Peter Shankman, founder of HARO
Web 2.0 has made journalism a lot more transparent. (Read Monday’s installment of A Fresh, Ferocious Wave about Transparent Journalism.) Readers can now watch a story develop and are invited into the process.
Technology also makes finding quality sources easier for journalists. Services like HelpaReporterOut.com let journalists post queries describing what kind of sources they need and by when. Sources then respond directly to journalists that they think they can help. The service is undoubtedly convenient, but is the quality of source information or anything else lost in the process?
A Fresh, Ferocious Wave talked with HARO Founder Peter Shankman to find out.
How has interviewing changed today for journalists and what role has HARO played in this change?
Journalists are being asked to do 10 times more with five times less. The Internet has played a huge part in how journalists find sources, and HARO has taken it to the next level, really making it easy for them.
What was your vision for HARO and has that changed as HARO has evolved?
I thought HARO would be for PR people only. Now, they make up the smallest percentage of our audience. HARO has really become a way for small and large businesses around the world to get their stories to reporters, both through answering queries, and through taking out the ad on each HARO edition.
How does not having to go out and look for sources and make connections impact the info/insights journalists get?
It saves them a ton of time, for one, and lets them be more in-depth in their reporting. It also helps them find sources they may never have known about previously.
Is anything—depth of interview, familiarity with sources, quality of info—sacrificed because of HARO?
I don’t think so. It’s still up to the reporter to do their job, vet their sources and get the highest quality reporting on the page.
What does the HARO of the future look like? Where do you want to take it next?
I want to keep growing it. HARO has reached 135,000 sources and about 50,000 journalists. We’ve got a long, long way to go.
What can be learned, if anything, by other media companies from your business model?
Create something of value for an audience, and the audience will come, and appreciate you for it.
Where are the areas you would like to see HARO improve?
I’d love it if sources pledged to the five rules of HARO
(pitching on topic, etc.) before pitching.
