HARO link building strategies offer a vital pathway to establishing your brand’s presence and authority in today’s competitive digital landscape
Listen: Whether you’re an established business owner looking to increase your brand awareness or a start up owner vying for attention, you need a perfect marketing system that is long term. One of such systems that has been used over the years is HARO link building.
In this post, Im here to give you the 10 HARO Link building strategies that you need to have a competitive edge in your industry.
But in my previous post, I discused the complete HARO Link Building Guide.
Let’s get started now.
A perfect HARO link building strategy can help you convey your expertise, improve your SEO and build brand awareness.
What is HARO and how does it work?
HARO stands for Help a Reporter Out. Its a platform that connects reporter and journalists to expert sources. In fact, its the most popular digital PR platform out there.
It was founded in 2008 and has dominated the PR industry but today, there are so many alternatives to HARO. Some of them include JustReachOut, Muck Rack, SourceBottle, Qwoted, OnePitch etc.
Check Out this Video to learn how HARO works.
HARO Link Building Strategies and Tactics
1. Check the Domain Rating of the Media Outlet
According to Ahrefs, the domain rating shows the strength of the backlink profile of a website compared to others. Its very important to check the domain rating of the media outlet since the higher the domain rating, the more likely you’re to rank above your competitors.
You can easily check the domain rating on Ahrefs for free.
2. Respond to Only Relevant Queries
My sencond HARO link building strategy is to respond to only relevant queries from journalist. Journalists post a lot of queries daily on HARO but don’t be tempted to respond to all of them. Respond to those for whom you have the expertise to do so.
This increases your chances of getting featured in top publications. Look, responding to only relevant queries is one of the best HARO link building strategies.
Don’t Follow up Until You Get a Response
Journalists are always busy writing stories for media outlets. If you don’t get a response after a couple of days, there is no need to follow up. If you keep bordering them, it shows that you responded to their queries with the sole purpose of earning backlinks, which can hurt your future pitch.
Related: 13+ Q&A for HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
Don’t Expect to be Successful with Every Pitch
Hey, the success rate of HARO is between 5-10%. Some of the best HARO link building agencies go past 10%. You have to follow the best practices to write a successful HARO pitch.
If you consistently respond to HARO queries using these tactics, you’ll probably get featured by some publications.
Respond Within 45 Minutes
Do you know that fast and quality responses win HARO links? Journalist don’t have the time to read the 100th pitch. To prevent your pitch from being ignored, be the first to pitch and make it relevant and concise enough to be quotable.
Show Your Expertise
The truth is: This HARO link building tactics cannot be overstated. Make it clear to journalists and reporters that you are the best source for their query by stating your credentials and your expertise clearly in your pitch.
Personalize Your Pitch
Try as much as possible to personalise your pitch. The fact is that sending generic pitches is the easiest way to quit using HARO for link building since you won’t get the desired result.
Personalizing your pitch tells journalists that you’ve your time to read and respond to their query. This increases your chances of your pitch being considered.
Be Insightful
Offering unique insight on a topic makes your pitch unique and standout. Make your pitch compelling by supporting it with data for it to be seen valuable by journalists.
Proofread Your Pitch
Take the time to read your pitch over and over again to ensure that it’s free from grammar errors and typos. Proofreading your pitch tells journalist your level of attention to detail.
Sign up for Google Alert
Google Alert helps you constantly monitor the web for brand mentions. When you set up Google Alert, you’ll receive a notification each time you acquire HARO link through brand mentions.
With that said, set up your Google Alert with this guide.
Final Thought
By following these HARO link building strategies, you can increase your chances of beating the 5-10% success rate and earning backlinks from top publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, etc.
My only question is: Have you ever pitch a journalist using the HARO platform? What was the result?
Tell me in the comment below right now.