Conference 2010 Preview: Peter Shankman: Keynote Speaker

by Gina Roberts-Grey

An entrepreneur, author, speaker, and connector, Peter Shankman is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about Social Media, PR, marketing, advertising, creativity, and customer service. Once called "crazy, but effective" by PR Week Magazine, Peter is perhaps best known for founding HARO (Help A Reporter Out) at www.helpareporter.com, which in a little more than a year has become the de facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 100,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,200 queries from worldwide media each week.

Peter will be one of the keynote speakers at the luncheon held on Saturday, April 24, 2010. He'll share his insights on staying relevant in the publishing industry, his fail-proof tips for networking, and how to use social media to further your business goals.

What motivates you?

Doing things successfully that people think are impossible, pushing myself, trying new things, being scared.

Why did you start HARO? And why help out reporters?

Why not help out reporters? It's good karma. It's a nice thing to do. It grew from Facebook to this massive... thing! that people love and can't live without. Beyond gratifying.

What's the most gratifying part of your job?

Getting emails from reporters and sources telling me how I've changed their lives.

About how many writers use HARO?

Over 50,000 reporters have used HARO at least once, and we have a 93 percent return rate. If they use us once, they come back.

What's the toughest part about your job?

I wish I were more technical. I have to rely on tech people to do my tech stuff, and they don't work 24 hours a day like I do.

What's your greatest fear?

Complacency.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Having someone from The New York Times say I'm fundamentally changing journalism, having completed 200 skydives successfully, having adopted two cats from the streets at birth and kept them both alive for over 12 years.

If you could travel through time and interview anyone, who would it be and why?

Carl Orff. You don't write a musical piece in four languages in the same piece without being on some seriously good drugs.

What inspires you?

The thrill of the unknown.