Automate Your HARO Link Building with ChatGPT

Attention fellow digital marketers! I’ve discovered an exciting new hack that can help automate outreach through HARO in record time.

I recently found out how to integrate ChatGPT, the viral AI chatbot, with HARO to seamlessly generate tailored pitches. This brilliant bot can instantly produce personalised emails responding to HARO media queries as if they were hand-crafted by a PR professional!

So get ready to optimise your workflow. I’m about to explain how this time-saving integration will accelerate your outreach while giving you back precious time in your day. Let’s harness the power of AI to take your PR game to the next level!

No more wasting hours on manual busywork. By combining ChatGPT and HARO, you can scale custom pitches faster than ever before. Read on to learn how to integrate this outreach automation super-combo!

For those not familiar with HARO (Help a Reporter Out), it’s an online platform that connects journalists with expert sources for their stories. As an expert source, you can respond to media queries and pitch yourself as an interviewee. It’s a great way to earn quality backlinks and coverage for your business.

But responding to queries can be time consuming. That’s where ChatGPT comes in handy! ChatGPT is an AI tool from OpenAI that can generate natural sounding text. I decided to use it to automate writing pitches in response to HARO media queries.

The idea is that ChatGPT takes the media query details and crafts an initial pitch for me. I then review, edit and finalise the pitch before sending it off to the reporter. It saves me tons of time coming up with pitches from scratch!

In this article, I’ll walk through step-by-step how I set this up. I’ll share tips on optimising ChatGPT prompts to get great results. I’ll also discuss some cautions around overusing AI for outreach.

So if you’re keen to automate your PR game with HARO and ChatGPT, stick around as I dive into the details. It’s a real beaut of a hack for busy digital marketers and PR pros in Australia and beyond!

How ChatGPT can be integrated with HARO to automate PR outreach

ChatGPT, the viral AI chatbot from OpenAI, offers exciting opportunities to automate parts of the PR outreach process when integrated with HARO.

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a platform where journalists post queries for stories they are writing, and PR pros pitch themselves as sources. Responding quickly and personally to HARO queries is key for scoring media placements.

This is where ChatGPT comes in. Its natural language capabilities make it easy to generate customised pitches for HARO queries in seconds. The AI can intake the details from a reporter’s query and instantly draft a personalised pitch highlighting your expertise.

The process would work like this:

Set up alerts for HARO queries in your niche using email, browser extensions, Zapier, etc.
When a relevant query comes in, copy the key details into a ChatGPT prompt.
Customise the prompt to include your background, company, credentials for the story topic, and any pitch guidelines.
ChatGPT will instantly generate a custom pitch you can tweak slightly and send to the reporter.
Continue optimising your prompts over time as you see results.

The potential time savings are massive. No more scrambling to manually write last minute pitches. By integrating ChatGPT, you can respond faster at scale with personalised outreach.

It does require oversight and testing to get the AI prompts just right. But once optimised, ChatGPT and HARO make for an unbeatable PR outreach combo.

Step-by-Step Setup

Integrating ChatGPT into your HARO workflow takes just a few simple steps:

Sign up for a HARO account to access queries.
Create a ChatGPT account to generate content.
Set up notifications for new HARO queries in your topics.
When a relevant query arrives, copy/paste key details into ChatGPT.
Give ChatGPT a prompt to write a pitch, customising with your expertise, company info, etc.
Review & refine the AI-generated pitch if needed.
Send the completed pitch to the reporter.
Save successful prompts to streamline future pitches.
Use tools like Zapier to automate parts of the process.
Track results over time and continue optimising prompts.

The key is crafting an effective ChatGPT prompt that produces high-quality pitches tailored to each query. It may take some fine-tuning to get it right.

Start small and grow your automation over time. With the right prompt guidance, ChatGPT can deliver excellent HARO pitches quickly and at scale.

Getting Started with HARO

Getting started with HARO is a breeze. Just head to their website and sign up for a free account. You’ll need to create a profile that highlights your expertise, experience, and any media coverage you’ve earned.

When filling out your profile, be sure to include keywords and topics that reporters would search for. This helps ensure your profile shows up when reporters look for sources. For example, as a digital marketer, I included keywords like:

Digital marketing
Social media marketing
Content marketing
Search engine optimisation
Online advertising

You can also select preferences for the types of media queries you want to receive. So I focused on marketing, business, and technology categories.

Once your profile is good to go, you’ll start receiving email digests of media queries that match your expertise. They also have handy browser extensions that show queries right on your desktop.

The queries provide background details on the stories reporters are working on along with deadlines and contact information. It’s then up to you to craft a compelling pitch and send it off to the reporter.

Some key features of HARO:

Customised email digests based on your preferences
Browser extensions for easy access
Ability to respond to queries directly or pitch other ideas
Dashboard to track your pitches and responses
Metrics on click rates for your profile

HARO makes it super simple to get started responding to media queries. You don’t need any fancy PR software or tools. All you need is a HARO account!

Now let’s look at how ChatGPT helps take those pitches to the next level.

Integrating ChatGPT

First step was to sign up for an API key from OpenAI. This allows you to connect and call the ChatGPT API from other apps and services.

The sign up process was quick and free. I simply provided some basic info and was issued a key within minutes. Just be sure to keep this key private!

Next, I needed to create a prompt to feed into ChatGPT to get it generating pitches. This took a bit of trial and error to perfect. But here’s what’s worked well for me:

“Write a two paragraph professional pitch email responding to this HARO media query: [insert query details]. Focus the pitch on my expertise in [insert expertise]. Include a persuasive call-to-action for the reporter to contact me.”

I can then take the media query details from HARO and plug them right into the prompt along with my areas of expertise.

Finally, I set up a simple process to send the prompt to ChatGPT, get the generated text back, review and edit it, and then send off the pitch.

I use Zapier to automate sending the prompt and getting the response back from ChatGPT. This saves me from manually copy/pasting.

The hardest part was getting the phrasing of the prompt down. But now that it’s dialled in, I’m pumping out tailored pitches with barely any effort! ChatGPT has been a total game-changer for my HARO workflow.

Now let’s talk about how to take this automation to the next level.

Automating Outreach

Taking my ChatGPT integration to the next level involved setting up an automated process to scan HARO, generate pitches, and track outreach – all on autopilot.

Here are the steps I took to automate:

Scan HARO Daily for Relevant Queries
I set up a Zapier zap to check my HARO account for new queries matching my preferences and save any relevant ones to a Google Sheet. This automated search runs daily so I never miss an opportunity.
Use GPT to Draft Customised Pitches
For each new query, the Zapier zap sends the details to ChatGPT to generate a tailored pitch. The pitch text gets added to my Google Sheet.
Review, Edit and Send Pitches
I review each pitch, make minor edits if needed, and send it off to the reporter. This part still requires human review but takes just a few minutes daily.
Track Outreach in Spreadsheet

The Google Sheet tracks all my HARO queries, pitches, and outreach details like date sent and any response received. This helps me stay organised and follow up appropriately.

Automating this workflow with Zapier and ChatGPT has been a massive time saver! I’m able to respond to way more HARO queries without burning hours crafting custom emails.

The time savings let me focus on other high-value marketing tasks while still maximising media opportunities from HARO. Automation for the win!

Now let’s discuss some best practices for optimising your pitches.

Tips for Optimisation

Refining GPT Prompt for Best Pitch Results

Getting your ChatGPT prompt just right is crucial for generating great pitches quickly. Here are some tips:

Include reporter name, media outlet, story details – Personalising the pitch makes it more relevant.
Specify your expertise area to focus pitches – This helps ChatGPT highlight your credentials.
Give word count or length guidance – Providing a pitch length, like 2 paragraphs, improves results.
Provide examples of strong pitches – Giving a sample pitch helps ChatGPT mimic the style.
Refine phrasing through trial and error – It takes experimentation to get the phrasing dialled in.

Setting Up Notifications for New Queries

To respond quickly, set up alerts when new HARO queries match your preferences:

Browser extension notifications – Get notified right on your desktop as queries are posted.
Text/email alerts from Zapier – Automated texts or emails on new matching queries.
Mobile push notifications – Enable alerts on your phone for timely responses.
Schedule time to check HARO daily – Even 15 min a day can be enough to respond to most queries.

Following Up with Reporters

Being proactive with your follow ups can boost responses:

If no reply in 2 days, send a short follow up – A gentle nudge could have gotten lost in their inbox.
Offer to provide more detail or answer questions – Make it easy for them to take you up on your pitch.
Resend previous pitch with new subject line – Resurface your previous email so they see it again.
When they do reply, respond promptly – Reporters are on tight deadlines so move quickly.

A/B Testing Different Prompts

Try variations of your ChatGPT prompt to improve results:

Test different expertise focusing – Emphasise different credentials to appeal to different reporters.
Vary word count and pitch length – Some prefer short pitches, others want more details.
Experiment with tone and style – Try formal, conversational, quirky, etc.
See if first vs. third person works better – First person can build a stronger connection.
Monitor click and response rates – Track metrics to see which variations perform best.

Keep optimising your prompt and workflow to maximise HARO opportunities!

Automating HARO outreach with ChatGPT has yielded significant benefits:

Faster response time to queries
Increased number of personalised pitches sent
Reduced manual time spent crafting emails
Ability to scale media outreach efforts
Overall boost in media exposure opportunities

Caution About Overuse of AI for Outreach

While the time savings are immense, over-relying on AI for all communication can be risky:
Generic pitches may damage rapport with reporters
AI cannot respond to specific follow-up questions
There is still value in custom crafting some outreach
Use AI as a tool, but human oversight is still needed

Invitation to Try Automating with ChatGPT and HARO

If you utilise HARO for media relations, give ChatGPT a try for automating parts of your workflow. Start small with a few queries and refine as you go.

The combination of AI and HARO can expand your outreach at scale, landing placements that showcase your expertise. Just be thoughtful to find the right balance for your needs.

I hope these tips help you maximise media opportunities and boost coverage! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.