that one check-in, just move on.
Pro Tip: Track Your Pitches
You absolutely have to track your pitches in a simple spreadsheet. I use columns for the query topic, date sent, reporter name, outlet, and whether I followed up. How else are you going to see what’s working and what’s not over time? It also prevents you from accidentally pitching the same reporter on a similar topic twice in one week.
Common Mistake: Excessive or No Follow-Up
Hounding a reporter is just as bad as never following up at all. Both approaches are ineffective. The sweet spot is a single, well-timed, polite email. That’s it.
Getting earned media from HARO is a long game that rewards consistency and precision. By focusing on what reporters actually need, NPOs can definitely use HARO to get valuable media coverage, build awareness for their cause, and grow their impact. Many also find that this kind of public validation helps build their NPO awards strategy for even more recognition.
How often should an NPO check HARO queries?
Check the emails at least once a day. They come out three times daily (Monday-Friday), and the best opportunities often have tight deadlines, so scanning them soon after they arrive is a good habit. To make it manageable, have one person on your team own this task and check at set times.
What types of NPOs are most successful on HARO?
The ones that do best have a specific niche and can back up their claims with data or real-world experience. If your organization addresses current events, social issues, health trends, economic problems, you’ll find a lot of relevant queries. A non-profit focused on elder care, for example, can jump on stories about aging populations or healthcare policy.
Can HARO help with fundraising for NPOs?
It’s an indirect benefit, not a direct one. Getting your NPO’s name and work featured in a respected publication builds serious credibility and public awareness. That trust, built over time through media mentions, makes it much easier to attract new donors, volunteers, and grant opportunities because it proves you’re making an impact.
Is HARO free for NPOs?
Yes. The basic service is 100% free for sources and it’s all you really need to get started and land media mentions. They offer paid tiers with more features, but for most non-profits, the free version is more than enough.
What if a reporter doesn’t credit my NPO after using my pitch?
It’s rare, but it can happen. If you see your information used without a credit to your NPO, just send a polite email to the reporter. Reference your original pitch and the part of the article where your info appears, and ask if they would consider adding an attribution. Most journalists are happy to correct it, since proper attribution is standard practice.
