Reporters chasing good information and sources who are willing to provide it have met up in interesting ways over the years, from eyewitness accounts on the scene to secret rendezvous at midnight in a parking garage. Now, the process has evolved with Help a Reporter Out (HARO), a new way to find the right source.

The concept is simple. Journalists visit the free website and use a form to post requests, briefly describing the story and the expertise they seek. The requests are compiled and sent via email several times a day to those who register for the HARO mailing list. These potential sources review the requests and interested “experts” can respond to reporters, who then select the source most pertinent to the story. Along with providing leads to reporters, HARO gives entrepreneurs and small business owners an opportunity to be quoted and promote their companies alongside the big guys. As HARO founder Peter Shankman puts it, “everyone wins.”

HARO began as a Facebook page. When Shankman was threatened with a lawsuit by competitor ProfNet for posting some ProfNet leads on his page, he realized the value of streamlining ProfNet’s lumbering listserve model into something free and better-regulated that simplifies ’sourcing’ for reporters. Thus HARO was born, reinventing ProfNet’s nearly two-decade-old service into something modern and useful.

• Unlike most startups, the company has posted a profit since shortly after its inception
• The company founder still manages the list himself
• HARO has grown from 1,500 journalists in August 2008 to over 30,000; its original 650 monthly queries have increased to 3,000; sources have quadrupled from 20,000 to 80,000
• The number of advertisers increased by 3,900% in one year, with ad revenue shooting from $15,000 to over $1 million; advertising inventory is already sold out for all of 2009
• Unlike ProfNet, HARO is a free service

A true Challenger, Shankman lives and breathes his “everyone wins” philosophy.

“Reporters don’t have the time or the resources to do the legwork that they used to,” he explains, “and HARO has been tremendous for those stuck behind the gun with a deadline.” For small businesses, he adds, “HARO allows thousands of companies to compete in the same arenas as Coke and Microsoft.”

Shankman’s experience with HARO has taught him the importance of utilizing social media to grow your business, and he wants to help others do the same. His advice to other Challengers is to “act quick, act smart and get your message out there.” HARO’s tagline, “Everyone is an Expert at Something,” reflects its social media roots. This Challenger Brand is certainly an expert at bringing the right sources directly to those who need them.