Reporters Not Responding to You? Here’s Why

Guest post by Lizzy Shaw

You’ve been submitting like mad to leads you get from free media pitch aggregating services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out), Pitch Rate, Reporter Connection, etc. – but no one’s picking up your story or using you as a source. How come?

One thing to keep in mind is that these services have rules; it’s important to obey them, so make sure your submissions are in line with these – if they’re not, you won’t get a response. Also, these inquiries can elicit HUNDREDS of responses, so it’s hard to stand out.

To help you get a better response, I checked with a few journalist pals to find out the most common things that stop them from using you.

Here’s what they told me:

1. You buried the lead: Your email had great info, but took too long to get to the meat or was in a format that was confusing. Good formats for information include: a list of the reporter’s questions and your answers; bullet-pointed answers; more details at the bottom of the email in case the reporter wants more information – but put the most relevant info right up top.

2. Typos!!!! Reporters may overlook one or two typos or misspellings, but if there are too many, this stops them in their tracks.

3. No relevant information in your email: Don’t say “contact me for information” – answer the inquiry as instructed. The reporter doesn’t have time for a mystery – they’ll use one of the many responders who provided the relevant info right there in the email.

4. You’re a tease: Don’t give half the story and then tell them to contact you for the rest. Again, the writer doesn’t have time and has gone on to the source who provided all the info they need in the body of the email.

5. No contact information: You pitched a great story or product but didn’t include all your contact info (full name, company name, city, state/country, phone, email, website) – don’t make the reporter have to work hard to get back to you or speak to you.

6. Too late: HARO blocks late responses, but it’s your job to look at the inquiry’s deadline and respond in time. Again, many inquiries can elicit hundreds of responses; you want to be on time and at the top of the list.

7. Attachments: Don’t send your response as an attachment, and don’t attach high-resolution images or documents. Attachments can cause your email to get sent to a spam folder, and most HARO requests ask for no attachments. Make sure your pitch is in the body of the email; you can insert links to images there.

8. Geographically undesirable: Pay attention – if they want the Tri-State Area, they ONLY want the Tri-State Area. Or the reporter wants geographic diversity in their story; or they get too many responses from one city, so if you happen to live there, you may not get picked.

9. Don’t sell! Answer the inquiry – don’t use this opportunity to pitch the reporter about writing a story on your business if it’s not relevant to the inquiry. This can irritate the journalist and/or get you kicked off HARO.

10. Same old, Same old: You answered the inquiry, but there was nothing interesting or unique enough about your pitch, product or service to warrant using you for the story. Make sure you have a good hook when you’re pitching your product, service or business.

Lizzy Shaw is the founder of Lizzy Shaw PR. Her firm is dedicated to providing innovative and effective PR for their clients. In business in Los Angeles since 2001, LSPR’s past and present clients get and have gotten unparalleled press coverage across the US and around the world in print, online, in film, on television and on radio.