Updated for 2026
How to actually get links from HARO after the Cision shutdown
⌚ 9 min read · 1,937 words
link building guide
HARO has died, been resurrected, changed owners, and somehow survived. If you’re confused about whether it’s still worth using in 2026, you’re not alone.
Here’s the short answer: yes, but only if you know what you’re doing. The average success rate on HARO is 5-10%. That means for every 100 pitches you send, you’ll land 5-10 placements. Most people give up after 20 pitches with zero results and declare it dead.
The people who succeed treat HARO as a system, not a lottery. This guide is how to build that system.
In This Article
What Happened to HARO (The Full Timeline)
2008-2022: The golden era. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) was a free email service. Journalists posted source requests, you replied, you got quoted. Simple. Free. Worked beautifully.
2022-2023: Cision rebrands it to “Connectively.” Cision added paid tiers ($29-$149/month) and a clunky new interface. Users hated it. Journalist engagement dropped.
December 2024: Connectively is killed. Cision shut it down entirely to push users toward CisionOne.
April 2025: Featured.com acquires HARO. Featured (formerly Terkel) bought HARO and relaunched it as a free service with the classic 3x/day email digest. Sign up at helpareporter.com.
2026: It works, but it’s crowded. Each query now gets 50-300 responses. AI-generated pitches are flooding the platform. You can still win, but you have to be better than the noise.
The Numbers: What Success Actually Looks Like
- Average success rate: 5-10% (5-10 placements per 100 pitches)
- Expert-level success rate: 15-20% (with optimized pitches and selective targeting)
- Responses per query: 50-300 depending on topic and outlet
- Time window that matters: First 15-60 minutes after the digest email
- Pitches sent within the first hour: 20% higher conversion rate
That means if you send 10 quality pitches per week, you should expect 2-4 placements per month at the start. After you refine your approach, that can climb to 4-8 per month.
Not glamorous numbers. But those are DR 50-90+ placements in real publications. Try buying those. You can’t. Or if you can, you’re paying $500-$2,000 per link. HARO gives them to you for the cost of your time.
5-10%
average success rate
15-20%
expert-level rate
< 60min
response window
150-250
words per pitch
2026 reality check: AI-generated pitches have flooded HARO. Journalists get 100-300 responses per query. Your pitch needs to sound human, specific, and credentialed to stand out. Generic AI responses get deleted instantly.
Pro Tip
Focus on earning links from sites your target audience actually reads. A niche trade publication link often drives more qualified traffic than a generic high-DA site.
The 7 Rules That Separate 5% From 20% Success Rates
Rule 1: Speed Kills (In a Good Way)
HARO emails land at fixed times. The moment that email hits your inbox, the clock starts. Journalists often select sources within 24 hours, and the first 50 responses have a massive advantage.
Set up a system:
- Mobile alerts for HARO emails (separate filter, distinct notification sound)
- Pre-written bio paragraphs ready to paste (50-word, 100-word, 200-word versions)
- Template responses for your top 3-5 expertise areas that you can customize in 5 minutes
- Block 15 minutes after each HARO digest to scan and respond
If you can’t reply within 60 minutes, you’re already behind. This is reactive PR at its most basic.
Rule 2: Be Ruthlessly Selective
Only respond if ALL THREE are true:
- You have genuine, specific expertise on this exact question
- The outlet is one you’d be proud to be featured in (check the DR)
- You can add something the journalist won’t get from the other 200 responses
5 excellent pitches per week beats 20 generic ones. Every time.
Rule 3: Write Like a Journalist, Not a Marketer
The journalist needs a quote they can paste into their article with minimal editing.
Bad pitch:
“At [Company], we believe in providing innovative solutions that help our customers achieve their goals. Our CEO would be happy to provide expert commentary on this topic.”
Good pitch:
“The biggest mistake first-time homebuyers make is skipping pre-approval before they start looking. They fall in love with a house, then discover they can’t afford it. Get pre-approved first, set your budget 10% below the approval amount, and never waive the inspection to win a bidding war.” — [Name], mortgage broker, 12 years
The second one is quotable. The journalist can lift it directly. That’s what wins.
The test: Read your pitch out loud. If it sounds like something a person would say in a conversation, it’s good. If it sounds like a press release, rewrite it.
Rule 4: Lead With the Credential, Not the Company
Journalists pick sources based on credibility, not company names.
Structure every pitch:
- First sentence: Your direct answer to their question (the quotable part)
- Second sentence: One supporting data point or specific example
- Third sentence: Your credential that proves you’re qualified
- Sign-off: Name, title, company, one-line bio
Total length: 150-250 words. Not 50 (too thin). Not 500 (too long).
Rule 5: Include One Number
Pitches with a specific statistic get picked up more often. Numbers make quotes more interesting and quotable.
- “Remote work has increased” → generic
- “Remote work applications increased 340% between 2019 and 2023 in our dataset” → quotable
Our analysis of 5,272 media placements shows that data-backed campaigns consistently outperform opinion-only approaches.
Rule 6: Never Pitch What You Can’t Prove
If a journalist asks about healthcare and you sell software, don’t stretch. Stay in your lane. Go deep, not wide. The person who’s pitched 20 relevant queries in one niche builds recognition with repeat journalists.
Rule 7: Follow Up on Wins
When you get placed:
- Thank the journalist with a short email (not a sales pitch)
- Share the article on LinkedIn and tag the journalist
- Add them to your micro-list for future direct pitching
- Track the placement: outlet, DR, date, topic, what worked
Pitch Quality Checker
Before you hit send, check every box. Miss one and your success rate drops.
HARO Pitch Template
Here’s the format I use. Steal it.
Subject: Re: [Exact query title from HARO]
Hi [journalist name if provided],
[2-3 sentence direct answer to their question. Make it quotable. Include one specific number or example.]
[1 sentence of supporting context or a second angle they might not have considered.]
About me: [Name], [Title] at [Company]. [One sentence credential.] [Optional: link to a previous article where you were quoted.]
Happy to provide additional context or data if needed.
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone]
Total: 150-200 words.
“HARO isn’t a shortcut to backlinks—it’s a shortcut to journalist relationships. The links are just a side effect of being genuinely useful.”
— Salva Jovells, Presslei
What Types of Queries to Target
High-value (target these):
- Queries from named outlets with DR 50+ (Forbes, Business Insider, HuffPost)
- Specific questions that match your exact expertise
- Queries with deadlines 24-48 hours out (less competition)
Medium-value (pitch selectively):
- Queries from unnamed outlets
- Broad topic queries where you have a unique angle
- Roundup-style queries
Low-value (skip these):
- Obvious product placement queries
- Topics where you’d be stretching your expertise
- No outlet name AND vague topics
Key Takeaway
The most valuable backlinks come from earned editorial coverage. When journalists cite your data, the link is a natural byproduct.
Is HARO Enough on Its Own?
No.
HARO is one channel in a reactive PR strategy. For a complete approach, combine HARO with:
- Direct reactive PR (pitching your own data stories to journalists)
- Proactive campaign formats (city rankings, surveys, expert tips)
- qwoted-sourcebottle/”>Other journalist request platforms (Qwoted, ResponseSource, SourceBottle, Featured)
HARO is the entry point. It’s not the whole strategy.
The Bottom Line
HARO in 2026 is noisier than ever. But the value proposition hasn’t changed: journalists need sources, and you have expertise. The difference between people who say “HARO doesn’t work” and people who consistently land DR 70+ placements is speed, selectivity, and pitch quality. All three are skills you can build.
Start with 5 pitches per week. Track everything. Refine after 50 pitches. By pitch 100, you’ll know exactly what works for your niche.
The HARO formula
Speed (respond in < 60 min) + Selectivity (5 quality pitches > 20 generic ones) + Specificity (one number, one credential, one quotable sentence) = 15-20% success rate instead of 5%.
Presslei is a reactive PR agency based in Zurich. We use HARO alongside our own journalist database of 27,000+ contacts to earn media coverage for our clients. If you want help building a PR system that works, get in touch.
About the Author
Salva Jovells
Founder of Presslei. 12+ years in ecommerce SEO across international markets. After a decade of link buying for Hockerty and Sumissura, I reverse-engineered 5,272 earned media placements and founded a reactive PR agency that builds authority through data-driven stories journalists actually want to publish. Based in Zurich.
Related Reading
- HARO vs Qwoted vs Featured vs SourceBottle
- Digital PR vs Link Building
- How I Built a 27,000+ Journalist Database
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DO
- Respond to HARO queries within 60 minutes of publication
- Lead with credentials and a specific data point
- Keep responses under 300 words with a clear expert quote
- Track your response rate and adjust your approach monthly
- Focus on queries where you have genuine domain expertise
DON’T
- Respond to queries outside your area of expertise
- Write lengthy responses that bury the key information
- Pitch your product or service in a HARO response
- Ignore the journalist’s specific format requirements
- Send the same template response to multiple similar queries
Frequently Asked Questions
Does HARO still work in 2026?
Yes, but it’s more competitive. What works is responding within 30 minutes with a specific, credible answer. The brands getting consistent HARO placements have built a response system, not responding casually when they remember.
How quickly do you need to respond?
Under one hour. Most journalists select from the first 20–30 responses. Set up email alerts so queries hit your phone immediately. Responses sent after four hours are rarely read unless the deadline is longer.
How do you stand out from other responders?
Three things: specificity (answer the exact question), brevity (100–200 words), and credentials (include one concrete proof point). Opening with a quotable sentence a journalist can drop straight into their article dramatically increases pickup.
