HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
Detailed Description
Helpareporterout—often shortened to HARO—is back online after Cision shuttered its paid “Connectively” spin-off in late 2024 and sold the original asset to Featured.com in April 2025. The revived site keeps the classic formula: reporters submit story requests, HARO bundles them into scheduled email digests, and registered sources reply directly with quotes or insights. Unlike Peter Shankman’s personality-driven Source of Sources (SOS) list, HARO is being relaunched as a more automated, high-volume clearing-house. The UI is still bare-bones (sign-up form + email preference center), and there’s no public roadmap yet—but Featured.com has hinted at upcoming filters, profile pages, and optional paid tiers.
Key Features
- Thrice-Daily Digest Emails – Morning, afternoon, and evening blasts grouped by beats such as Business & Finance, Lifestyle, Health, Tech, Travel, etc.
- Simple Pitch Workflow – Click a query, email the reporter through the provided address; no in-platform messaging required.
- Outlet Disclosure & Deadlines – Each request lists publication name (or “Anonymous” tag), word-count needs, and a hard deadline.
- Profile & Preferences (beta) – Basic dashboard lets sources set expertise categories and opt-out of specific verticals.
- Reporter Self-Serve Form – Quick Google-Form-style submission with optional verification for higher visibility.
- Bulk Data for Featured– Behind the scenes, Featured uses query/response data to feed its own content and expert-matching products.
Pros and Cons
✅ Pros
- Zero upfront cost to receive unlimited queries.
- Massive reach: historically 75k+ journalists and 1 M+ sources on file.
- Straight-forward, email-only workflow—no complicated software.
- Can deliver marquee backlinks (Forbes, WSJ, Insider) if your pitch wins.
- Backed by Featured.com’s engineering resources, so new filters/analytics likely.
❌ Cons
- Inbox overload: hundreds of queries per day; manual scanning is tedious.
- Quality varies widely; many requests are “anonymous” or low-authority blogs.
- Competition is fierce—single query can attract 100–300 pitches in hours.
- No built-in CRM, success tracking, or spam-blocking yet.
- Future monetization (e.g., pay-to-filter or pitch limits) remains unclear.
Pricing Information
At relaunch (Q2 2025) HARO is completely free for both reporters and sources. Featured.com has stated that “premium filtering and analytics” options may be introduced later this year, but no pricing tiers or contract terms have been announced.
User Feedback
Early chatter on Reddit’s r/PRpros and X suggests cautious optimism: users are happy to see the brand back under independent ownership but complain about déjà-vu issues—duplicate requests, vague outlets, and AI-generated spam pitches. Reporters like the volume but still grumble about low-signal outreach. No G2 or TrustRadius ratings yet; Product Hunt relaunch expected later in 2025.
➡️ Summary
The resurrected HARO revives its high-volume, free email-digest model, giving experts a shot at headline-worthy press without spending a dime. Expect plenty of noise, heavy competition, and an uncertain roadmap—but if you can reply quickly with laser-focused expertise, the payoff can be huge.
