If you’ve ever done media outreach, chances are you’ve crossed paths with HARO (Help a Reporter Out).
For implicit a decade, it was the go-to level for securing media placements and backlinks.
But successful aboriginal 2024, HARO officially unopen its doors.
What now?
Fortunately, HARO’s closure doesn’t mean your outreach efforts person to instrumentality a hit.
There are respective fantabulous HARO alternatives acceptable to assistance you onshore high-quality backlinks and media coverage.
Over the past 5 years, writer outreach platforms person helped my squad unafraid 22,000 placements for our clients.
All without paying for a azygous backlink.
Yes, you work that correctly.
While the bulk of these 22,000+ wins were sourced from HARO and Featured, niche newsletters similar Help A B2B Writer and ProfNet besides helped america gain backlinks that boosted our clients’ authority.
Below, you’ll larn 7 HARO alternatives, on with pros, cons, and pricing, to assistance you people authority-building backlinks.
Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
HARO Alternatives astatine a Glance
Connectively | Web exertion with precocious features | Free program available; paid plans outgo $19–$149 per month |
ProfNet | Less competition, higher prime opportunities | Contact for pricing |
Source of Sources | Identical format to HARO | Free |
Featured | Highest conversion rate, fastest turnaround | Free program available; paid plans commencement astatine $39.80–$79.20 per month, per seat |
Help a B2B Writer | High-quality selling opportunities | Free |
Qwoted | Access to top-tier media outlets | Free program available; paid plans commencement astatine $99 per month |
Direct Contributions | Direct entree to journalists | Free (time concern required) |
1. Connectively: HARO’s Official Successor
When HARO unopen down, Cision didn’t permission america hanging.
They launched Connectively, a web-based level designed to prime up wherever HARO near off.
But is it a worthy successor?
Let’s find out.
How Connectively Compares to HARO
Connectively tries to amended connected HARO’s foundation:
- It’s a web app, not an email newsletter
- It has a paywall to trim spam
- You tin filter and bookmark media and link-building opportunities
- You tin acceptable keyword alerts
Sounds great, right?
Well, not truthful fast.
For starters, determination mightiness beryllium little contention owed to the pay-per-pitch exemplary weeding retired each of the “contributors” who spammed the aged escaped format of HARO.
But the web exertion has method issues that tin effect successful pitches being rendered useless, which lowers your outreach conversion rate.
Pros
- Advanced UI: Filter, bookmark, and acceptable keyword alerts for opportunities
- Improved idiosyncratic experience: Remember however you utilized to person to scroll done each accidental for days, ne'er knowing whether it was worthy pursuing? The web app is much user-friendly than HARO’s clunky email format.
- Quality control: The paywall should (in theory) trim spam and summation transportation quality
- Familiar ground: Many HARO publishers made the switch, maintaining immoderate continuity
Cons
- Rocky start: The modulation from HARO wasn’t smooth, causing immoderate publications to driblet off, leaving Connectively with little prime and quantity
- Technical hiccups: Some journalists study receiving blank pitches owed to tech errors
- Lower conversion rates: Our information shows a important driblet successful occurrence rates compared to HARO
At Jolly SEO, our HARO pitches had a 1:12 triumph ratio. With Connectively, it dropped to 1:50. Ouch!
Pricing
Connectively offers a escaped plan, which gives you 10 pitches per month.
If you request much than that, these are your options:
- $19 per period for 25 pitches
- $49 per period for 50 pitches
- $149 per period for 150 pitches
You tin besides bargain further pitches successful quantities of 5, 25, oregon 50.
Connectively pricing works retired to astir $0.80 per transportation for my team.
Seems cheap, right?
When you origin successful the little conversion rates, the outgo per palmy placement skyrockets.
Is Connectively Right for You?
If you’re a HARO seasoned looking for acquainted territory, Connectively mightiness beryllium worthy a shot.
But beryllium prepared for higher costs and little occurrence rates.
Our advice? Keep an oculus connected Connectively arsenic they robust retired the kinks. But don’t enactment each your eggs successful this handbasket conscionable yet.
Further reading: We Analyzed 12 Million Outreach Emails—Here’s What We Learned
2. ProfNet: Best for High-Quality Wins
ProfNet has provided marketers and concern owners with PR and backlink opportunities since 1992.
But does property adjacent quality? Let’s find out.
How ProfNet Compares to HARO
ProfNet takes a antithetic approach:
- It’s down a paywall, dissimilar HARO’s escaped model
- It has less users, starring to little competition
- The opportunities are among the highest successful prime extracurricular of Connectively
Pros
- Exclusive opportunities: Access to domains not disposable connected different platforms
- Better odds: With less users, your chances of getting picked are higher. Only astir 14,000 PR pros usage ProfNet (compared to HARO’s 1 million+).
- Quality implicit quantity: Fewer opportunities, but they’re often with higher-tier publications
- Conversion king: Our information shows ProfNet matches oregon beats astir alternatives successful placement quality
Based connected our past 1,000 backlinks, ProfNet’s prime rivals Source of Sources and is lone somewhat little than Connectively. But, Profnet’s conversion ratio beats astir each different platform. (Keep successful caput our outreach required a minimum domain standing of 50+ and integrated postulation of 1,000+.)
HARO | 76 | 870,000 |
Connectively | 78 | 3,304,000 |
Profnet | 79 | 1,490,000 |
SOS / HERO | 81 | 1,570,000 |
Featured | 70 | 95,000 |
Help A B2B Writer | 73 | 1,150,000 |
Direct Contributions | 74 | 400,000 |
Cons
- Old-school format: Still uses the clunky email newsletter format that HARO utilized successful the past
- No SEO data: You’ll request to bash your ain probe connected domain ratings and backlink policies
- Pricey: The yearly subscription is expensive
Pricing
Exact pricing isn’t publically available, truthful you’ll request to interaction ProfNet for a quote.
ProfNet’s yearly subscription is successful the debased thousands. It’s worthy the concern if you prioritize high-quality wins and reducing outreach effort.
Is ProfNet Right for You?
If you’re aft prime placements and don’t caput investing immoderate cash, ProfNet is simply a coagulated choice.
It’s particularly bully if you:
- Have a decent fund for media outreach
- Prioritize prime implicit quantity
- Don’t caput doing immoderate other SEO research
But if you’re connected a choky fund oregon request a precocious measurement of opportunities, you mightiness privation to look elsewhere.
Further reading: How to Send Effective Outreach Emails
3. Source of Sources (SoS): Most Familiar to HARO Users
Remember HARO’s founder, Peter Shankman?
Well, he’s backmost with a vengeance!
Initially launching arsenic HERO (Help Every Reporter Out), helium rapidly rebranded to Source of Sources (SOS) aft some, ahem, ineligible considerations.
But is this blast from the past worthy your time?
I reached retired to Peter Shankman to larn much astir his imaginativeness for Source of Sources:
“I privation Source of Sources to beryllium what my archetypal level was erstwhile I ran it: a safe, trusted abstraction connecting journalists and sources, escaped of spam and off-topic pitches. A inferior designed to marque everyone’s enactment easier and assistance some sides bash their jobs better.”
– Peter Shankman, laminitis of Source of Sources
How Source of Sources Compares to HARO
SoS is fundamentally HARO 2.0:
- It uses the nonstop aforesaid email newsletter format
- It’s wholly escaped (just similar HARO was)
- It’s tally by the archetypal HARO founder
Pros
- Familiar format: If you loved HARO, you’ll consciousness close astatine location with SoS
- Budget-friendly: No subscription fees oregon per-pitch costs. You can’t bushed free, particularly erstwhile you’re conscionable starting out.
- Founder’s touch: Benefit from Peter Shankman’s years of acquisition and manufacture connections.
Cons
- No SEO data: Just similar HARO, you’ll request to bash your ain probe connected domain ratings and backlink policies
- Lower conversion rates: Currently, SoS requires much pitches for a palmy placement compared to immoderate alternatives
- Growing pains: As a caller platform, it mightiness instrumentality clip to pull top-tier publications
Pricing
Source of Sources is wholly free.
Is Source of Sources Right for You?
SoS is cleanable if you:
- Loved HARO and privation a akin experience
- Need to signifier your journalist pitching skills
- Don’t caput putting successful other enactment to probe SEO metrics
If you’re conscionable getting started oregon are already an aged pro (and don’t caput putting successful a small other elbow grease for escaped opportunities), SOS is simply a large option.
This level is inactive growing, but with the archetypal HARO laminitis astatine the helm, it could go a large subordinate successful media outreach.
4. Featured: Best Conversion Rate and Fastest Turnaround
Want to supercharge your media outreach?
Meet Featured (formerly known arsenic Terkel).
I spoke with Featured’s founder, Brett Farmiloe, astir the platform’s halfway mission:
“Building visibility online is hard. With Featured, you tin reply questions to get featured successful articles. Just by sharing your knowledge, you tin efficaciously marketplace your concern online.”
– Brett Farmiloe, laminitis and CEO of Featured
This level is similar HARO but supercharged. Is it worthy the subscription fee?
Let’s interruption it down.
How Featured Compares to HARO
Featured takes a antithetic approach:
- It’s a paid level with a sleek interface
- It provides basal SEO metrics for each opportunity
- Delivers a amended conversion ratio
Pros
- SEO insights: Paid plans travel with Domain Rating (DR) and nexus benignant (DoFollow oregon NoFollow) info. You tin besides acceptable keyword alerts connected the escaped and paid plans.
- High conversion rate: Our information shows Featured has the champion conversion ratio of each platforms. And you don’t request to constitute much than 4 to 5 sentences to drawback a win.
- Stellar support: Brett is simply a existent user’s founder. He’ll personally reply, and his enactment squad is besides lightning-fast.
- Guaranteed inclusions: Featured’s exemplary ensures your pitches get included much often, adjacent with minimal input
Cons
- Subscription model: Pricing is based connected progressive seats, which tin get pricey for lower-volume campaigns
- Potential PBN concerns: Keep an oculus retired for private blog network (PBN) issues
Be alert of the imaginable risks of Featured’s emerging backstage blog web (PBN). Times person changed since the aboriginal 2000s, erstwhile that was an advisable link-building strategy.
Today, organically earned backlinks from a divers scope of entities is paramount. Featured has started linking immoderate of its ain subsites together, and erstwhile Google picks up connected this, the worth of these backlinks volition decrease, and whitethorn adjacent spell negative.
Overall, Featured is simply a almighty instrumentality successful your media outreach arsenal—just usage it responsibly.
Pricing
Featured uses a dynamic billing exemplary based connected progressive seats.
On the escaped plan, you tin taxable up to 3 answers per month.
Paid plans scope from $39.80 to $79.20 per month, per seat. If you request much seats, the monthly complaint increases.
You get what you wage for successful subscribing to Featured—your pitches volition person amended than anyplace else.
Our information besides shows that Featured has the fastest mean turnaround clip astatine conscionable 23 days, compared to the wide mean of 35 days crossed each platforms.
HARO | 37 days |
Connectively | 32 days |
ProfNet | 39 days |
SOS/HERO | 35 days |
Featured | 23 days |
Help a B2B Writer | 44 days |
Direct Contributions | 50 days |
Is Featured Right for You?
Featured is an fantabulous prime if you:
- Want the highest imaginable conversion rates
- Need speedy wins to kickstart your campaign
- Don’t caput paying for prime opportunities
Further reading: How to Write a Press Release That Gets Results
5. Help A B2B Writer: Best for Marketing Niches
Looking for a hidden gem successful the satellite of media outreach?
Say hullo to Help A B2B Writer (HaB2BW).
Purchased by contented selling assemblage Superpath successful 2023, this niche level flies nether the radar but packs a punch for marketing, sales, and tech professionals.
To summation deeper penetration into the worth of Help a B2B Writer, I spoke with Jimmy Daly, the co-founder and CEO of Superpath.
Jimmy shared his position connected however this level addresses a captious request successful people-first contented creation:
“HaB2BW connects writers to taxable substance experts—which is apt the azygous biggest situation successful creating large content. If you aren’t an adept yourself, you request to speech with one, and HaB2BW facilitates that.”
Let’s spot if it’s the concealed limb your outreach strategy needs.
How Help A B2B Writer Compares to HARO
HaB2BW takes a focused approach:
- Specializes successful marketing, sales, and exertion opportunities
- Provides basal SEO metrics (unlike HARO)
- Offers a large conversion rate
Pros
- Best conversion ratio: Within its niche, HaB2BW outperforms each different platforms
- SEO insights: Unlike different escaped newsletters, Help A B2B Writer lists basal SEO metrics and backlink argumentation accusation (as volunteered by the listing creator)
- Free access: No subscription fees oregon per-pitch costs
- Spam-free environment: High-quality opportunities without the clutter
Cons
- Limited scope: Only utile if you’re successful the marketing, tech, oregon concern niches
- Occasional glitches: Being a smaller platform, it sometimes experiences deliverability issues
- Lower volume: Fewer opportunities compared to much wide platforms
Pricing
Help A B2B Writer is wholly free.
Is Help A B2B Writer Right for You?
HaB2BW is cleanable if you:
- Work successful marketing, sales, tech, oregon related B2B fields
- Want high-quality opportunities without spending a dime
- Don’t caput a little measurement of opportunities successful speech for amended prime and conversion rates
Overall, Help A B2B Writer is simply a fantastic summation to your media outreach toolkit, particularly if you’re successful its people industries.
Further reading: Guest Blogging: The Definitive Guide
6. Qwoted: Superb Reputation for Quality
Want to hitch shoulders with the crème de la crème of media outlets?
Enter: Qwoted.
This level has been giving HARO a tally for its wealth for years, specializing successful top-tier publications.
But is it worthy the hefty terms tag? Let’s find out.
How Qwoted Compares to HARO
Qwoted takes a premium approach:
- Paid level with a absorption connected prime implicit quantity
- Offers entree to elite publications
- Rigorous vetting process for contributors
Pros
- Higher conversion rates: Less spam means amended chances of getting picked
- Quality control: A strict vetting process, including interviews and IP tracking, ensures high-quality contributions
- Prestige factor: Opportunities from top-tier media outlets. You won’t find a amended tier of publications retired determination connected the net, prevention idiosyncratic networking.
- PR-friendly: Great for gathering relationships with apical journalists
With some a precocious terms and idiosyncratic vetting, Qwoted’s higher obstruction to introduction means a batch little spam, resulting successful amended conversion rates for everyone.
Cons
- SEO-phobic: While Qwoted is affable with PR agencies, it’s decidedly standoffish toward SEO agencies
- Expensive for teams: Qwoted doesn’t advertise its pricing for squad accounts, but online chatter says it’s connected the pricier side
Pricing
Qwoted offers a escaped program with 2 pitches per month. Past that, you’ll wage $99 per period for unlimited pitches.
If you request a squad account, interaction their income squad for a customized quote.
Is Qwoted Right for You?
Qwoted is perfect if you:
- Have a important PR budget
- Prioritize getting quoted successful prestigious publications
- Have unique, high-level expertise to share
But it mightiness not beryllium the champion acceptable if you:
- Are chiefly focused connected SEO and link-building
- Are conscionable starting retired successful media outreach
- Have a constricted budget
Qwoted is the caviar of media outreach platforms. If you tin spend it and conscionable their standards, it could elevate your marque to caller heights.
Further reading: Blogger Outreach: The Definitive Guide
7. Direct Contributions: High Success Rate, Limited Opportunities
Sometimes, the champion mode to get media sum is to instrumentality matters into your ain hands.
Let’s research however you tin marque nonstop contributions enactment for you.
How Direct Contributions Compare to HARO
Direct contributions are precisely what they dependable like—instead of utilizing a level to find media opportunities oregon experts for your articles, you link with publications and individuals directly.
- Reach retired to journalists and marketers directly
- Build semipermanent relationships
- Enjoy much power implicit your pitches and topics
Pro tip: Many companies person submission forms connected their websites. Try searching Google with phrases similar “become a contributor + [your industry]” to find these hidden gems successful your niche.
Pros
- High occurrence rate: Once you found a relationship, your chances of being quoted increase
- Long-term benefits: Building relationships tin pb to ongoing opportunities
- Customization: Tailor your pitches to circumstantial publications oregon writers
Cons
- Time-intensive: Requires important effort to probe and scope retired to the close people
- Slower start: Takes clip to physique relationships and spot results
- Limited scale: Harder to scope a ample fig of opportunities quickly
Pro tip: Use an outreach instrumentality similar Apollo.io to streamline your hunt for PR and writer leads. Filter by occupation titles similar “journalist” oregon “reporter,” and industry-specific keywords. Leverage Apollo’s email finder to get nonstop interaction accusation to summation your chances of palmy outreach.
Pricing
Direct contributions are escaped successful presumption of level costs (unless you wage for a premium program connected an outreach tool).
But remember, your clip is valuable. Factor successful the hours you’ll walk researching and reaching out.
Are Direct Contributions Right for You?
This attack works good if you:
- Have a circumstantial niche oregon expertise
- Are consenting to put clip successful gathering relationships with journalists, writers, and marketers
- Prefer prime implicit quantity successful your media mentions
But it mightiness not beryllium perfect if you:
- Need speedy results
- Don’t person overmuch clip for outreach
- Are looking for a precocious measurement of backlinks
Direct contributions tin beryllium a almighty summation to your media outreach strategy. Just beryllium prepared to play the agelong game.
Further reading: Backlink Audit: 13 Steps to Optimize Your Backlinks
Choosing the Right HARO Alternative
HARO whitethorn beryllium dead, but media outreach isn’t.
With these 7 alternatives, you’ve got plentifulness of options to support your PR and link-building efforts going strong.
But which 1 should you choose?
This depends connected your:
- Budget
- Time constraints
- Niche
- Goals (PR vs. SEO)
Try a premix of escaped and paid options. Test antithetic platforms to spot what works champion for your circumstantial needs.
No substance which work you choose, absorption connected providing worth successful your pitches. That’s however to gain high-quality backlinks that’ll beryllium Google-algorithm harmless for years to come.
Want to larn much astir link-building fundamentals, email outreach, and precocious strategies? Read Link Building for SEO: The Definitive Guide.
The station 7 Best HARO Alternatives <br>(Expert Review) appeared archetypal connected Backlinko.