HARO (Help A Reporter Out): Complete Guide to PR & Link Building
Last reviewed: May 2026
Justin Mauldin | Founder, Salient PR | Justin manages PR strategy and media relations across enterprise B2B clients, working directly with journalists and outlets daily.
If you have searched for HARO in the last two years, you have probably run into conflicting information. One article says it is dead. Another says it never left. Both are out of date. Here is the current reality: HARO was shut down by Cision in December 2024, and it was acquired and relaunched by Featured.com in April 2025. It is live again, it is free, and the way you use it has changed.
This guide covers everything that matters in 2026: what HARO is now, the full history of how it got here, how to write a pitch that actually gets used, the step by step response process, what to realistically expect from it, and the alternative platforms worth running alongside it.
Key Takeaways
HARO was discontinued by Cision on December 9, 2024, while operating under the Connectively name, and was acquired and relaunched by Featured.com on April 22, 2025.
The relaunched HARO is free for both journalists and sources, requires no login, and delivers three email digests per day. It is funded by newsletter sponsorships rather than subscriptions.
Featured.com added verification and anti spam tooling, including AI generated text detection, LinkedIn checks, image analysis, and community reporting, to address the quality problems that damaged the platform's reputation.
Featured.com is HARO's parent company and is the same platform formerly called Terkel. It also runs a separate paid expert service for sources who want more than the free HARO email.
Speed, relevance, and credentials drive placement rates. Generic, self promotional, or late responses get ignored.
A single platform is not a strategy. Running HARO alongside Source of Sources, Qwoted, and a B2B focused tool gives you broader coverage of journalist demand.
What Is HARO?
HARO, short for Help A Reporter Out, is a free platform that connects journalists who need expert sources with the PR professionals and subject matter experts who can provide them. A reporter submits a query describing the source or insight they need. That query goes out to a large list of sources by email. Sources who fit the request reply directly with their input, and the journalist decides who to quote or feature.
For the source, the payoff is earned media: a quote, a mention, or a contributed insight in a published article, usually accompanied by attribution and often a link back to your site. For the journalist, the payoff is fast access to credible human sources without cold outreach.
How HARO works in 2026
The relaunched version under Featured.com runs on the original model that made it popular:
You sign up at helpareporter.com with your email. No account login is required to receive queries.
You receive three email digests per day, with journalist queries grouped by topic so you can scan for relevant requests quickly.
When a query matches your expertise, you respond directly with your insight, your credentials, and any supporting detail the journalist asked for.
If the journalist uses your response, you get quoted and frequently linked in the published piece.
If you are new to earned media and some of these concepts feel unfamiliar, our PR terminology guide breaks down the vocabulary.
Who uses HARO
PR agencies use it to land media placements for clients without a pre existing relationship with the outlet.
SEO professionals use it to earn editorial backlinks from high authority publications.
Startup founders use it to build press coverage and visibility before they can afford a retainer agency.
B2B and SaaS companies use it for thought leadership, positioning executives as category experts rather than promoting products directly.
HARO versus Featured.com
This trips up a lot of people, so it is worth stating plainly. HARO is the free, email based journalist sourcing platform. Featured.com is the company that owns and operates HARO, and it also runs its own separate expert service that matches sources with publisher questions. The Featured expert service has a free Starter tier that includes three answer submissions per month, plus paid tiers for higher volume and additional features. The free HARO email and the paid Featured service are two different products from the same company.
The Complete HARO Timeline
Understanding where HARO is now requires understanding the path it took, because the ownership changes are exactly what created all the confusion.
Why Cision shut it down
Cision's stated reason was a strategic decision to concentrate on its core CisionOne media intelligence and outreach platform rather than maintain the journalist request service. The rebrand to Connectively had introduced subscription fees and a pay to pitch structure that pushed away much of the user base, and the platform had been struggling with spam and declining response quality for years before the shutdown.
Why Featured.com brought it back
Featured.com's founder and CEO, Brett Farmiloe, framed the revival around a specific bet: as AI floods the internet with generic content, journalists need credible human sources more than ever, and a trusted matchmaking service for that demand still has a place. The relaunch deliberately preserved HARO's original simplicity, free access, no logins, and three daily email digests, while rebuilding the parts that had broken down. The acquisition was backed by a group of investors including Great North Ventures.
Is HARO still active in 2026?
Yes. HARO is live and operating under Featured.com. It is free for both journalists and sources, it runs on newsletter sponsorships rather than subscription fees, and Featured has stated the platform will stay free for as long as the company owns it. The version you may remember being shut down was Connectively, the Cision era rebrand, not the platform as it exists today.
HARO Pitch Templates and Response Guide
A HARO pitch is not a press release and it is not a sales email. The journalist has a specific question, a deadline, and a stack of responses to sort through. Your job is to give them something publishable as fast and as cleanly as possible. Everything below serves that goal.
Subject line
If the platform or query thread lets you set a subject, keep it short and make it match the request. A reliable formula:
[Your area of expertise]: Response to [the query topic
Keep it under roughly 50 characters and reference the query directly so the journalist knows at a glance that you actually read it.
Three pitch templates
Template A: B2B or SaaS expert response
Hi [Journalist name],
Responding to your query on [topic]. I'm [name], [title] at [company], where I work on [one line of relevant context].
[Two to three sentences that directly answer the question, with a specific, concrete point of view rather than a generic observation.]
[One sentence with a specific example, number, or scenario from your own work that supports the point.]
Happy to expand on any of this or get on a quick call before your deadline. Credentials below.
[Name, title, company, LinkedIn URL]
Template B: Consumer or lifestyle quote
Hi [Journalist name],
Here's a quote you can use directly for your piece on [topic]:
"[A clean, self contained, quotable sentence or two that a reader would find genuinely useful.]"
Attribution: [Name], [title], [company]. More background and a photo available if helpful.
Template C: Data backed insight pitch
Hi [Journalist name],
On your query about [topic]: [One sentence framing the insight.]
[Share a specific, verifiable data point or finding from your own company's work or a credible public source, and state where it comes from.]
[One sentence on why this matters to your readers specifically.]
Full context and the underlying source available on request.
[Name, title, company, LinkedIn]
A note on Template C, because it is the easy place to go wrong: only use a number you can actually back up. Never invent a statistic to make a pitch land. A journalist who gets burned by a fabricated figure will not use you again, and it can damage the outlet. If you do not have real data, use Template A and lead with a sharp point of view instead.
For more on the underlying mechanics of pitch construction, see our PR pitch examples.
Dos and don'ts
Do:
Respond quickly. Journalists often stop reading after the first wave of responses, so aim to reply within about 30 minutes of the digest landing when you can.
Include your credentials: title, company, and a LinkedIn URL so the journalist can verify you.
Answer every question the journalist asked, in the order they asked.
Give a unique angle, a specific example, or a real data point. Specificity is what gets you quoted over the next person.
Don't:
Be self promotional. The journalist is writing their story, not yours.
Send a generic response that could have been written for any query.
Run long. Keep responses tight, generally under 300 words.
Attach files unsolicited. Paste your response into the body.
Before and after example
This is an illustration, not a real placement, but it shows the difference that matters.
Before (gets ignored):
Hi, I'm a leading expert in cybersecurity with 20 years of experience and I'd love to be featured in your article. My company is an award winning provider of solutions. Please see attached for my full bio and let me know if you'd like to interview me.
That answers nothing the journalist asked, leads with self promotion, and adds an attachment.
After (gets used):
Hi Maria, responding to your query on small business password habits. I'm [name], CISO at [company]. The single most common failure we see is password reuse across personal and work accounts; in our incident reviews it is the entry point more often than any sophisticated attack. The fastest fix for a small team with no security staff is a shared password manager and mandatory two factor on email, in that order. Happy to expand before your deadline. [Title, company, LinkedIn]
It answers the question, gives a specific and credible point, and offers a concrete takeaway the reporter can publish.
Following up
Follow up once, and only once, if you have not heard back after about five to seven business days, and keep it to a single line referencing the original query. Repeated follow ups are a fast way to get ignored or banned. If your pitches are responding to platforms beyond HARO, the same principles in our press release email templates apply to formatting and tone.
How to Respond to HARO Queries, Step by Step
Set up email filters. Create a filter that routes HARO digests to a dedicated label or folder so you see them the moment they arrive instead of losing them in your inbox.
Read the full query carefully. Note the journalist's specific requirements, any word limit, the format they want, and the deadline. Missing a stated requirement is an instant disqualifier.
Qualify yourself honestly. Only respond if you have genuine expertise or a genuinely useful angle. A weak pitch on a query you do not really fit wastes the journalist's time and yours.
Draft your response. Lead with a one line credential, answer every question asked, include one or two specific examples or data points you can actually support, and keep it under 300 words.
Format for scannability. Use short paragraphs, put your attribution block at the end with name, title, company, and LinkedIn, and make the quotable part easy to lift.
Submit fast. Send within roughly 30 minutes of the digest email when the topic allows, since early responses get read first.
Track everything. Log each response in a spreadsheet: date, query topic, journalist, outlet, what you sent, and the outcome. This is how you learn what works and avoid pitching the same journalist twice on the same thing.
Follow up once. If there is no response after five to seven business days, send a single short follow up, then move on.
HARO Success Stories and What to Realistically Expect
Plenty of HARO case studies float around with numbers nobody can check. Here is what independent analyses of HARO outcomes actually show, alongside what separates the wins from the wasted pitches.
What a HARO win looks like
A quote or mention in a published article, attributed to you and your company.
An editorial backlink from that publication. Most HARO links are dofollow and placed in the body of the article, which is what makes them valuable for SEO rather than ornamental.
Credibility that compounds. Journalists who use you once often come back to you for the next story.
What the numbers say
Acceptance rates are low, and that is normal. Consistent HARO users commonly report a 5 to 15 percent pitch acceptance rate, with most analyses landing in the 5 to 10 percent range. One published study found a 12.3 percent success rate across 114 pitches over six months. The takeaway is that most of your pitches will not get used, and that is the expected baseline, not a sign you are doing it wrong.
The links come from high authority sites. HARO placements frequently land on top tier publications such as Forbes, Business Insider, and The New York Times. One analysis found that 68 percent of HARO queries come from domains with a domain rating of 50 or higher, and the strongest placements reach DR 80 and above.
Expect a few weeks from pitch to publication. The typical gap between an accepted pitch and the article going live is around three weeks.
The real ROI is in what you are not paying. Buying an equivalent editorial link through paid channels is expensive. 2026 link building cost studies put premium and digital PR placements at DR 60 and above in roughly the $500 to $2,000 per link range, and often higher. HARO costs you time instead of that fee, which is why it remains one of the few free channels that produces genuine authority links.
What actually drives your results
Relevance. The closer your real expertise maps to the query, the higher your odds. Niche queries where you have a genuine edge convert far better than broad ones with hundreds of responses.
Speed. Early responses get read; late ones often do not get read at all.
Specificity. A concrete example or a real, sourced data point beats a polished but generic answer every time.
Volume over time. Placements accumulate with consistent effort across weeks and months, not from a single burst.
HARO Link Building Strategy for 2026
HARO is one of the few ways to earn editorial links from authoritative publications without paying for placement, which is exactly why it matters for SEO. A strategy beats opportunistic pitching.
Two approaches
Volume based. Respond to a steady stream of relevant queries each week, aiming for at least one or two strong pitches. With acceptance rates typically running 5 to 15 percent, most of your responses will not get used, which is normal. Over time, the placements add up into a meaningful link portfolio. This approach suits teams that can dedicate consistent time.
Quality based. Pitch only top tier publications and only queries where your expertise is genuinely differentiated. Your response rate will be lower, but the links you do earn carry more authority. This suits experts with a strong, narrow niche.
Most effective programs blend the two: a baseline of consistent responses plus extra effort reserved for the highest value targets.
Niche targeting
Your edge is specificity. Focus on queries inside your actual area of expertise, where you can say something a generalist cannot. A founder answering a query about their exact industry will beat a PR generalist answering the same query nearly every time.
Combine platforms
Do not rely on HARO alone. Journalist demand is spread across several services now. Running HARO alongside Source of Sources and Qwoted, plus MentionMatch if your market is B2B, widens the pool of relevant queries you see. The alternatives section below covers each.
Measuring ROI
Track the things you can actually measure: the number and authority of links earned, referral traffic from placements, brand mentions, and any movement in keyword rankings for the pages those links point to. The case for the time investment is straightforward; an equivalent DR 60 and up editorial link bought through paid channels commonly runs $500 to $2,000 or more, and HARO trades that fee for your hours instead. Expect roughly three weeks between an accepted pitch and a live link, so judge results over months rather than weeks. To monitor placements as they go live, pair your tracking spreadsheet with dedicated media monitoring tools.
HARO for B2B, SaaS, and Content Marketing
B2B and SaaS companies get the most from HARO when they treat it differently than consumer brands do.
Lead with thought leadership, not product. Consumer brands often chase product coverage. B2B wins come from positioning an executive as a credible voice on the category, not from pitching the product itself.
Answer category questions, not product questions. If you sell testing software, respond to queries about software quality, release velocity, and engineering practices, not queries fishing for a specific vendor. The credibility you build is what earns the link and the mention.
Repurpose every placement. A HARO quote in a respected outlet becomes social proof on your site, a citation in sales material, a social post, and a building block for owned content.
Track B2B specific outcomes. Brand mentions, the domain authority of placement sites, and referral traffic that turns into pipeline matter more for B2B than raw placement counts.
HARO Alternatives and Companion Platforms
The smart move in 2026 is not picking one platform, it is running a small stack that covers the most journalist demand for the least cost. Here is how the main options compare.
Source of Sources (SOS)
Founded by Peter Shankman, the original creator of HARO, SOS is the most HARO like experience available, and it is completely free. Shankman launched it after Connectively's decline, and it delivers journalist requests by email up to three times a day. Its defining feature is quality control: he enforces a strict policy where off topic pitches get the sender removed, which keeps the list useful for journalists. Best for PR professionals who value query quality over sheer volume.
Featured.com
Featured.com is HARO's parent company, and it is the same platform that was previously known as Terkel. Separate from the free HARO email, Featured runs its own expert service that matches sources with publisher questions and turns the answers into published Q and A content for outlets. It has a free Starter tier that includes three answer submissions per month, three keyword alerts, and an AI answer check. Paid tiers scale up from there: a Pro seat runs around $50 per month with unlimited answers, and Business plans start at $49 per month per seat billed annually, or $99 per month per seat billed monthly, adding features like bylined articles and interview profiles. A 2026 platform comparison by Backlinko found Featured had the fastest average turnaround of the alternatives it assessed, roughly 18 days to placement against a 27 day average across platforms. Best for SEO and content teams that want a steadier, more structured pipeline than the free email alone provides.
Qwoted
Qwoted is free for sources at a basic level, with paid plans for unlimited responses and richer competitive data. It is a journalist verified platform with relationship management tools: expert profiles journalists can search, customizable alerts, pitch tracking, and a built in AI checker. Best for sources focused on building lasting journalist relationships rather than one off quotes.
MentionMatch (formerly Help a B2B Writer)
Now operating as MentionMatch after being acquired by the content marketing community Superpath, this is a free, B2B focused service. Sources register by area of expertise and get matched only to relevant writer queries, with the writer's contact details included, which makes it the most targeted option for business and technology topics. It connects writers with a community of more than 8,000 expert sources. Best for B2B SaaS and tech companies that want relevant queries without sorting through unrelated requests.
SourceBottle
Originating in Australia and now operating globally, SourceBottle is strongest for coverage in Australia, New Zealand, and nearby markets, and it includes requests from bloggers and podcasters in addition to journalists. It offers a free plan plus paid options. Best for international or regionally focused media coverage.
ProfNet
ProfNet is the paid expert sourcing service from PR Newswire, which is part of Cision. It delivers daily media opportunities from journalists and other content creators by email, filtered by industry, and lets you respond when there is a fit. Access runs through PR Newswire's paid ecosystem, where annual membership starts at roughly $195 to $249 before distribution and add on costs, placing ProfNet among the premium, paid options rather than the free ones. Best for larger agencies and enterprise PR teams already working inside the PR Newswire and Cision ecosystem.
Muck Rack
Muck Rack is primarily a paid media database and monitoring platform, with source request features available within it. Best for agencies that already use Muck Rack for media monitoring and relationship management and want sourcing in the same place.
Twitter / X #journorequest
The #journorequest hashtag on X is a free, informal, real time stream of journalist source requests. It is unstructured and you have to monitor it actively, but it can surface fast moving opportunities the email platforms miss. Best for opportunistic, real-time placements.
When you are building out your broader outreach, pairing these platforms with a strong contact strategy helps; our media list building guide walks through how to organize press contacts.
Summary
HARO is back, and the short version is simple. After Cision shut down the platform in December 2024 under the Connectively name, Featured.com acquired the HARO brand and relaunched it on April 22, 2025, returning it to the free, three emails a day format that made it valuable in the first place, with new verification tooling to fight the spam and AI content that had degraded it. It costs nothing to use, and it remains one of the few reliable ways to earn editorial coverage and authoritative backlinks without a budget.
Winning on HARO comes down to fundamentals: respond fast, only pitch queries you genuinely fit, answer exactly what the journalist asked, be specific, and never fabricate a fact or figure to make a pitch land. Treat it as one platform in a small stack alongside Source of Sources, Qwoted, and a B2B tool if that is your market, track your results honestly, and the placements will compound over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HARO (Help A Reporter Out)?
HARO is a free platform that connects journalists who need expert sources with the PR professionals and experts who can provide quotes and insights. Journalists post queries, sources respond by email, and useful responses get quoted and often linked in published articles.
Is HARO still active in 2026?
Yes. HARO is live under Featured.com, which acquired it from Cision and relaunched it on April 22, 2025. The version that was shut down in December 2024 was Connectively, the Cision era rebrand, not the platform as it operates today.
How does HARO work?
You sign up at helpareporter.com with your email and receive three daily digests of journalist queries grouped by topic. When a query matches your expertise, you reply directly with your insight and credentials. If the journalist uses your response, you get quoted and frequently linked.
Is HARO free?
Yes. The relaunched HARO is free for both journalists and sources and is funded by newsletter sponsorships rather than subscriptions. Featured.com has stated it will remain free for as long as the company operates it. Featured's separate paid expert service is a different product.
How do I write a HARO pitch?
Respond quickly, lead with your credentials, answer every question the journalist asked, include a specific example or a data point you can verify, and keep it under 300 words. Avoid self-promotion, generic responses, and unsolicited attachments.
What are the best HARO alternatives?
The strongest free options are Source of Sources, founded by HARO's original creator, and Qwoted for relationship building. Featured.com's expert service, SourceBottle, and MentionMatch (formerly Help a B2B Writer) round out a stack. ProfNet and Muck Rack are paid, enterprise-oriented options.
How do I respond to a HARO query?
Filter HARO digests into a dedicated folder, read the full query and its requirements, qualify yourself honestly, draft a tight response that answers everything asked with specific support, submit within about 30 minutes, track it in a spreadsheet, and follow up at most once.
Can you still get backlinks from HARO?
Yes. When a journalist uses your response, the published article frequently includes an attribution link to your site. Because these are earned editorial links from real publications, they remain valuable for SEO.
Curious to learn more about how Salient PR can elevate your public relations? Visit our website to explore our services and success stories.
