While the original HARO platform is no longer around, the demand for expert insights hasn’t faded. Its legacy is so strong that HARO link building has become a recognized SEO strategy for securing valuable press mentions.
I’ve been using HARO and its alternatives since I started doing SEO almost a decade ago. Over the years, my agency has gained links from giants like Forbes.
In this guide, I show you how to leverage HARO backlinks to grow your authority. I also share expert tips and best practices to maximize your chances of getting featured in top publications.
Key Takeaways
- HARO backlink building is still effective even after the original platform’s shutdown.
- Alternatives like Qwoted, SourceBottle, and Featured help secure authoritative backlinks and media exposure.
- High-value HARO backlinks improve a website’s domain authority and rankings.
- Crafting unique and valuable pitches is essential for getting picked.
- Building relationships with journalists and bloggers increases your chances of being featured.
What Is HARO Link Building?
HARO link building refers to the practice of earning high-quality backlinks by responding to journalist and blogger queries on platforms that connect sources with media opportunities. The term originates from Help a Reporter Out (HARO)âonce the go-to platform for this strategy that is now discontinued.
Nevertheless, it remains a powerful SEO tactic, with similar platforms emerging to help businesses and individuals gain media exposure.
What Makes HARO Links So Valuable?
The HARO link building tactic is a way to obtain quality backlinks from authoritative websites by answering journalists’ queries. It’s a win-win situation for both sources and reporters as the latter actively seek subject matter experts for their stories. HARO is considered an effective manual link building strategy.
Here are HARO’s best benefits:
Build website authority
By responding to HARO requests that match your niche and expertise, you get press coverage in reputable publications and earned media links to your website. It is one of the best link building strategies to increase your online visibility and authority.
When you land links from authoritative websites, you boost your siteâs domain rating (DR) tremendously. Your trust score rises in Google’s eyes, and you can establish yourself as a thought leader.
Improve organic search rankings
Boosting your organic search engine ranking requires engaging content that attracts links from other websites. Moreover, sources gain exposure to a larger audience and potential customers who might be interested in their products/services.
When a trusted site links back to you, it transfers link juice to your website. In the eyes of Google, your authority goes up. HARO SEO is one of the most fruitful link building strategies to increase online visibility in search engines.
Drive referral traffic
The HARO link building strategy allows you to drive more referral traffic to your site. All you have to do is reply with a helpful answer, include a link to your website or blog, and wait for it to get published. Once your link is up, you can start driving more referral traffic from a credible source.
Some of the daily HARO queries can be from popular media sites like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Insider, Huffington Post, etc. Such big links are extremely valuable for SEO.
Build relationships with journalists and bloggers
Relationships are built over time, and HARO is no different. Once you prove yourself as a trustworthy source, you have a higher chance of getting picked by a journalist who already knows you.
Treat HARO as an opportunity to establish yourself as a trusted expert in your field. Keep in touch with the journalists who have featured you, strengthen the relationship, and offer them more value in the future.
6 Best Strategies to Earn HARO Backlinks
Getting your pitch noticed among the high volume of pitches journalists receive each day might be difficult. Statistics report that the average HARO success rate is about 7â15%. But with the right strategy and consistent time and effort on your side, you can reach a much higher percentage.
Check out my top tips on how to improve your chances of link building success:
1. Identify relevant and authoritative queries
Select relevant opportunities that cater to your audience and expertise. Additionally, look for queries from authoritative sources, such as major publications or well-known websites. These will give you more credibility and exposure than obscure or low-quality outlets.
You can use HARO for link building in various niches, such as technology, business and finance, health, travel, sports, lifestyle, etc.
However, some niches are more competitive than others, so you must be more selective and strategic. To ease this task, use filters along with selected keywords when searching for matches involving queries pertaining directly to your niche expertise.
âDonât respond unless you actually have the requisite experience or expertise. It sounds obvious, but youâd be amazed at how many sources expound on subjects about which they clearly have no knowledge. In doing so, they only hurt their own credibility and lessen their chances of being asked for a quote again. After all, writers quickly build impressions about sources, and if they start to perceive you as someone who responds to any request, regardless of the topic, theyâll soon be questioning your credentials.â â Arham Khan, Pixated Agency
2. Make your pitch unique and attention-grabbing
Customize your pitch to fit the specific HARO request and the journalistâs style. Use their name, mention their previous work, and show that you have read their query carefully. Ideally, your subject line should be concise, so try to summarize your main points there.
Follow the reporterâs instructions and format your response accordingly. Include your name, title, website, and a short bio at the end. Thank them for their time and offer to provide more information if needed.
Refrain from writing long paragraphs or using jargon. Keep your response short and simple but provide value. Aim for 2-3 sentences per answer; no more than 200 words. Use bullet points or numbered lists to make it easy to read and scan. Finally, donât forget to proofread your pitch and correct any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
âWhen submitting a quote or tip, support your thoughts with data, studies, or real-life examples. This will leave a strong impression on the writer, making it more likely that they will reference your content in their article, consequently earning you a backlink.â â Will Yang, Head of Growth and Customer Success, Instrumentl
3. Provide valuable insights and expertise
Standout HARO answers require creativity and originality. Add a new spin instead of echoing other works. Provide helpful advice, such as actionable tips, best practices, dos and donâts.
You can also share knowledge about common mistakes to avoid while supporting your argument with facts. Employ this advice to capture attention and leave a lasting impression.
âWhen you put in the work and offer well-thought-out responses filled with valuable information and insights, it not only adds value to the article but also gives new direction to the writerâs thoughts. Doing this over time adds to your credibility and establishes a healthy pattern where reporters receive high-value info, and you receive high-quality backlinks.â â Ariav Cohen, VP of Marketing & Sales, Proprep
4. Work with multiple personas
If you have more than one website or business, use different personas to pitch different queries. This way, you increase your chances of gaining media visibility and avoid sending the same pitches to the same journalists. Just make sure each persona has a distinct name, email address, bio, and website link.
Keep in mind that HARO platforms donât let you see the actual email of the person youâre pitching to. If you want to find a particular journalistâs email to directly pitch your unique story to them, read my Tomba.io review.
5. Respond promptly to queries
Journalists are often on tight deadlines and receive hundreds of HARO pitches every day. The faster you are, the more likely it is to be picked and get a link.
Another strategy, recommended by a professional link builder, is to answer right before the deadline:
âTiming is everything when answering queries on HARO and similar platforms. It is common for reporters to receive many answers, and you don’t want your response to be in the middle of their email inbox where the chance of getting ignored is higher. So the best tip I can give is to respond within an hour of receiving a query or right at the end of the deadline.â â Ron Del Rosario, Link Building Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency
6. Be respectful and courteous
A journalist’s inbox is often flooded with daily emails. To stand out, make sure your pitch is relevant and valuable, avoiding anything that might waste their time.
Also, donât ask them to change their story or promote your product or service. And certainlyâdonât expect them to reply to every pitch or guarantee you coverage.
If a journalist responds to your pitch and wants to interview you further, be responsive and professional. Provide them with any additional information they need. Thank them for the opportunity and share the story on your social media channels.
HARO link building is a long-term strategy that requires patience and persistence. Results may take weeks or even months after pitching to journalists.
âCrafting a compelling pitch involves succinctly conveying the value of your content and expertise to the writer. Ensure you address their needs directly, clearly summarize the insight you can offer, and maintain an authoritative yet cooperative tone. This approach increases your chances of getting chosen and sets a solid foundation for a long-lasting professional relationship, opening doors to more backlink opportunities in the future.â â Shane McEvoy, Founder, Flycast Media
Use HARO Alternatives to Build Links
Other websites serve the same purpose as the original HAROâgetting earned media coverage for your business or brand.
Here are HARO alternatives that can help you build links:
- SourceBottle: A free online reporter outreach service that helps journalists find sources with expertise or insights on various topics.
- #journorequest: This is a Twitter (now rebranded to X) hashtag that shows media requests from various professionals.
- Qwoted: A media platform that connects experts with journalists who need expert commentary, quotes, insights, or opinions for their stories.
- ProfNet: An outreach platform for connecting subject matter experts with journalists seeking sources.
- Featured: This platform helps marketers share their expertise and get featured in articles on sites with high authority.
- MentionMatch: Service that matches B2B content writers with sources who have specific knowledge on various topics.
If you want to know more about these platforms, our top HARO alternatives article has them all covered in detail.
How to Track HARO Success Results
If you’re using HARO outreach to get media coverage for your brand, you might be wondering how to track your wins and see the results of your efforts.
Here are four ways to find your wins on HARO:
1. Use Google Search
Use Google advanced search operators to find your name and company on Google and filter the results by date to see the latest articles that mention you. This way, you can find out which journalists used your pitch and linked to your website. Narrowing down the results by time (past week, past month, or past year) allows you to look for your most recent HARO accomplishments.
Here’s an example of how to search for your name+company for the past week on Google:
All you need to do is change this part “Nikola+Baldikov+InBound+Blogging” with your details. Don’t forget the “+” in between.
This is what it looks like if youâve been mentioned in the past week:
2. Use Ahrefs/Semrush or other tools reporting new backlinks
Another way to find your wins is to use a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to monitor your new backlinks. These tools can show you the backlinks that your website has gained over time. You can filter them by date and domain authority to see which ones are from HARO. This way, you can measure the effectiveness of your HARO strategy and improve it over time.
In Ahrefs, open the Backlinks report under Site Explorer and enter your domain name. Youâll see a list of all the backlinks to your site, along with metrics like Anchor Text, Authority Score, First Seen, and Last Seen dates. Use filters to find only the new backlinks acquired.
In Semrush, go to the Backlink Analytics tool under SEO and enter your domain name. You will see an overview of your backlink profile, including the number of backlinks, referring domains, and referring IPs. To see individual backlinks, navigate to the Backlinks tab and use the filters for new backlinks.
Other tools that can help you discover new backlinks are Moz, Majestic, and Monitor Backlinks.
3. Set up Google Alerts
You can also set up Google Alerts for your name and company and be notified whenever someone mentions you online. This can help you catch HARO wins that you might have missed otherwise.
Google Alerts offers a free service that delivers email notifications when fresh search results appear for specific queries or keywords. By using this tool, you can observe how you’re perceived online.
To leverage Google Alerts’ functionality, set alerts for relevant key terms like company name, personal name, product name, etc. You can choose if alerts are delivered daily, weekly, or immediately.
4. Use brand mention tools
Finally, you can use a brand monitoring tool to track your online reputation and see who is talking about you on the internet. These tools can help you find your HARO wins and understand your audience better through social listening.
Brand monitoring tools are similar to Google Alerts but more sophisticated. They track mentions of your personal name, company, or brand across all channelsâthe web, social media, blogs, forums, and news sites. These tools provide you with analytics on brand perception and engagement.
List of brand-mentioning tools for HARO tracking:
- Mention.com
- Brand24.com
- Brandmentions.com
- Awario.com
- Talkwalker.com
Persuade Unlinked Mentions and Nofollow Links
Not all HARO link opportunities are created equal. Some of them might only offer unlinked mentions or nofollow links, which are not very helpful for your SEO.
Unlinked mentions are when your name or brand is mentioned without a hyperlink to your website.
Nofollow links are when the hyperlink has a tag that tells search engines not to pass any link juice or authority to your website.
So, how can you persuade journalists and bloggers to give you linked brand mentions and dofollow backlinks instead?
Here are my tips when writing your email:
- Be polite and respectful.
- Donât demand or beg for dofollow links.
- Use a professional tone and language.
- Thank them for the opportunity and express your interest in their work.
- Donât spam them with multiple follow-ups.
- Donât take it personally if they donât reply or link back to you.
âEnsure that you’re readily available to respond to writers’ requests, and maintain an open line of communication with them. Offer thorough, concise, and well-structured quotes that not only answer their question but also provide additional insights that are relevant and thought-provoking. By consistently delivering valuable content, you will position yourself as a go-to source for writers who will be more inclined to credit you, thereby generating high-quality backlinks.â â Daniel Chabert, CEO and Founder, PurpleFire
Proven Success With HARO Links
As HARO SEO professionals with 10 years of experience, we know how to write winning pitches. Some of our notable achievements include:
So, do you want to ride with the big players? Choose InBound Blogging and reap the benefits.
Start boosting your online presence and credibility today!
Final Thoughts
HARO link building is a powerful way to boost your website’s visibility and authority in search engines. By answering relevant queries from journalists and bloggers, you can showcase your expertise and earn authority backlinks.
But developing an outstanding pitch is essential. It requires consistency, patience, and creativity to succeed. That’s why you need to implement effective strategies and best practices to maximize your chances of getting media attention and forging lasting connections within the industry. HARO outreach is an investment unlikely to disappoint over time.
Explore the power of PR link building and unlock the potential to elevate your brand’s online presence.