That’s exactly what HARO link building is about.
HARO connects the journalists that seek expert quotes with people who know what they are talking about. If done right, you feature in Forbes, HubSpot, or TechCrunch; if done wrong, though, you waste hours crafting pitches that go into the void.
A no-BS guide to HARO: no ‘game-changing strategies’, no ‘secret hacks’, just well-grounded advice on how to gain editorial links from high-authority sites without sounding like a desperate sales bot.
What is HARO?
HARO is a platform where journalists request expert sources on specific topics. They need quotes, insights, or data to help them write a piece. You respond with your expertise. If they like your answer, they feature you in their article with a link back to your site.
Simple concept. Harder execution.
Beginning in 2008, the platform grew to become the source connector of choice among journalists and PR pros. In 2023, it was rebranded to Connectively, but everyone still refers to it as HARO because, well, old habits die hard.
Here’s how it works: You get three emails a day loaded with journalist queries. Each query describes what they are writing about, what kind of expert they need, and when the deadline is. You scan for relevant opportunities, craft a response, and send it off before the deadline hits.
What Is HARO Link Building?
HARO link building is using these journalist queries to earn backlinks from editorial publications. Instead of begging webmasters for links, or paying for guest posts, you’re providing real value to journalists who need expert input.
The result? Natural contextual backlinks from high-authority sites that Google actually respects.
These aren’t the spammy directory links from 2015 or the “insert link here” guest posts that smell like paid placements. These are earned media mentions, where journalists chose to feature you because you helped them write a better article.
Why HARO Backlinks Actually Matter for SEO
Let’s be real: most link building tactics in 2025 are variations of “pay money, get link.” HARO is different in that the links come from actual editorial decisions.
High Domain Authority That Actually Means Something
HARO links typically come from sites with DR 70-95+. We are talking about the caliber of publications like American Express at DR 91, HubSpot at DR 93, and Forbes at DR 91. These aren’t inflated metrics from PBNs. These are real publications with real traffic.
At Search Royals, we have seen clients acquire links from websites receiving millions of visitors every month. That’s not just an SEO metric: that’s real people who may click through to your website.
Editorial Links Are Link Building Gold
What separates HARO links from most other backlinks is that journalists give them naturally. They’re not inserting your link because you paid $500 for a guest post. They’re linking because you provided value to their article.
Google knows the difference. Editorial links from established publications carry significantly more weight than links from “SEO-optimized content hubs” that exist solely to sell backlinks.
Traffic That Actually Converts
A link from a Forbes article about your industry is not only a big SEO boost, but it’s also potential customers reading about your expertise and clicking through to learn more. We’ve seen referral traffic from single HARO placements drive more qualified leads than months of social media posting.
Competitors Can’t Easily Replicate Them
Want to know the best part? Once you land that HARO link, your competition can’t reverse-engineer your strategy and acquire the same link. That journalist query is gone. The article is published. The opportunity has passed.
That’s refreshing in an industry where every tactic gets copied in a matter of weeks. Your competitor can’t reverse-engineer a relationship you built with a journalist, or replicate the timing that got you featured.
How to Actually Build Links with HARO (Without Wasting Hours)
Most HARO guides make this sound simple: “Just sign up and respond to queries!” Yeah, and most responses get ignored. Here’s what actually works.
Step 1: Sign Up and Set Realistic Expectations
Go to Connectively-the new HARO-and sign up for a free account. You will immediately begin to receive three emails daily containing journalist queries.
Free account limitations: You can only see a portion of queries, and you won’t get advanced filtering. Most people starting out are fine with this. But if you’re serious about HARO link building and plan on responding to multiple queries on a weekly basis, the paid tiers open up more opportunities and give you better filtering: $49-$149 per month.
Set up a separate email folder for HARO. Trust me on this: those three daily emails add up fast, and you don’t want HARO queries drowning your inbox.
Step 2: Build Your Response Template (But Don’t Actually Use Templates)
Here’s the rub: you need some sort of response structure in order to save time, but you can’t send templated answers.
Journalists can smell AI-generated or copy-pasted responses from a mile away. They delete them instantly. I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count.
Your “template” should just be a reminder of what to include:
- Direct answer to their specific question
- Your credentials (briefly!)
- One concrete example or data point
- Your contact information and headshot, if requested
But the actual words? Those need to be written fresh for each query. Yes, it takes time. That’s why HARO links are valuable.
Step 3: Hunt for Relevant Queries (And Ignore 90% of Them)
That’s where people waste most of their time: seeing “high DR publication” and responding to every remotely relevant query.
Don’t do this.
Only answer questions for which you have real knowledge. Journalists are not stupid. They can usually tell when you’re stretching your credentials just to get a link.
Red flags to avoid:
- Queries asking for links in exchange for content
- Requests from unknown blogs with weird domains
- Anything that says “must include link to your site in response”
- Queries with zero deadline or context
Look out for queries from recognizable publications or journalists with verifiable credentials. A Google search of the journalist’s name should yield at least some examples of published work.
Step 4: Write a Pitch That Doesn’t Suck
Here’s what makes a good HARO response:
Be specific. Instead of “Social media is important for businesses,” write “We tested posting frequency across 50 client accounts and found that 3-5 posts a week drove 40% more engagement than posting every day.”
Cut the fluff. Your life story has little interest for journalists. What they want is a quotable answer to their question. Get to the point in the first sentence.
Write in quotable soundbites. Make it easy for them to copy-paste your response directly into their article. That’s literally what they want.
Demonstrate your qualifications, but do so in one sentence: “As an SEO specialist who’s built links for 50+ ecommerce sites.” not “With over a decade of experience in the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.”
Funny story: We once secured a link from a competitor’s target publication because our response was the only one that actually answered the question instead of pivoting to a sales pitch. The journalist literally replied saying, “Finally, someone who read what I asked.”
Step 5: Send It Fast (But Not Sloppy)
With HARO, speed matters. Most journalists will select from the first good responses they get. If you’re responding three days after they sent the query, you’re probably too late.
Try to respond within a few hours of the query being posted. If you are serious about this, you should set up notifications on your mobile. A lot of our best HARO links came from pitches sent during lunch breaks.
But fast does not mean careless. Proofread. Check your links work. Make sure you’re actually answering their question.
Step 6: Track Everything (Because Most Pitches Go Nowhere)
Let’s be real about success rates on HARO. You will probably land a link from about 5% of your pitches. Probably less when you’re starting out.
That’s not discouraging; that’s just math. To get results, you have to send a lot of pitches.
Keep a simple spreadsheet:
- Date sent
- Publication
- Query topic
- Response summary
- Status (pending/published/rejected)
- Link if secured
This helps you see what’s working, follow up when appropriate, and build relationships with journalists who’ve featured you before.
What a Winning HARO Pitch Actually Looks Like
Let me show you the difference between pitches that get ignored and pitches that get published.
Bad HARO Pitch:
“Hi! I’m an expert in digital marketing with over 10 years of experience. I’d love to contribute to your article. Social media marketing is crucial for business success in today’s digital landscape. Companies need to focus on building authentic connections with their audience through consistent, value-driven content. I’ve helped numerous clients achieve their social media goals. Please let me know if you’d like more information!”
This pitch says nothing specific. It sounds like every other generic response. It doesn’t answer the journalist’s real question. It’s getting deleted.
Good HARO Pitch:
“For your article about social media ROI: The biggest mistake I see companies make is tracking vanity metrics, such as the number of followers, versus actual conversions.
Recently, we worked with an ecommerce client that had 50k Instagram followers but zero sales from social. After switching focus from growth tactics to conversion-focused content, their social media drove $30k in revenue within three months, despite the follower count staying flat.
The shift was simple: Stop asking, ‘how do we get more followers?’ Start asking, ‘what would make our current audience actually buy?’
Magnus Nielsen, SEO Specialist at Search Royals (Copenhagen). You can reach me at [email] or see our work at searchroyals.com.”
This is a specific pitch. This is a micro-story. It is a quotable soundbite for the journalist. It establishes credentials without sounding like a LinkedIn bio. This will get published.
Best Practices That Actually Move the Needle
After sending hundreds of HARO pitches-and getting plenty rejected-here’s what separates successful HARO link builders from people who waste time:
Respond within the first hour when possible
Journalists pick from early responses. Set up notifications so you’re not manually checking emails three times a day. The sweet spot is responding within 1-3 hours of query publication.
Write Like You’re Already Being Quoted
Don’t make a journalist work to extract a usable quote from your rambling paragraph. Write in complete, quotable sentences. Use active voice. Cut unnecessary words. Make it stupid-easy for them to copy-paste your response directly into their article.
Provide Proof, Not Promises
“Our testing showed.” always beats “I believe.”. Data, examples, and specific results make your pitch credible. Vague opinions make you sound like everyone else.
Don’t Oversell Your Company
The journalist isn’t writing an article about how great your business is. They’re writing on a topic upon which you happen to have expertise. Name your company once, for credentials. Then actually answer their question.
I have watched numerous individuals blow opportunities by converting every response into a thinly-veiled sales pitch. Journalists are not dumb. They’ll skip your pitch and use someone who actually helped them.
Build Relationships Beyond Single Pitches
When a journalist features you, send a thank you note after publication. Share their article on social media. Offer to be a source for future articles in your area of expertise.
That’s when HARO link building really becomes efficient, since some journalists will come back to you directly for future pieces instead of using HARO altogether.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your HARO Success Rate
Let’s talk about what not to do, because these mistakes tank more HARO campaigns than anything else:
Irrelevant Queries
I get it. That Forbes query looks tempting. But when they’re asking about financial planning and your expertise is in SEO, that response isn’t getting used. Stay in your lane.
Using AI-Generated Responses
Journalists can tell. Every AI response has the same structure, the same phrases, the same lack of personality. They delete these instantly.
You need to sound human. Which means you need actually to be human when writing responses. Yes, this takes more time. That’s literally why HARO links are valuable.
Being too salesy
“Our award-winning industry-leading platform helps businesses achieve unprecedented success.” Cool story. He asked about best practices in email marketing, not for a sales speech.
Answer their question. Mention your qualifications once. Move on.
Not reading the full query
Some people read the first sentence and start writing without reading the rest. Then they miss crucial details like “only looking for experts who’ve worked with B2B SaaS companies” or “please include specific data in your response.”
Read the entire query. Every time. Missing requirements is an automatic rejection.
Missing Deadlines
There’s often a reason when journalists include deadlines. They’re publishing on a schedule. If they say “need responses by 5pm EST today,” responding tomorrow is pointless.
If you can’t meet their deadline, don’t waste time crafting a pitch. On to the next query.
Worth Your Time: HARO Alternatives
Here’s a contrarian view: HARO should not be the only source connector platform.
You should never rely on just one link-building strategy. Using only HARO is like using only guest posts or only broken link building. Mix it up if you want better results.
We use a number of platforms at Search Royals because different journalists prefer different services. Here are the alternatives worth checking out:
Featured (formerly Terkel)
Featured works differently than HARO. They send specific questions to experts, compile the answers into roundup posts, and publish them on their network of sites. Less competitive than HARO, and you can get links from multiple publications with one response. Free to use.
Qwoted
Qwoted is pretty much a HARO competitor. Similar model/different journalist network. Some like the interface and filtering options better. Free account available, paid upgrades.
Help a B2B Writer
This one is specifically for B2B expertise. Smaller volume of queries compared to HARO, but less competition means higher success rates. Completely free. If you’re in B2B, this should be part of your rotation.
SourceBottle
Popular in Australia and the UK but growing globally. Good for international link-building opportunities that are not always covered by HARO. Free account available.
ResponseSource
UK-focused platform. Worth it if you’re targeting British publications or have expertise relevant to UK audiences. Paid platform, but gives you access to opportunities HARO doesn’t reach.
The key? Don’t just sign up for all of these and call it a day. Pick 2-3 platforms, actually respond to queries consistently, and track what works. More platforms doesn’t automatically mean more links. More strategic responses do.
You can explore more about our link building approach and how we integrate multiple strategies for clients.
DIY vs. Hiring a HARO Link Building Service
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Should you do HARO yourself, or hire someone?
Do it yourself if:
- You have real expertise to share
- You can commit to checking queries daily
- You like to write and have time for it
- You’re building links for your own site (not multiple clients)
Hire help if:
- You’re managing SEO for multiple clients
- Your time is better spent on strategy, not execution
- You need links at scale, not just one-off placements
- You don’t have subject matter expertise to respond authentically
The reality? HARO is time-consuming. Three emails a day times identifying which queries apply, times writing custom responses, times tracking can add up to several hours a week. For many business owners, that time is better spent running their actual business.
At Search Royals, we do the heavy lifting of tracking queries, writing responses, and building relationships with journalists. Our customers get the links without having to spend hours every day scanning HARO emails. We have integrated HARO into larger link building strategies that combine digital PR, contextual link building, and strategic outreach.
If you’re wondering whether outsourcing makes sense for your situation, check out our link building packages to get an idea of how we structure campaigns for clients.
Is HARO Link Building Still Worth It in 2025?
Short answer: Yes, but only as part of a mixed strategy.
HARO links are valuable: high authority, editorially earned, and hard to replicate. But they’re also time-intensive with low success rates.
Don’t go in thinking that you’ll submit five pitches and land five links from top-tier publications; you won’t. But if you head into HARO knowing it’s a long game, and the consistent effort compounds over months, you’ll see results.
The bigger point: Don’t put all your link building eggs in one basket. HARO should complement-and not replace-other tactics. We’ve seen the best results when clients combine HARO with strategic guest posting, niche edits, and relationship-based link building.
That’s the approach we take at Search Royals: no single tactic dominates. We test what works for your particular niche and industry, mix strategies based on data, and focus on links that actually move rankings. You can learn more about our transparent approach here.
Because at the end of the day, link building isn’t about finding the one perfect tactic; it’s about consistently executing multiple strategies that each contribute to your overall SEO success.
HARO is one piece of that puzzle. A valuable piece, but still just one piece.
Now go respond to some journalist queries. And, for the love of Google, don’t send AI-generated responses.
