HARO has experienced a significant transformation with a switch in the online marketing environment and a later termination in 2024. A pay-to-pitch model replaced HARO, and the company was closed at the end of the year, leaving many marketers without potential HARO alternatives to Link Building.
In addition to this, this all-around guide takes into account the top 15 platforms that are already becoming so effective, providing an alternative to offering a new channel of reaching journalists, gaining backlinks in TV, and adopting best PR tactics. Not only beginners in the digital PR industry or simply the veterans of link building, but these two options give you a broad spectrum of opportunities to enhance your brand presence and influence in 2025.
Why HARO Is Losing Effectiveness (and What That Means for You)
- Problem of Oversaturation: HARO is quite an oversaturated system, and the appearance of ChatGPT was not able to change this circumstance, as it became even more challenging to create an impression among thousands of answers.
- Pay to Pitch Model: Embarkation of charges to pitch created a barrier to the small firms and freelancers who could take advantage of the options without restrictions.
- Low Response Rates: Competition was increased, and we had an excellent pitch that was not even opened in an overpopulated inbox.
- Generic Query Quality: Many queries were found to be duplicated with low value and little or no probability of generating meaningful brand visibility and quality backlinks.
- Platform Unrelatedness: Instability: Platform unrelatedness is exhibited in periodic bursts, e.g., change of ownership, pricing became models, and linking structures, making it indeterminate that there would be a consistently similar link-building strategy.
- AI-Generated Spam: Because the general standards of postings were undermined by the proliferation of automatic feedback, the reality of real professionals was made difficult.
What to Look for in a HARO Alternative
Concerning the method of evaluating the effectiveness of a platform in the case of HARO Alternatives, several crucial elements can be established as determining factors. First, check the quality and relevancy of media opportunities – you want websites that offer a wide range of high-authority publications suitable for your niche. The response rates are essential; request the services from journalists with active circles and the necessary competency level.
The broad productive impact could be the efficiency of the user interface and workflow, which in this instance favors platforms with an efficient and streamlined submission process. Value proposition and price transparency should align with your budget and provide predictable ROI. Besides, search engines with advanced filtering features that allow you to narrow results to specific industries, the nature of the publication, and its geographical location will yield the most returns and chances of success.
Top 15 HARO Alternatives in 2025 for Link Building
1. SearchAtlas
Search Atlas is an all-inclusive search marketing program incorporating a bundle of digital PR tools, one factor that makes it a favored HARO substitute. This platform integrates the standard outreach in the media and innovations in regards to the search engines, offering users the complete solution in regard to link building.
SearchAtlas is unique in that it offers users the ability to track PR opportunities directly on their SEO dashboard, so the marketer can see the link acquisitions along with other SEO activities. The platform provides advanced match features and automated outreach scaling, optimizing the whole process of finding the opportunity all the way to achieving a successful placement.
Key Features:
- Advanced SEO integration
- Automated outreach tools
- Dashboard of comprehensive analytics.
- There are opportunities for multi-channel PR.
Pros:
- All-in-one SEO solution
- Advanced filtering options
- Single-pointer performance monitoring.
Cons:
- Higher learning curve
- Premium pricing model
- Limited free features
Best For: Search Engine optimization agencies and companies that want all-inclusive digital marketing with a built-in PR tool.
Pricing:
- Starter: $49/month
- Professional: $99/month
- Agency: $199/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Is it Right for You?: Perfect to improve businesses that would like to merge SEO and PR activities on one platform and including sophisticated metrics.
Website Link: https://searchatlas.com
2. Connectively (HARO’s new name)
In April 2025, it was rejuvenated, with Featured continuing to host the original free email-based format, and it continuously constitutes a further expansion of the original HARO platform under the twin flags of their familiar signature of the email-based system and additional features.
It is a platform whereby they enlist the journalists to longer versions of expert sources per industrial tag on the day-to-day curated emails. Nonetheless, despite this mixed legacy, some of Well Connected’s output has been a recovery of value and applicability, which, with concrete spam filters at the heart and broader utility to both journalists and sources, made HARO popular in the first place.
Key Features:
- Opportunities dispatchment through email.
- Filtering of industry categories.
- System of verification journalists.
- Mobile-optimized interface
Pros:
- Familiar HARO format
- Free access available
- Large journalist network
Cons:
- Loss of stability at the platform.
- High competition levels
- Limited premium features
Best For: Marketers who have already tried the format of HARO and wish to have a more direct analogue that they might put to the same purpose.
Pricing:
- Free tier available
- Premium: $19/month
- Professional: $49/month
- Agency: $99/month
Is it Right for You?: It has been demonstrated to work with original HARO and can be relied upon with the email approach, also provided that it is displayed flawlessly.
Website Link:https://www.helpareporter.com/
3. Expertise Finder
Expert Center is a specialized platform that matches the expertise of industry professionals with journalists seeking authoritative sources. It also has a curated portfolio of high-value opportunities by reputable publications, rather than quantity.
Users can create detailed expert profiles, indicating their areas of expertise, which helps journalists find relevant sources more easily. This relational compatibility algorithm offers a greater likelihood of success and relevance than broader ones, making the platform an ideal HARO alternative for link building among niche experts and industries.
Key Features:
- Expert profile creation
- Sophisticated matching algorithms.
- Quality-focused opportunities
- The specialization focuses on industry.
Pros:
- High-quality opportunities
- Specialized industry focus
- Better matching accuracy
Cons:
- Limited opportunity volume
- Narrow niche focus
- Higher competition rates
Best For: Industry insiders and thinkers, in small specialties, who want quality media placement.
Pricing:
- Basic: Free
- Professional: $29/month
- Expert: $79/month
- Enterprise: $199/month
Is it Right for You?: Great with experienced professionals in particular industries who do not want to waste time purchasing large amounts of media placement.
Website Link: https://expertisefinder.com
4. JustReachOut
Designing JustReachOut, PR mastermind and PR expert Dmitry Dragilev aimed to assist individuals who had ambitious PR ambitions. Such a platform creates a more proactive outreach to the media, offering the user the solutions to identify and direct contact with journalists instead of waiting to create them.
JustReachOut will provide a larger, more or less media contacts database and templates, along with tracking. It is a potent HARO Alternative to the link-building strategy in case one is willing to invest in a customized outreach, especially in relationship-building done over the long term.
Key Features:
- Direct database of journalists in contact.
- Pitch template library
- Tracking tools – Relationships.
- Campaign management system
Pros:
- Handshaking.
- Large database of journalists.
- Accent on relationships.
Cons:
- Requires more manual work
- Higher time investment
- Learning curve involved
Best For: PR practitioners and marketers who want the feature of direct outreach to journalists and relationship-building functions to be utilized.
Pricing:
- Starter: $79/month
- Growth: $149/month
- Professional: $299/month
- Agency: $599/month
Is it Right for You?: Best suited to those who are interested in developing long-term relationships with journalists and are willing to go to them instead of responding.
Website Link: https://justreachout.io
5. JournoRequest (X / Twitter)
JournoRequest takes advantage of the influence of social media, in this case twitter/X, to link journalists with expert sources in real time. This website tracks journalists’ Twitter posts seeking sources, remarks, or opinions against the background and notifies registered users about opportunities.
Social media has its own set of benefits due to its timely quality, which is that one can respond immediately and communicate directly and effectively with journalists. JournoRequest, as a HARO Alternative to Link Building, has a semblance of authenticity and immediacy that its less robust counterparts do not, at times, though it necessitates involvement in, and rapid achievement on, social media.
Key Features:
- Live tweeting.
- Social media integration
- Online journalist connection.
- Rotating notification system.
Pros:
- Real-time opportunities
- Direct social engagement
- Authentic interactions
Cons:
- Needs to be socially posted.
- Quick response necessity
- Platform dependency risks
Best For: Marketers who are social media savvy and do not mind real-time interaction and necessitate a quick response.
Pricing:
- Free basic monitoring
- Pro: $29/month
- Business: $79/month
- Enterprise: $199/month
Is it Right for You?: Best suited to people who were on Twitter actively and could react immediately and connect with journalists on social media on an even level.
Website Link: https://journorequest.com
6. SourceBottle
SourceBottle is the preferred service in Australia, which links journalists and expert sources, but it has also ventured into international markets. The system has a no frills but efficient concept that operates through the gateway of journalists heading the table to journalists seeking brilliant answers by experts presenting their knowledge and qualifications.
Quality storytelling and real-life expert commentaries are core focus points of SourceBottle, so it is especially helpful because of its value to thought leaders and industry experts. Being one of the HARO Alternatives in Link Building, it provides fewer competitors compared to bigger sites, yet it retains a high level of quality publications and good relations with reputable media companies.
Key Features:
- Quality-focused requests
- International coverage
- Expert verification system
- Story-driven approach
Pros:
- Lower competition rates
- Quality publication network
- Strong editorial standards
Cons:
- Limited global reach
- Smaller opportunity volume
- Regional focus bias
Best For: The Australian businesses and foreign specialists want to find good media placements with minimum competition.
Pricing:
- Free for sources
- Yearly subscriptions to journals are offered.
- Premium features: $49/month
- Agency plans: Custom pricing
Is it Right for You?: Better than average among those experts who are ready to make reflective commentary and demand quality rather than quantity in placements in the media.
Website Link: https://sourcebottle.com
7. OnePitch
OnePitch enhances news media reach through one-to-one and unified interactions between professionals and reporters. The platform highlights quality pitching rather than mass submissions, whereby users are supposed to write specific, relevant answers to the particular needs of journalists.
OnePitch offers solutions that help to build remarkable expert profiles, monitor the success of pitches, and establish sustainable ties with the media. This strategy renders it an efficient HARO Alternative to Link Building among individuals who favor strategic, personalized reaching out rather than quantity-centered methods and may consider committing time to compose high-quality responses.
Key Features:
- Personalized pitch focus
- Optimization of the profile of an expert.
- Success rate tracking
- There are relationship-building tools.
Pros:
- Quality over quantity
- Personalized approach
- Better success rates
Cons:
- Time-intensive process
- Small volume opportunities.
- Higher effort requirement
Best For: PR professionals and experts who want to have a strategic, personalized approach to outreach and pay attention to relationship building.
Pricing:
- Individual: $97/month
- Professional: $197/month
- Agency: $397/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Is it Right for You?: Perfect for those who prefer quality relationships to quantity, but do have enough time to make pitching individualized.
Website Link: https://onepitch.co
8. ProfNet
ProfNet is among the oldest existing networks of expert sources in journalist-scholar relationships since 1992, uniting academics, researchers, and industry professionals. Universities, research organisations, and corporate professionals are all very familiar with the platform, thus it is especially useful when the source to be used must be academic.
ProfNet’s reliable and quality services make it a reliable HARO alternative for journalists seeking authoritative sources for link-building exercises. The platform’s expertise validation and institutional affiliation aspects mean it will provide opportunities for high-authority backlinks with well-respected publications.
Key Features:
- Academic expert network
- Institutional affiliations
- Credibility verification
- Long-established relationships
Pros:
- High credibility standards
- Academic focus
- Established reputation
Cons:
- Academic bias
- A low number of business prospects.
- Slower response times
Best For: Academic and research professionals and professionals who have institutional affiliations, who need credible media placements.
Pricing:
- Free for qualified experts
- Subscriptions institutional.
- Premium services: $299/month
- Bespoke enterprise solutions.
Is it Right for You?: Ideal for academics and researchers who want to experience the media opportunities where professional skills and institutional prestige are given priority.
Website Link: https://profnet.com
9. PressPlugs
PressPlugs is an evolving system that enables sector media specialists to connect with experienced sources across various sectors. Its platform is focused on efficiency and relevance, and sophisticated algorithms allow matching opportunities with appropriate experts according to the level of specialization, region, and their presence.
PressPlugs offers both proactive outreach features for generating relationships with journalists and traditional opportunities, such as responding to queries. As a HARO Alternative Company specializing in creating appropriate links, it offers the possibility of automatic matchmaking with human curation, ensuring high-quality results while maintaining a balance in the number of opportunities provided to active users.
Key Features:
- Algorithm-based matching
- Dual approach system
- Industry diversification
- Efficiency optimization
Pros:
- Equal-opportunity volume.
- Smart matching algorithms
- Diverse industry coverage
Cons:
- Newer platform
- Limited track record
- Algorithm dependency
Best For: Marketing professionals seeking to leverage algorithms for efficient marketing and explore industry opportunities.
Pricing:
- Free tier: Limited features
- Professional: $49/month
- Business: $99/month
- Enterprise: $249/month
Is it Right for You?: The best option for practitioners who prefer to match efficiently without compromising opportunity, diversity, or quality.
Website Link:https://pressplugs.co.uk/
10. PitchRate
Pitch Rate is a game-changer in conventional media outreach, as it turns the process into a game that connects experts with journalists. The service presents systems of ratings, achievement levels, and performance indicators, encouraging high-quality and rewarding successful specialists. Such a new practice establishes a culture of community-based operations whereby the most successful performers are noticed and favored by journalists.
PitchRate’s unique approach makes it a desirable HARO alternative for professionals who thrive in competitive environments and can leverage gamification to boost their success in reaching target customers.
Key Features:
- Gamification elements
- Rating systems
- Performance metrics
- Community-driven approach
Pros:
- Engaging user experience
- Performance incentives
- Community building
Cons:
- Learning curve required
- Gamification may distract
- Newer concept
Best For: Professionals who are competitive and respond to performance-based recognition systems and gamification.
Pricing:
- Basic: Free
- Pro: $39/month
- Expert: $79/month
- Agency: $159/month
Is it Right for You?: Amazing in the case of professionals who are driven by competitiveness and performance indicators and like gamification activities.
Website Link: https://pitchrate.com/wphome/
11. PressHunt
PressHunt is a comprehensive aggregator of classic media opportunities, receiving requests from various sources, including social media, industry periodicals, and direct entries from journalists. The advantage of this platform is that its range covers a wide variety of opportunities, ensuring users do not miss prospective placements across multiple channels.
PressHunt focuses on speed and breadth, making it useful for users who need centralized access to multiple streams of media opportunities. This strategy makes it an efficient HARO Alternative to Link Building among professionals who organize various outreach channels and investigate the most promising opportunities.
Key Features:
- Multi-source aggregation
- Comprehensive coverage
- Speed optimization
- Centralized management
Pros:
- Broad opportunity coverage
- Several assemblies of sources.
- Time-saving centralization
Cons:
- There may be information overload.
- Quality variation
- Less personalization
Best For: Time-starved professionals who need overall coverage of the media opportunities in various channels and sources.
Pricing:
- Starter: $29/month
- Professional: $79/month
- Agency: $159/month
- Enterprise: $299/month
Is it Right for You?: Best suited to individuals who aren’t bothered by covering a larger volume in case of a wider venture scope.
Website Link:https://presshunt.co/
12. Featured (ex-Terkel)
Also called Terkel, the company is a collaborative content creation enterprise that hires more than 70 experts to produce entire articles and roundups. The platform is geared towards coming up with high-value professional content that can positively impact both publications and contributing experts.
The original idea of Featured is the organization of several expert visions on one topic and the generation of powerful content units that become authoritative. Such a collaborative format makes it a most suitable HARO Alternative to Building HARO links. Building HARO by writers not seeking rapid quote opportunities but instead to become part of longer, better, without better-researched pieces, which may lead to better authoritative publication backlinks.
Key Features:
- Grouping in content development.
- Multi-expert articles
- Quality-focused approach
- Comprehensive coverage
Pros:
- High-quality content focus
- Collaborative opportunities
- Authoritative publications
Cons:
- Limited opportunity types
- Longer development cycles
- Higher competition
Best For: Experts in the industry who are not very concerned about conjugated or more instructor-based content.
Pricing:
- Free for experts
- Premium insights: $49/month
- Agency access: $199/month
- Enterprise custom solutions.
Is it Right for You?: Great if the thought leader wants to add to in-depth, collaborative content rather than one-off quotes.
Website Link: https://featured.com
13. Quoted
Qwoted also differentiates itself as a business network that is dedicated to PR and communications professionals to network with journalists and media organizations. It combines social networking with conventional media outreach, allowing users to create profiles, share insights, and engage with journalists’ queries.
Qwoted lays focus on relationship building and professional networking, thus it is not merely an opportunity platform. As a HARO alternative for link building, it offers unique benefits to PR professionals by providing multiple touchpoints for successful placements. This allows for the combination of networking opportunities and traditional media opportunities.
Key Features:
- Professional networking orientation.
- Social media integration
- Instruments of relationship building.
- PR community emphasis
Pros:
- Networking opportunities
- PR-focused community
- Relationship emphasis
Cons:
- Needs an investment in networking.
- Smaller opportunity volume
- Professional facility deficiency.
Best For: PR professionals and communications specialists who would like networking options as well as media placements.
Pricing:
- Free basic membership
- Professional: $79/month
- Agency: $199/month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Is it Right for You?: Highly recommended for PR practitioners who value networking and relationship building as part of their media accessibility strategy.
Website Link: https://qwoted.com
14. Help a B2B Writer
Help a B2BWriter- B2B writers are linked with industry experts and sources to find their content. It is achieved through Superpath, which is a Slack group about content marketers. This tailor-made arena is dedicated to B2B content creation, linking authors with industry gurus who may offer expert input to articles, case studies, and thought-based materials.
Free in 2025. Supported agencies. Help a B2B Writer become API-enabled to organize customer requests. The platform’s B2B focus creates highly targeted opportunities that often result in valuable backlinks from industry publications and authoritative B2B websites, making it a strategic HARO Alternative for Link Building for B2B marketers.
Key Features:
- B2B content specialization
- Industry expert network
- API integration available
- Slack community connection
Pros:
- B2B focused opportunities
- Targeted audience
- Industry specialization
Cons:
- Limited to the B2B sector
- Smaller opportunity pool
- Niche market focus
Best For: B2B marketing specialists, SaaS evaluators, and technology specialists working with businesses will find the targeted media resources.
Pricing:
- Free for experts
- Writer access: $29/month
- Agency API: $99/month
- Available enterprise solutions.
Is it Right for You?: Ideal for B2B professionals and organizations in business technology and software, as well as off-the-shelf solutions.
Website Link: https://helpab2bwriter.com
15. Benzinga PressWire
Benzinga PressWire is a press /Wire distribution company dedicated to providing financial and other business news and accompanying financial reporters or business media publications to businesses and supplying them to the news reporters or business media.
The site concentrates most of its activity on investor relations, earnings announcement reports, and business development news, and thus it is of special interest to publicly traded companies and providers of financial services.
Benzinga has excellent working relations with the financial press, which opens the possibility of a high impact of placements in accepted business publications. As a HARO Alternative for Link Building, it offers specialized access to financial media that can provide authoritative backlinks with significant industry credibility and investor visibility.
Key Features:
- Specialization of financial media.
- Investor relations focus
- Business news distribution
- Financial journalist web.
Pros:
- Financial sector expertise
- High-impact placements
- Investor audience reach
Cons:
- Limited to the financial sector
- Higher costs
- Specialized requirements
Best For: Financial services firms, publicly traded companies, and businesses investing in financial media through newspapers, radio, and TV arrangements.
Pricing:
- Basic distribution: $299/release
- Enhanced: $599/release
- Premium: $999/release
- Custom packages available
Is it Right for You?: Ideal for financial services corporations and businesses that require liaison with investors and financial media.
Website Link:https://www.benzinga.com/
Best Practices for Successful Link Building with HARO Alternatives
- Compelling Expert Profiles: Craft detailed profiles that showcase your unique skills, expertise, credentials, and previous media appearances, helping you outcompete your competition.
- Quick and Detailed Responsiveness: The majority of HARO Alternatives to Link Building encourage prompt declarations and deep replies accompanied by insightful information and backup data/statistics.
- Establish Real Relationships: Consciously work to build authentic relationships with journalists as opposed to trying to make each interaction a one-off transaction to ensure greater success over time.
- Demonstrate Unique Value: Present rare ideas, unexplored information, or new points of view that cannot be easily found elsewhere, enhancing your opportunity to be placed.
- Follow Up Professionally: Use polite follow-ups where they are warranted and keep in touch even where your pitch is not picked up to create future opportunities.
- Performance Metrics: Monitor response rates, effective placements, and backlink quality across various platforms to inform outreach strategy and resource distribution.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Template Responses: Replying to several queries with the same, blatantly templated response means loss of credibility and a clear indication of not personally being interested in that particular story.
- Over-promoting Your Services: Being too promotional, instead of offering useful information, makes your replies sound spammy to journalists.
- Irresponsible to Journalist Content: Violating Journalist Specifications: Failing to meet submission demands, word count, or deadline requirements often results in outright rejection, regardless of the piece’s quality.
- Failing to follow up etiquette: Becoming either too pushy in follow-ups or not following up at all may spoil your image among journalists.
- Appealing to Irrelevant Opportunities: Answering questions outside your field of expertise not only wastes time but also disqualifies you from future opportunities with the same journalists.
- Forgetting Link Building Goals: Youare fixated on finding mentions without considering the quality, authority, or relevance of the linking publication, which can harm your SEO efforts.
Future Trends in Link Outreach
- AI-Assisted personalisation: More and more advanced algorithms would be able to match relevant opportunities to the expert, according to their skill, prior achievements, and journal preferences, with greater success rates.
- Integration of videos and Multimedia: Platforms will not be restricted to viewing responses via text only, as they will also contain video interviews, audio content, and interactive content to make stories richer reading experiences.
- Real-Time Verification Systems: Real-time credibility checking based on blockchain technology will be performed with fact-checking to increase the level of trust between a journalist and an expert source of information.
- Micro-Influencer Integration: HARO Alternatives Link Building will implement these social media aspects of influence, introducing the measurement as the integration of journalists with an expert with an engaged, event-specific audience.
- Automated Relationship Management: CRM integration and automated relationship tracking will be used to sustain long-term relationships with journalists and also maximize the timing of outreach across different platforms.
- Growth of niche Specialization: Newer, industry-focused platforms will appear and provide more experience in industry-specific areas such as healthcare, technology, and financial services to target link building.
Conclusion
The further development of traditional HARO has opened thrilling prospects for strategic link builders and PRs in 2025. These 15 HARO Alternatives to Link Building offer a range of ideas and suggestions. Some services, such as SearchAtlas, provide comprehensive SEO solutions, while others focus on B2B writer results, like Help a B2B Writer.
To be successful in link building nowadays, it is necessary to come to terms with the peculiarities of each platform, its audience, and needs, keeping in mind the idea of genuinely valuable claims that do not distract the attention of journalists and their readers. The trick lies in leveraging the diversity of your approach across various platforms to establish authentic relationships and consistently deliver quality expert information that meets media requirements and supports your link-building goals.
FAQs
How many HARO alternatives are to be applied at the same time?
It is better to start with 2-3 platforms that may help you deliver, and to add new ones based on the success levels and time possibilities.
How do HARO alternatives respond on average?
All platforms and niches have different response rates, which are usually 5-15 percent of good submissions.
Do paid HARO alternatives provide value?
Due to the underlying higher targeting, better opportunity, and probability of success, paid platforms are highly viable to the serious link builder.
What is the speed at which I should react to the media opportunities?
Response to time-sensitive requests within 2-4 hours, with time constraints, which is sometimes subject to a time limit depending on deadlines.
Is it possible to automate answers to HARO alternatives?
They should not replace human interventions with some automation tools, but everything is much more efficient with personalized and thoughtful answers as compared to automation and template-based responses.
