Part of my daily ritual here at Beaufort is reviewing the HAROs for the day. HARO, short for Help A Reporter Out, is basically a resource guide for anyone making queries for an article, blog, website, TV show, radio show, you get the gist. Or maybe you don’t. Say I’m a blogger. Say I want to write an article about, I dunno, how rainy Monday mornings can have a substantial effect on the quality of a week’s work. So I pitch my story on HARO, asking for experts on weather, quotes from random employees, and anything else that might directly support my argument. Anyway, sometimes the queries are hilarious, and I figured I would share some with you, because I’m nice like that:
*Need surgeon to verify claims made by horror film* (LA WEEKLY) : A new horror film claims to be “100% medically accurate.” I’d like to show the film to a surgeon and/or gastroenterologist, and have the weigh in on the accuracy. I have a DVD that I could bring to any location in the Los Angeles area. Be forewarned: the film is not explicit, but what it implies is extremely gruesome. This is not an assignment for the easily offended or weak of stomach.
Okay, maybe you didn’t laugh out loud, but I did. I’m that type. When I laugh, I really really laugh. And I think this is very funny! Sometimes the headline alone is enough to make me stop and smile. Usually the pitch is so specific, I just wonder why in the world they are writing such an article and who in the world is going to answer them. And sometimes it’s just downright LOL:
C-Level execs with advice for new managers on dealing with office politics (Nicholas Brealey)
Looking for humorous paperless office stories. (www.productivity501.com)
looking for the biggest Justin Bieber fans in NYC (Anonymous)
How romantic movies influence audiences (Anonymous)
How to Survive Your Plane Being Grounded (Fox News.com)
Does Bread Really Make You Fat? (Examiner.com – National)
Beard and Mustache Competitions (Various magazines)
40 – 50-year-old Carrie Bradshaw types / authors (NYC Nespaper)
50-year-old-ish publicists / “Samantha” from SATC types (NYC Newspaper)
Calling All Curvy Brides To Be (Book)
Need someone to get a Sally Herschberger haircut (LX New York / NBC Local Media)
and my personal favorite…
Seeking Moms with a Crush on Justin Bieber or other embarrasingly young stars (Boston Globe)
Here are some topics I, Rachel Lily, as your blogger would like to pitch. If these topics are something you are able to comment on, or want me to write about, let me know!
-Looking for an umbrella that doesn’t get wet
-Career coach for those right out of college, right out of an internship, right before breakdown
-Seeking a way to get people to actually comment on your blogs
-People who didn’t like Avatar (meeee)
-People who are sick of bridal showers (meeee)
-Fans of BerryBuzz app who are having difficulty with the new upgrade. Or just fans.
-Experts on reality shows to explain why I am obsessed with Top Chef even though I can’t cook and I don’t understand half the things they’re making
-Anyone at all who wants to finish writing my thesis for me. For free.
-Those who agree that sometimes you leave Staples and just want to push a button that says “That was hard”
Let’s pick anything above to discuss for Wednesday. Your votes count!
Gracias,
Rachel Lily