HARO for Accountants: How to Get Media Coverage

HARO, now rebranded as Connectively (connectively.us), is a platform that connects journalists with expert sources. Journalists post requests describing the expertise or insight they need for a piece they are writing; sources respond with relevant commentary; selected responses are published with attribution and, usually, a link to the source's website.

For accountants, Connectively is one of the most accessible routes to earning editorial links from publications that would otherwise be very difficult to appear in. The platform is used by journalists at national newspapers, trade publications, specialist blogs, and business media outlets. Your expertise in tax, business finance, and accounting is in consistent demand across all of these categories.

What Connectively is and how it works

Connectively emerged from HARO (Help A Reporter Out), which was founded in 2008 and acquired by Cision before being rebranded. The core function is unchanged: journalists submit queries describing the type of expert or information they need, and the platform distributes those queries to registered sources via email digests or direct notifications.

As a registered source, you receive digest emails several times a day (or can set up direct alerts for specific categories). Each digest contains a list of journalist queries, each specifying the outlet they write for if they choose to disclose it, the type of expert they are looking for, the topic, and a deadline.

You select the queries relevant to your expertise, write a response directly through the platform, and submit it before the deadline. The journalist reviews responses and contacts sources whose answers they intend to use. If selected, you are quoted in the published piece, typically with your name, firm, credentials, and a link to your website.

The platform operates on a match-and-respond basis: you do not pitch story ideas to journalists, you respond to theirs. This is a significant advantage for accounting firms with limited PR experience, because you do not need to generate news angles or build media relationships from scratch.

Why accountants are well-positioned on Connectively

Finance, business, tax, personal finance, entrepreneurship, and small business categories generate a steady stream of queries where an accountant's perspective is exactly what the journalist needs. These include:

• Tax planning questions (how should self-employed people prepare for January? what can limited company directors do to reduce their tax bill?)
• HMRC process questions (what happens if you file self assessment late? how does a VAT inspection work?)
• Business finance questions (how do small businesses manage cash flow? what are the biggest financial mistakes start-ups make?)
• Sector-specific questions (how should landlords respond to mortgage interest relief changes? what are the tax implications for freelancers taking a contract abroad?)
• Reaction pieces (after a Budget announcement, what does this mean for small business owners?)

If you operate in a specialism (IR35, R&D tax credits, property accounting, medical practices, construction), filter your Connectively categories to surface queries in those areas and your hit rate per response will be significantly higher.

How to sign up and set up your alerts

Visit connectively.us and register as a source. The free tier provides access to the standard email digest three times per day (early morning, midday, and evening UK time). A paid subscription provides more categories, direct email alerts, and the ability to set keywords that trigger notifications immediately when a relevant query is posted.

For most accounting firms starting out, the free tier is sufficient. Set up your source profile completely: include your name, firm name, credentials, website URL, and a brief bio that explains your areas of expertise. When journalists shortlist sources, a complete profile with clear credentials increases your chances of being selected.

Select Finance, Business, and UK-focused categories as a minimum. If Connectively allows topic keyword filters, add relevant terms: self assessment, VAT, HMRC, limited company, IR35, corporation tax, tax return, accountant, bookkeeping.

What a journalist query looks like and how to assess it

A typical Connectively query contains a brief summary of the article topic and publication, a description of the type of source they want, the specific question or questions they want answered, a deadline (often same-day or within 24 hours), and any specific requirements.

Before responding to any query, assess:

Relevance: Is this genuinely within your area of expertise? Responding to queries outside your specialism produces weak responses and wastes time. If you would need to research the topic before answering, skip it.

Specificity: Is the query asking for a genuine expert perspective, or is it so broad that hundreds of responses will arrive? Very broad queries attract many responses and have a low success rate. Specific queries have fewer respondents who qualify.

Deadline: Check the deadline before writing your response. If the query closed an hour ago, do not waste time on it. If you have two to three hours, that is sufficient to write a strong response.

Publication: If the journalist discloses their outlet, check whether it is one you would consider credible. Responses used by The Times business desk or the BBC's personal finance section are worth significant effort.

How to write a winning response

The quality of your response is the primary determinant of whether you are selected. Journalists read many responses and select the ones that are most directly useful for their article.

Answer the question immediately: Do not open with an introduction about yourself or your firm. Lead with the substantive response to their specific question. If they ask "how should freelancers reduce their self assessment tax bill before the January deadline?", your first sentence should begin answering that question.

Be specific and concrete: Generic responses are rarely selected. "Freelancers should review their expenses and ensure everything is correctly claimed" is generic. A specific response explains exactly which expenses qualify and how to document the business-use percentage accurately.

Keep it to 150 to 300 words: Most journalists want a quotable excerpt, not an essay. A concise, well-structured response that answers the question clearly in 200 words is far more likely to be used than a 600-word technical piece that requires the journalist to edit heavily.

Use accessible language: Avoid jargon. The journalist's audience is business owners and general readers, not accountants. Terms need either explanation or replacement with plain English alternatives.

End with your credentials: A brief, one-sentence credential statement at the end of your response, not the beginning. "Jane Smith is a Chartered Tax Adviser and director at [Firm Name] in [City], specialising in freelancer and contractor tax." Do not include a sales pitch or website URL in the response body; those details are on your Connectively profile.

Respond within two to three hours: Journalists work to tight deadlines, and many close their query as soon as they have sufficient responses. A response that arrives six hours after the digest was sent is often too late.

What happens when you are selected

If a journalist selects your response, they will usually contact you for follow-up questions or clarification before the article publishes. Respond promptly: a journalist in their filing window cannot wait days for a follow-up.

When the article is published, check that your name, firm, and website link are included correctly. If the link is missing or incorrect, contact the journalist politely and ask for a correction.

Save a record of every published piece that includes your commentary: the publication name, URL, date, and what you were quoted on. This forms your press credentials record, which is useful both for future pitches and for demonstrating expertise on your own website.

Typical hit rate and what to expect

For accountants who respond consistently to well-matched queries with specific, well-written answers, a reasonable benchmark is one published piece for every five to ten responses submitted.

This means submitting one or two responses per week would typically generate one to two media links per month once you have developed your response technique. At this volume, Connectively can realistically produce 10 to 20 media appearances per year from a consistent approach.

In the early months, the hit rate will be lower as you calibrate which queries match your expertise and refine your response style. Most sources see their hit rate improve significantly between month one and month six.

Managing Connectively without it consuming your time

The digest email arrives three times a day and most queries will not be relevant. The discipline of reviewing quickly, identifying the one or two potentially relevant queries in each digest, and either responding immediately or dismissing, keeps the time commitment manageable.

Batch your Connectively time to two or three fixed points in the day. A well-written 200-word response takes 15 to 25 minutes to draft; two or three responses per week is a realistic commitment without disrupting client work.

If a team member has subject knowledge in a specific area, consider delegating Connectively monitoring for queries in that specialism. Shared monitoring increases the volume of relevant queries your firm can respond to without increasing any individual's time commitment significantly.

Key takeaways

• Connectively (formerly HARO) connects journalists with expert sources; for accountants, it is one of the most accessible routes to earning editorial links from credible publications.
• Finance, business, tax, and small business journalist queries appear on the platform consistently; accountants with a clear specialism have a higher hit rate than general practitioners on matching queries.
• Winning responses are specific, concise (150 to 300 words), answer the question immediately, use plain English, and close with a brief credential statement.
• Respond within two to three hours of receiving the digest; slow responses rarely make it into articles before the journalist has closed their query.
• A realistic hit rate for consistent, well-matched responses is one published piece per five to ten submissions; expect 10 to 20 media appearances per year from a disciplined approach.
• Batch your Connectively time to two or three fixed points per day to avoid it becoming a distraction from client work.

Frequently asked questions

Is Connectively free to use?

The basic tier is free and includes access to the standard email digest three times per day. Paid plans provide direct category alerts, keyword notifications, and priority placement in journalist searches. The free tier is sufficient for most accounting firms starting out.

Will I always get a link when I am quoted?

Most publications include a link to a source's website when they use a quote from Connectively, as this is standard practice and part of the platform's value proposition for sources. However, it is not guaranteed. Some publications only include your name and firm name without a link. Checking before submitting whether the publication typically links to sources can help you prioritise your response effort.

How do I know which publications are using the platform?

Some journalists disclose their publication in their query; others do not. Over time you will recognise repeat query patterns that suggest particular outlets. The platform's paid tier provides more information about queries, including in some cases more detail on the publication.

Can I use the same response text for multiple queries?

No. Each response should be specific to the query and customised to the journalist's exact question. Submitting generic template responses is both ineffective and visible to editors who review multiple responses. Write fresh for each query.

What if I disagree with how my commentary was used or quoted?

Journalists paraphrase and edit responses for space and style. If your meaning has been significantly changed or you have been quoted incorrectly, contact the journalist politely and explain the issue. Most are happy to make corrections for factual errors. For editorial choices about how much of your response was used, you have limited recourse: this is an inherent aspect of media relations.