How HARO Link Building Works
Step 01: Sign up as a source
Free Connectively (HARO) Account SignUp Connectively is free and includes all of the features of HARO. This option is perfect for source and for journalists looking to dip their toes into the world of media outreach and free media pitch opportunities. Simply identify your areas of expertise and start receiving media pitch opportunities via email for free, three times per day. Tip: Media outreach sources find that the morning pitch batch (sent out at 5:35 a.m. ET every day) is the most competitive. However, afternoon (12:35 p.m. ET) and evening (5:35 p.m. ET) pitch batches offer more media outreach opportunities with much less competition.
Step 02: Monitor for relevant queries
Buzz scan alert: Find out how to quickly and easily scan through tons of irrelevant requests and identify the ones for which you can claim real authority. The faster you can respond to legitimate requests, the better. Reporters have deadlines to meet and responding 24 hours after a pitch was solicited is often too late. Find out how to set up email filters to instantly alert you to requests that fall within your field of expertise.
Step 03: Write a concise, quotable response
Children in care currently face the worst outcomes of any group when it comes to serious health issues such as diabetes and organ failure. Working together, we can spot those at risk and help prevent these problems from taking hold. Better training will also mean that social care and medical professionals are able to support young people with existing conditions, helping them to thrive in new situations and avoid further complications. The Fostering Network has unveiled a series of posters aimed at families, highlighting different conditions and the signs that someone may be unwell. Emily Spencer is a young parent living in care, who has written a powerful blog about her experience of looking after her newborn while being supported by a social worker. You can read it here. Read the full release here. - Emily Spencer, young parent living in care @EmilySpencer21 emilyandbabe.blogspot.com
Step 04: If selected, the journalist publishes your quote with a backlink
The resulting link is editorial, the link was created by a journalist on a publication. Editorial links are highly valuable as they carry the authority of the publication in addition to being naturally occurring. This link appears in the body of a legitimate article, making it contextual.contextual link.
HARO Link Building Best Practices
Respond within 2 hours. Respond within 2 hours. Journalists are often looking for the first qualified response they receive. The number one success factor in media relations is speed. Sign up to receive media alerts as they become available.
Answer the actual question asked. Answer the actual question asked. Do not pitch your product. Answer the journalist's question with genuine expertise. The link comes naturally when you provide a useful, citable response.
Include credentials. Credentials Jane Smith, Board-Certified Dermatologist with 15 years of practice is more credible than Jane Smith, Skincare Enthusiast. You want to convince the journalist that you are a credible source.
One quote per response. One quote per response. Give the journalist one excellent, citable quote. Not five paragraphs. They need a single usable block of text that fits naturally into their article.
Follow up once, maximum. One time. Tops. If it’s been a week and you’re still waiting to hear back from the journalist—well, you’ve just become their second choice. It’s time to move on. No need for multiple follow-up emails.
Track your wins. TRACK YOUR WINS Make sure to keep record of any articles or media pieces that mention you or your brand. A few tips: - Keep an eye on media outlets for any future publications that may include a quote from you in the future. Unfortunately some journalists will not contact you once they have published the article. - Set up Google Alerts for your name and for your business name so you can be notified anytime a publication comes up.
HARO vs Other Link Building Tactics
| Factor | HARO / Connectively | Guest Posts | Digital PR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to respond | $149-$299/link | $4,000-$11,000/campaign |
| Time investment | 15-30 min per pitch | Handled by SERPpro | Handled by SERPpro |
| Success rate | 5-15% per pitch | Near 100% (paid) | Varies by angle |
| Average DR | 50-80+ | 30-60 | 60-90+ |
| Scalability | Low (manual, time-intensive) | High (marketplace) | Moderate (campaign-based) |
| Best for | Free high-DR links | Consistent volume | Brand + authority |
Key takeaway: The key takeaway is that HARO is great for the free high-DR links, but it does not scale. Larger agencies and brands that need to ensure they get a certain number of links every month will need to combine HARO with other tools like SERPpro for editorial link building in order to get the volume they need on a monthly basis. Here is a breakdown of the costs for each tool.editorial link building for predictable delivery. For a detailed cost comparison, see our backlink cost breakdown.
When HARO Stops Scaling
HARO link building has its ceiling. You can only really respond to 3-5 resource requests per day, and realistically expect to turn 5-15% of those into links. Which gives you 1-3 links per month, assuming you do this every day. That’s nowhere near the 10-50+ links per month that many of our clients need.
SERPpro's alternatives for scale:
- HARO link building service: Our in-house team secures HARO responses for your key experts.
- Editorial link building: Predictable per-placement delivery on 20,000+ publishers
- Digital PR campaigns: Journalist outreach at scale beyond HARO's query pool
- Data-driven PR: Create the newsworthy assets that generate journalist interest
For pricing across all these services, see the link building pricing guide.
