10 Best HARO Alternatives for Link Building 

You have likely spent many hours on HARO (Help a Reporter Out) when in the world of SEO or digital PR. It was once the destination to find fantastic backlinks in the leading publications. You would pitch it, a journalist would like it, and, boom, a link on a site like Forbes or Business Insider. It felt like magic.

But the truth is things are different. What was once a golden opportunity now frequently seems to be screaming in a crowded room. You are not the only one who feels that frustration. There are a lot of us searching around and saying, there must be a better way.

The good news? There is! The digital PR world is vast, with numerous platforms emerging that provide new and efficient means of reaching journalists and creating high-quality links. In this guide we will take a stroll through the reason why HARO alternatives is not the king it once was and 15 terrific alternatives you need to be utilizing in 2025. Consider this your new guide to success in link building.

Why HARO Is Losing Effectiveness (and What That Means for You)

How about the good old days of HARO? You would receive some emails with interesting questions every day, and you had a chance of being featured. Flash forward to the present and the experience is not the same. So, what happened?

• Too Much Competition: This is what made HARO Alternatives its greatest issue. Now everybody and their dog is on it. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of pitches may be received in response to a single query by a journalist. To you, that is that your well-thought-out answer is among a huge stack of them, and it is extremely difficult to be noticed. It is like trying to win a lottery you’re unaware is so popular.
• Poor Quality Requests: Due to having this many individuals on the platform, the quality of journalist requests has occasionally been low. You may end up in a pile of questions of low-authority blogs or publications that do not fit your brand. Real gems are hard to locate and the time is money.

• The Spam epidemic: regrettably, the site has not been spared of spammers and individuals who simply want to cheat the system. Part of the noise is the attempts of some “journalists” to obtain free content and generic, AI-written pitches of some “experts. Such a torrent of bad interactions complicates the possibility of getting true connections.
• The Rebrand to Connectively: HARO was rebranded and integrated into a platform named Connectively in a big move. Although the aim was to enhance the service, changes such as this may result in confusion, new bugs and a learning curve. A lot of long-term users believe that the site has lost its simple and straight forward appeal.

Top 15 HARO Alternatives in 2025 for Link Building

1. Featured (ex-Terkel)

Features, as you may recall, is a site that has developed a very ingenious system that resembles a matchmaking service between experts and journalists. You do not have to go through endless lists of queries, Featured does the heavy lifting. You develop a profile of your expertise and the platform automatically connects you with pertinent questions in its network of publishers. The magic lies in its expert panels.

The platform compiles the most optimal responses of various professionals into one readymade article. This renders life so easy for journalists, and this also enhances your likelihood of publication. It is a win-win approach that will help simplify the whole process, save you time, and present your insights to big names like GoDaddy, HubSpot, and other leading sites. This makes it one of the best HARO alternatives for link building.

• Best For: Busy individuals, marketers, and business owners seeking a more automated and hands-off link-building approach.

Key Features:

• Question matching to your expertise automatically.
• Responses are summarized into articles of the expert panel.
• Pay attention to quality publications.
• Easy to use simple interface.

Pros:

• Saves a lot of time; one does not have to go through emails.
• High success rate since it simplifies the publishing process of journalists.
• Good to attract links with popular brands.

Cons:

• Less choice on what particular questions you respond to.
• The free plan has restrictions on the number of responses to be given.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Plans begin at approximately $99/month with more features and pitching opportunities.

Is it Right for You? When you are fed up with the HARO grind and need a set-it-and-forget-it service that still delivers high-quality links, Featured is certainly worth considering.

2. Quoted

Qwoted is the more business-like and sophisticated sibling of HARO alternatives . It is an application aimed at building actual relationships between journalists and sources of leading media houses. As a member, you will fill in a comprehensive profile that will serve as your personal media kit that will be a showcase of your expertise and past work. Journalists may then directly search experts such as you or post a request that you can answer.

Qwoted applies AI to find you the best opportunities, meaning you are not spending time on the queries that do not fit. It is highly quality-oriented and you will see reporters of such major publications as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Reuters. It is a serious business tool to the serious people who are serious about establishing themselves in the media.

• Best For: PR Creation professionals, long-standing specialists, and B2B firms that seek to reach the best journalists.

Key Features:

• Media matching based on AI.
• In-depth expert profiles.
• Face to face communication with journalists.
• Availability of reporters of mainstream news houses.

Pros:

• Very high quality journalist requests.
• Excellent in establishing long term media relationships.
• The platform is user-friendly and well-designed.

Cons:

• May be very competitive owing to the quality of publications.
• The free version is rather restrictive, which prompts you to a paid plan.

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro plans start at $149.99/month.

Is it Right for You? Qwoted is one of the best platforms in case you want to feature in major publications and have the budget to spend on a premium tool.

3. Help a B2B Writer

When you are in the B2B (business-to-business) world, this is a dream platform. Help a B2B Writer is a hyper-focused service, which matches B2B experts with writers who are producing content in B2B blogs and publications. The queries are all related to topics such as marketing, sales, SaaS, and business operations. Since it is so niche, you will not need to spend time sifting through irrelevant requests regarding lifestyle or consumer products.

The community is smaller and more focused, and that is why your well-crafted pitch has a much higher chance of being noticed. B2B writers have developed the platform, meaning they know perfectly what type of expert knowledge should be included to make a piece of content shine. It is a straightforward, no frills service that does what it says. This makes it one of the best HARO alternatives for link building.

• Best For: B2B founders, marketers, SaaS professionals, and consultants.

Key Features:

• Only B2B based queries.
• Weekly email of a list of opportunities.
• Good requests by high-quality B2B content writers.

Pros:

• Very applicable to anybody in the B2B sector.
• Fewer competitors than larger sites such as HARO.
• Wholesomely free to use as sources.

Cons:

• Less queries, in general, because it is a niche.
• The B2B world is limited to opportunities.

Pricing: Free.

Is it Right for You? In case you are a B2B professional, you should cease what you are doing and register immediately. It is the most focused and efficient free service to your niche.

4. SourceBottle

SourceBottle is an awesome free service that began in Australia but has since expanded to the world. It operates in much the same way as the traditional HARO alternatives model, emailing a daily digest of requests to journalists, bloggers, and content creators, called Drink Up. The site has an extensive selection of articles covering business and finance to health and lifestyle, and thus has something to suit everyone.

The unique thing about SourceBottle is its warm community feel. It even has Find a Case Study and Giveaway sections on top of journalist queries, providing other distinct means of getting your brand featured. It is also an excellent beginner digital PR resource because it is simple, free, and offers a constant flow of various opportunities globally.

Best For: Small companies, startups, and specialists working in a range of niches, particularly those with an international orientation.

Key Features:

• Media queries in the form of daily email alerts.
• Coverage of wide industries.
• Free for sources to use.
• Includes case study requests and product review requests.

Pros:

• Completely free.
• Excellent diversity of opportunities, including global.
• Easy and simple to start with.

Cons:

• The quality of publications can be varied, some of the lower-level blogs.
• Popular queries can still have high competition.

Pricing: Free for sources.

Is it Right for You? In case you are on a very tight budget and need a reliable, free alternative that works in a similar manner that HARO used to, SourceBottle is a great option.

5. OnePitch

OnePitch reverses the script on the conventional HARO alternatives model. You do not wait to get requests or invitations to appear in the news by journalists, but you pitch your own story ideas, company news or expert opinions to the journalists. The site operates on AI to compare your tone with journalists that have recently covered that topic.

This helps you save time by eliminating the need to assemble a media list and locate the appropriate contacts manually. You can also monitor your pitches to determine who has opened them which provides you with a good response as to what is working. It is an instrument created to seize control of your own story, rather than waiting for something to come to you. OnePitch is all about making proactive PR outreach smarter and more efficient and landing stories you initiate.

Best For: Startups, PR professionals, and businesses with interesting stories or data to share.

Key Features:

• Active pitching platform.
• eAI-powered journalist matching.
• Pitch detection and analytics.
• List of confirmed journalists.

Pros:

• Gives you the power of your PR.
• Assists you with the most appropriate journalists on your story.
• The pitch engagement feedback is extremely useful.

Cons:

• Makes you generate your own ideas of stories.
• The newsworthiness of your pitch is what matters.
• Pricing: Free to get started. Paid plans have greater features and pitches.

Is it Right for You? OnePitch may be your secret weapon if you are proactive and have compelling stories to tell, but you cannot find the right journalists to pitch.

6. ProfNet

One of the oldest entrants in the game is ProfNet, owned by Cision, the company that owns PR Newswire (now under the name of Connectively/HARO). It is a high-end service aimed at professional communicators, PR agencies, and big organizations. It links a pre-vetted network of expert sources with journalists of high-profile media.

The opportunities are also the best since the queries you get on ProfNet are usually from big newspapers, magazines, and broadcast stations. Due to the paid service, the competition is much less than on free platforms. Moreover, ProfNet not only offers media requests but also provides the means to create and distribute press releases and create custom media lists, making it a complete PR toolkit for those who require it. This makes it one of the best HARO alternatives for link building.

Best for: In large corporations, colleges, PR firms, and thought leaders.

Key Features:

• Good queries by big media houses.
• Verified network of professionals, resulting in reduced competition.
• Combined with the PR seo tools of Cision.
• Possibility to develop a detailed expert profile that journalists can find.

Pros:

• Exquisite quality of media opportunities.
• Fewer spam and noises than free sites.
• Excellent in gaining coverage in very high authority publications.

Cons:

• It is associated with a high cost.
• Not appropriate to small businesses or budget-friendly individuals.

Pricing: Subscription based and normally packaged with a bigger Cision package. You’ll need to request a quote.

Is it Right for You? ProfNet is an effective, professional-level tool, should you have a serious PR budget and your main objective is to secure coverage in household-name publications.

7. PressPlugs

PressPlugs is a well-known UK-based service with a solid presence in the British media but with international requests as well. It is an excellent choice in case you want your brand to gain popularity in the UK market. The platform operates in a similar manner as HARO alternatives , and it sends daily emails containing a list of journalist requests. The questions are diverse in terms of their topic, and they include business and technology, as well as lifestyle and entertainment.

The good thing about PressPlugs is that the number of requests is relatively small, and the rivalry does not always seem as stiff as on the international sites. It is a good and economical option that offers a dependable flow of valid media exposure, particularly where the target audience or business is based in the UK. The interface is uncluttered and straightforward and therefore easy to get in and begin pitching.

• Best For: UK based companies, or foreign companies interested in grabbing a foothold in the UK media.

Key Features:

• Good attention to UK journalists and publications.
• Daily email alerts.
• Catering to a wide industry.
• Low cost pricing system.

Pros:

• Good in attacking the UK market.
• Less competition on most queries.
• Cost-effective paid plans.

Cons:

• Less opportunities when you are mainly targeting outside the UK.
• The free plan is very limited.

Pricing: Has a free trial that is limited. Paid plans are cheap, beginning with approximately £15/month.

Is it Right for You? PressPlugs is a necessity in case the UK is a major market to you. It is an efficient, targeted instrument to be featured in the British media.

8. SearchAtlas

SearchAtlas is not only an alternative to HARO alternatives , but a complete SEO software suite with an advanced link-building tool known as the “Content Promoter” built in. This option links you to journalists and publishers who are currently seeking expert quotes, data and contributions to their articles.

It incorporates the process of link building within your wider SEO process. You are able to find opportunities, sell your skills and then monitor the backlinks you get, all in the same platform you use to complete keyword searches and site audits. This is a holistic approach that assists you in viewing the immediate effect of your PR activities on your SEO performance. The publications are usually of high quality and the sites are those that will make the needle actually move on your search ranking.

• Best For: SEOs, marketing agencies, and businesses that would like to combine their PR outreach with their overall SEO strategy.

Key Features:

• Included in an overall SEO toolkit.
• Good quality journalist and publisher requests.
• Track your back links and SEO influence.
• Assists in simplifying the whole process of link building.

Pros:

• Relates building of links to the metrics of SEO.
• Availability of a large variety of other helpful SEO tools.
• High quality control of publisher requests.

Cons:

• It is a paid product; the link-building feature does not have a free version.
• May be excessive when you just require a HARO substitute.

Pricing: The SearchAtlas software suite is included and costs begin at approximately $49/month.

Is it Right for You? SearchAtlas is an excellent investment in case you are an SEO professional who wants to have a robust and integrated tool to organize your outreach and track the outcomes.

9. JustReachOut

JustReachOut is a strong PR software that assists startups and small businesses to achieve their own outreach without contracting an overly costly agency. It is not a list of questions, it is a platform that educates you on how to do PR successfully. It contains an enormous searchable database of journalists and publications which you can refine by keyword, niche or publication name.

The platform offers you the tested email pitch templates and a pitch editor that will give you real-time feedback on how to make your outreach emails better. It also possesses a functional feature that resembles the HARO alternatives where you are presented with the relevant requests of journalists. It is a holistic solution to anyone who desires to make a practical, tactical move in establishing relationships with the press and landing features.

Best For: Small business owners, entrepreneurs and startups who wish to do their own PR.

Key Features:

• Thousands of journalist databases that are searchable.
• Ready-made pitch templates and an artificial intelligence pitch editor.
• List of HARO-like journalist requests.
• Coaching and encouragement to assist you in enhancing your outreach.

Pros:

• Gives you the strength to do your PR.
• Great instruments to make the ideal pitch.
• Integrates active and passive outreach.

Cons:

• It is a high quality tool that has no free plan.
• Has a learning curve to master all of the features.

Pricing: The plans begin at 79/month on an annual basis.

Is it Right for You? JustReachOut is an amazing tool in case you want to master the art of PR and have a potent tool to assist you in performing it.

10. JournoRequest (X / Twitter)

It is not a platform but an ingenious technique that makes use of a social media site you probably already have: X (previously Twitter). In their search of sources to write a story, many journalists employ the hash tag #JournoRequest. All you need to do is to search this hashtag on X and you will have a live feed of opportunities posted by journalists themselves.

Another way to keep an eye on what is requested in your niche is to follow particular journalists or publications and get their requests immediately after they are posted. This is an amazing technique as it is straightforward, immediate and you are able to develop a personal rapport. It may be more relaxed to reply to X and it may help you to stand out of the crowd of emails. It is a quick, free and very efficient method of reaching the press.

Best For: Any person who is active on social media, and those who need a quick and free method of searching opportunities.

Key Features:

• Tweets with hashtag JournoRequest on X.
• Media query feed in real time.
• Personal and non-formal communication with journalists.

Pros:

• Completely free.
• Opportunities are presented in real time.
• Excellent at establishing face-to-face contacts with journalists.

Cons:

• You must be fast, because chances may be lost in a few minutes.
• Asks you to actively monitor X.
• The feed may be noisy and has to be filtered.

Pricing: Free.

Is it Right for You? When you are accustomed to the rapidity of X and you do not need a middleman to speak to journalists, the tactic of using #JournoRequest is brilliant.

Best Practices for Successful Link Building with HARO Alternatives 

The transition to a new platform is not the only step. In order to actually get results, you must possess a good strategy. Here are a few simple tips:

• Be Fast: Journalists have tight deadlines. The faster you can react to a query the better. Alerts should be set up and attempt to respond in the first hour.
• Make Your Pitch Personal: Do Not simply send an automatic reply. Call the journalist by his/her name. Talk a little about an article you liked. A personal touch is ever helpful.
• Be Real: Be to the point and get to the point. Provide them with a quotation that they can copy and paste directly into their article. When you have data, statistics, or a special personal experience, post it! Make their job easy.

• Do as You are Told: When a reporter requests 50 words in a response, do not write 200. In case they request you to send them your headshot, prepare one. To cut down on headshot costs, you can use an AI headshot generator for a quick and polished headshot. Doing what you are told demonstrates that you are a professional and easy to deal with.
• Form Relationships: In case you are featured, write a thank-you email. Post the article to your social media and mention the journalist. Such a little effort can convert a single feature into a long-term media contact.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

You can help prevent these common slip-ups as you get started:

• Sending a Sales Pitch: Journalists want information that is expert, not a sales pitch about your product. Focus on being helpful first.
• Write everything with AI: Although AI can be used to brainstorm, do not write your entire pitch with AI. The reporters are able to detect generic and robotic answers with a mile. It is your individual voice and experience that makes you valuable.
• Giving Up Too Soon: You won’t get a yes on every pitch. Actually, you are likely to receive many refusals (or even no response). That’s normal. The main thing is to remain steady and not to give up.
• Talking about things which are not relevant: You should only answer questions you are a true expert on. Trying to pitch on issues you are not familiar with wastes the time of everyone and may also cause damage to your reputation.

Conclusion

There is no denying the fact that the HARO alternatives that we knew have evolved. Competition and noise have enhanced making it a harder game to play. That does not imply that the possibility to get fantastic backlinks is lost. In fact, it’s just shifted.

You can get less crowded areas where your experience can be appreciated by taking a look at such options as Featured, Quoted, and niche-specific sites. The trick in 2025 is to diversify your strategy. Don’t put your eggs in the same basket. Test some of the platforms on this list, test what works and concentrate on delivering real value.

The process of link building remains to be one thing: connection. And to do so, more than ever, with these tools.

FAQs

Is it good to abandon the use of HARO alternatives (Connectively) altogether? 

Not necessarily. It continues to have the biggest number of queries. It is preferable to combine it with 2-3 other options to spread your efforts and maximize your possibilities of success.

 Which number of platforms should I use at a time?

 Start with two or three. A combination of one general platform (such as Connectively or SourceBottle) and one or two niche sources (such as Help a B2B Writer) is a good pairing. Get used to them then add some.

 Should I employ a free or a paid service?

 It is based on your objectives and finances. Free services are excellent to start with, however, paid services tend to have better opportunities and fewer competitors. 

 What is the time of delivery of results of such platforms? 

It varies, but be patient. You may score on your first swing, or you may need several weeks of practice. The trick is to continue with high-quality pitches on a regular basis. Success will follow.