Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a service created by Peter Shankman (follow his Twitter account) as a resource for public relations professionals and reporters to find each other when they have common needs. The service originally began as a Facebook group, but needed to be expanded when they exceeded the 1200 person e-mail cap.

When reporters need sources for stories, they get in touch with Shankman. He filters out the spam and dishonest requests, then he compiles the source requests into 3 daily e-mails. Those e-mails get sent to you, when you sign up, and then you have the opportunity to "pitch" info for those stories.

For PR professionals, this is a great tool for getting relevant content published and promoted. No longer do you have to exploit the few Journalism contacts you have, or cold pitch a reporter. For Journalists, it's an instant database of quality, relevant source material.

I've known about the service for several months now, and have heard nothing but positive reviews. If you feel so inclined, visit the site and sign up! The only thing that Peter asks is that the submitted material be helpful to the journalist, on target, and not simply a "BS way for me to get my client in front of the reporter."

Check out the service www.helpareporter.com - if you use it, please let me know what you think!