How to pitch reporters on "Help a Reporter Out”

A list of dos and don’ts for PR pros contacting journalists on Peter Shankman’s free service

Forget the days when journalists called you for stories and waited for you to call them back.

Thanks to Help a Reporter Out (HARO), journalists now have the resources they need at their fingertips. Created by Peter Shankman, this free Web site provides reporters with access to more than 50,000 PR pros representing a wide range of clients.

After sending out an e-mail inquiry, reporters receive responses from PR reps offering information and experts who can’t wait to be their number-one source. For 21st century journalists, beggars can be choosers.

But how do journalists choose? And if you’re a PR rep, how can you make sure your pitch gets noticed?

Here’s what you should know about responding to a journalist’s inquiry, according to HARO experts:

Do: Read the query carefully

This is the number-one tip offered by our sources.