HARO Scanner

Automatically monitor HARO emails, extract relevant queries, and create draft pitch responses

Gmail

OpenAI

Use this template

Created by

Julia Duran

CEO at South Geeks

Steps in this workflow

Email received from HARO

Extract queries

Archive email

End if...

repeat

Loop over a list

Draft Pitch Email

Create draft

Send email to yourself

Use this template

This workflow automates the process of monitoring and responding to HARO (Help A Reporter Out) media opportunities. It triggers on new HARO emails, uses AI to read and analyze each request for relevance, and automatically generates personalized pitch responses.

The AI evaluates whether requests match your expertise, crafts tailored responses highlighting your credentials, and sends them directly to journalists. Perfect for PR professionals, thought leaders, and businesses seeking media coverage without manually sifting through dozens of daily HARO requests.

Email received from HARO

Monitors your Gmail account for incoming emails from HARO and triggers the workflow when one is received. The trigger is configured to only process emails from the HARO sender address.

Extract queries

Uses AI to parse the HARO email and extract only queries that match your configured keywords and target industries. The AI filters out irrelevant queries and extracts key details like title, media outlet, deadline, and requirements for each matching opportunity.

Prompt used

You are a selective parser of HARO emails for [COMPANY_NAME], specializing in [SERVICE_AREA] for [TARGET_INDUSTRIES]. ONLY extract queries mentioning: [keyword_group_1] [keyword_group_2] [keyword_group_3] EXCLUDE queries about: [excluded_topic_1] [excluded_topic_2] [excluded_topic_3] Topics targeting: [excluded_audience] Prioritize: B2B/B2C content for [target_roles] Topics where you can contribute expertise in: [expertise_areas] Extract for each match: title media_outlet email name deadline full_query requirements Return as JSON array. Ignore footers and sponsor content.

Relay.app screenshot of: Extract queries

Archive email

Archives the original HARO email in Gmail to keep your inbox organized. This ensures processed emails don't clutter your main inbox view.

End if...

Checks if any relevant queries were found in the email. If no matching queries are detected, the workflow ends early to avoid unnecessary processing.

repeat

Loop over a list

Loops through each extracted query to process them individually. This iterator allows the workflow to handle multiple relevant opportunities from a single HARO email.

Iterator steps

Draft Pitch Email

Generates a professional pitch response for each query using AI, incorporating your company information and expertise. The draft is personalized to address the journalist's specific request and follows best practices for HARO responses.

Prompt used

You are drafting a professional HARO response email on behalf of [COMPANY_NAME]. About [COMPANY_NAME]: [COMPANY_NAME] is a [LOCATION/TYPE] company that helps [TARGET_CLIENTS] with [PRIMARY_SERVICE]. We specialize in: [specialization_1] [specialization_2] [specialization_3] [specialization_4] Draft rules: Greet the journalist Reference the query topic Answer with relevant experience/insights Keep it short and conversational (max 200 words) Offer further input or a call Sign as [CONTACT_NAME], [ROLE] at [COMPANY_NAME] Sound human—avoid buzzwords and AI-style writing HARO Query: Title: <div>Title</div> Media Outlet: <div>Media outlet</div> Name: <div>Name</div> Full Query: <div>Full query</div> Requirements: <div>Requirements</div> Respond as a representative from [COMPANY_NAME].

Relay.app screenshot of: Draft Pitch Email

Create draft

Saves the generated pitch as a draft in Gmail with the journalist's email address and an appropriate subject line. This allows you to review and edit the response before sending.

Send email to yourself

Sends you an email notification that new HARO drafts are ready for review. The notification includes details about the queries so you can prioritize which drafts to review first.

Before this workflow, responding to HARO was a daily time sink. Our team would spend 2+ hours combing through 30-50 requests, debating relevance, and crafting pitches—often missing deadlines entirely.

Now, the AI does the heavy lifting overnight. Every day, we review 3-5 pre-filtered, AI-vetted opportunities with draft responses ready to personalize. What used to take hours now takes 15 minutes.

The results? We've achieved a 1-in-13 success rate for media placements—far above the typical 1-in-50 HARO average. That's national publications, podcasts, and industry outlets we simply couldn't have pursued before.

Julia Duran

CEO at South Geeks