How to Use H.A.R.O for press coverageDo this First!1. Write a brief bio about you and how to reach you. Save it on your desktop or in Evernote.For example -I am Madeline Johnson, a marketing and PR professional based in NYC and I help health & wellness brands grow. I love working with people and products that make us look and feel good. You can read my full bio here ABOUT MADELINE JOHNSONFollow me on Twitter @MarketCouncil and check out my marketing blog at www.themarketcouncil.com.I hope this response helps you with your story. If you want to connect further, the fastest way to reach me is by phone (212) 729-XXXX or send me a Tweet.Then -2. Go to http://www.helpareporter.com/3. Sign up to receive HAROu2019s daily emails and read the rules!4. Follow HARO on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn5. Set your phone reminder to read the emails at 5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. ET6. Take note of these recommendationsRespond within 5-10 minutes to the Query, regardless of the journalists deadline.Read the query TWICE and notice any special requirements before responding.Your subject title should include the journalists query.The email should be BRIEF and include answers to the journalistu2019s questions.Do not send attachments.Pro TipI also like to quickly Google the writer to get a sense of their voice, energy and stories they have recently written.There are some pretty great contacts on HARO from the Wall Street Journal to CNN to the Huffington Post although I do see many of the same writers using the service daily.Additional Rules from the editorial team at HARO -Violating any of the below rules will result in a first time warning, and upon a second violation, being permanently banned from the service. HARO works on mutual trust and support.Do not spam reporters with off-topic pitches in response to their queries.Do not pitch products in your source request reply unless the source request specifically asks for a product.You may forward queries to others via email or social media. As a matter of fact, the HARO team encourages it!Youu2019re not allowed to harvest any reporter information provided in the HARO emails for any reason.Reply to source requests with complete, relevant answers to their questions, include a short bio and your contact information. Do not reply to source requests with incomplete information or solely, u201cWould like to talk to you about this.u201dIf you are replying to a source request on behalf of your client, directly reply with your clientu2019s response. Do not reply solely with u201cMy client can speak about this.u201dDo not include attachments in your reply to a reporter source request. Attachments are automatically stripped from the email in order to protect reporters from viruses.If you have relevant supplemental information or collateral that is helpful to the story, use a service like Dropbox to send links to the reporter in your pitch.u201cAnonymousu201d queries are often larger outlets that choose to anonymize their listing to alleviate spam or deter story poaching. Reply to these queries as detailed above.Media professionals are encouraged to perform additional due diligence prior to pitching.Be excellent to each other.There are more than a half million people using HARO right now.I get a placement about every month. If you get more than that, share your tips.I would love to know how this post helps you, please respond in the comments below or send me a Tweet @marketcouncil