In business today, backlinks are everything. If you are unfamiliar with the term “backlink” then it refers to a hyperlink inserted in an article posted on a blog or media website that links back to your website. Backlinks can be an extremely effective way of building exposure for your business.

Unfortunately, most businesses have no idea where they are supposed to get backlinks. HARO, formally Help a Reporter Out, is an email service that connects journalists and industry experts, helping the latter to get backlinks and information spread online about their businesses.

This post will tell you how you can use HARO to grow your business.

Showcasing Expertise

In the articles that you pitch to journalists, you can showcase your expertise and make yourself look like an industry authority. Being featured in articles published in major media outlets or large blogs can be great for your image. Building a positive image for yourself is of course a very important part of achieving success in business. Until you have a positive image it’ll be hard for you to secure customers. Nobody is going to want to do business with an organization or individual that does not have a good reputation. Make sure in your pitches that you tell journalists as much about yourself as you can and be sure to include information about your achievements and accomplishments.

Different Media Sites

Signing up for HARO’s service means you will have a chance to communicate with representatives of some of the world’s leading media journals. Of course, there are representatives from smaller agencies like Huffington Post, too. The vast number of journalists using HARO’s service means you have more of an opportunity to spread the word about your business on different media sites. You can also have articles written about you posted on major blog sites as well, allowing you to target your business’s audience more effectively.

Backlinks, Backlinks, Backlinks

As mentioned in the introduction to this post, the main reason that people use HARO is to obtain backlinks for their business. Backlinks are an extremely effective way of building exposure and getting one’s business’s name out there. Make sure that the backlinks you do get, link directly back to your website’s homepage or articles on it. Be very clear when you are talking to journalists that get in touch with you that you want your site’s backlink to be a prominent feature in the article so that you can gain as much exposure as possible.

Creating Effective Pitches

The volume of emails you receive from HARO may be overwhelming. However, just because you are receiving lots of emails does not for a second mean you are going to effectively get results. To get results you need to then respond to these emails with pitches. Your pitches should feature the most important information in their first paragraph and their title, so they capture the recipients’ attention. Professional journalists form their pitches this way and so should you. Ensure that within your emails you talk about your expertise and experience, too.

Responding to Journalists

Bear in mind there are millions of people subscribed to HARO’s service. If you do not respond quickly to inquiries that are sent to you then somebody else will. The moment an email hits your inbox, begin formulating a pitch. By responding to journalists quickly you will be able to get more results and achieve greater exposure. Do not rush your pitches though. At first, creating pitches will be difficult and may take you a while but after you have sent a few and have done research elsewhere, you will become more of a pro at sending them.

Remaining Consistent

Using HARO’s service is pretty straightforward and doesn’t require a lot of practice. However, you do still need to remain consistent. You won’t get anywhere without consistency in life. Marketing is by no means easy. Building exposure for one’s business is something that can take years, even decades. Until you understand the importance of consistency it’s unlikely that your business will achieve financial independence and success. Be sure to remain consistent and continue to respond to journalists, send pitches and check your email inbox every few hours for new responses.

HARO is a service that can benefit businesses in a multitude of different ways. HARO’s main benefit is that it helps businesses gain exposure. If you are running a business and want to achieve greater exposure it is something you should look into using.