For years, HARO (Help a Reporter Out) was the go-to way to earn links from real publications: reporters asked questions, you answered as an expert, and good answers earned a link in the article. Then HARO shut down. If you are still chasing it, you are chasing a service that no longer exists.
The tactic, though, is very much alive. Here is how journalist and expert-source link building works now, and the tools that replaced HARO.
What you’ll learn
- What happened to HARO
- How journalist link building works now
- The tools that replaced HARO
- How to write source pitches that earn links
What happened to HARO
HARO was acquired by Cision, rebranded as Connectively, and then shut down at the end of 2024. The brand name still floats around SEO advice, but the platform itself is retired. Any guide telling you to “sign up for HARO” is out of date.
The good news: the model it popularized, connecting journalists with expert sources, was too useful to disappear. It simply moved to other platforms.
How journalist link building works now
The mechanics are unchanged. Journalists writing an article need expert quotes, data, or perspective. You provide a genuinely useful answer, and if they use it, they credit you, often with a link to your site.
This earns a link because it is genuinely editorial: the journalist chose to include you because you improved their article. That is why it works for new sites with no authority. You are not buying anything; you are being useful to a writer on deadline.
The tools that replaced HARO
Several platforms now run the same source-and-journalist matchmaking:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Featured (formerly Terkel) | Question-and-answer platform matching experts to publications |
| Qwoted | Connects sources with journalists and PR opportunities |
| SourceBottle | Journalist requests across regions and niches |
| Help a B2B Writer | B2B-focused source requests |
| Journalist requests on social | Reporters posting queries directly on X and LinkedIn |
The workflow is the same across all of them: monitor requests in your area of expertise, respond fast with a useful answer, and earn the credit when they publish.
How to write pitches that earn links
Most source pitches get ignored because they are slow, generic, or self-promotional. The ones that win share a pattern:
- Answer fast. Journalists work on deadline. The first few useful answers usually win.
- Answer the actual question. Give a specific, usable quote, not a vague paragraph that pivots to your product.
- Lead with credibility. One line on why you are qualified to speak on this.
- Be quotable. Write a sentence a journalist can drop in as-is.
- Skip the hard sell. The link is the reward for being useful, not something you demand.
Done consistently, this earns links from publications that would never respond to a cold outreach email, and it does it without paying for placement. It is one of the safest tactics there is, because the link is a genuine editorial citation of your expertise.
Frequently asked questions
Is HARO still available?
No. HARO was rebranded to Connectively under Cision and shut down at the end of 2024. Use successor platforms like Featured, Qwoted, SourceBottle, or Help a B2B Writer instead.
Does journalist link building still work?
Yes. The tactic of being an expert source for journalists is alive and well; only the HARO platform closed. The links it earns are genuine editorial citations, which makes it one of the safer tactics.
Do I need domain authority to earn source links?
No. That is the appeal. You trade expertise, not authority or money, so a brand-new site with a credible expert can earn links from major publications.
Are source-based links safe with Google?
Yes. They are editorial citations a journalist chose to include, which is exactly the kind of link Google's guidelines reward. There is nothing to disclose or hide.
Wrapping up
HARO the platform is gone, but journalist link building is not. Be a fast, genuinely useful expert source on the platforms that replaced it, and you can earn high-authority editorial links without domain authority or placement fees. It is slow, it rewards real expertise, and it is about as safe as link building gets.
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