GlossarySEO
What is HARO?
Also called: Help a Reporter Out, journalist requests, source requests, Qwoted, Featured
Definition
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a service that sends journalists' requests for expert sources to subscribers, who pitch answers. Similar platforms like Qwoted and Featured do the same job. Chosen answers can earn quotes, mentions and links.
HARO and journalist requests, explained
HARO launched in 2008 and became part of Cision through its merger with Vocus. Cision rebranded it as Connectively in 2024 and later discontinued it. In April 2025, Cision announced it had sold HARO to Featured.com, which relaunched it as a free email service connecting reporters and experts. Other platforms, such as Qwoted, match journalists with expert sources in a similar way.
The mechanics are the same everywhere. A journalist posts a request: "Looking for founders who switched from agencies to in-house SEO", with a deadline. Sources reply with a short, specific answer and credentials. The journalist picks a few to quote. If you're chosen, you get a mention, sometimes a link, and a relationship with a reporter.
Success is mostly speed and relevance. Answer only requests where you have real expertise. Lead with the quotable part in two or three sentences, add one specific detail or number you can stand behind, and include a one-line bio. Generic, AI-written replies get ignored, and platforms have been tightening against them.
Be realistic. Response rates are low, many outlets don't link or use nofollow, and coverage in unrelated publications doesn't help much. The value is cumulative: a few quotes in relevant publications build credibility, mentions and occasionally strong links.
Never pay for placement disguised as a source request, and don't invent credentials or data to get picked. Journalists check, and a correction attached to your name is worse than no coverage.
Why it matters for founders
Journalist request platforms are one of the few ways a small startup can get quoted in real publications without a PR budget. The coverage builds links, mentions and credibility over time.
Example
A founder spends 20 minutes a day on journalist requests about remote hiring. After two months, she's quoted in three HR publications, two with links to her company's salary benchmark page.
Common mistakes
- Pitching every request, including ones outside your expertise.
- Sending long, generic or AI-written answers.
- Inventing statistics or credentials to get picked.
Sources
- Cision: Sale of Help A Reporter Out (HARO) to Featured.com (April 2025)
- Qwoted: Connecting journalists with expert sources
Checked
Related terms
- Digital PRDigital PR is earning coverage, mentions and links from online publications by giving journalists something worth covering, such as a story, original data, a useful tool or expert commentary.
- Brand mentionA brand mention is any place your company or product name appears on the web, in articles, forums, reviews, directories or AI answers, whether or not it links to your site.
- Link buildingLink building is the work of getting other websites to link to yours. Links help search engines discover pages and judge their importance, which is why link quality and how links were earned both matter.
- Editorial linkAn editorial link is a link another site's author or editor chose to add because it helps their readers, without payment, a trade or any requirement. It's the kind of link search engines are designed to reward.