Learn what HARO is and how to use it to earn high-authority backlinks for your startup for free.
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a free platform that connects journalists with expert sources. When your pitch gets accepted, you typically earn an editorial backlink from a high-authority news site. It's one of the most reliable free methods for building credible, do-follow links without paying for placements or running cold outreach.
How Does HARO Actually Work?
The process is direct. Journalists post queries on the platform. You receive three email digests daily (5:35 AM, 12:35 PM, 5:35 PM ET), each packed with requests across dozens of industries. Pitch a useful, specific response to a relevant query, and if the journalist uses it, you earn a credited backlink in a published article.
Note: HARO was rebranded to Connectively after the acquisition. Sign up at connectively.us; the workflow is identical.
What Types of Backlinks Can You Get from HARO?
HARO links are almost always editorial backlinks; placed inside the body of an article, not buried in a footer. These are the links Google weighs most heavily.
Publication Type | Avg Domain Rating | Typical Link Type |
National news outlets | DR 85 – 95 | Editorial, do-follow |
Industry magazines | DR 55 – 80 | Editorial, do-follow |
Regional news sites | DR 40 – 65 | Editorial, mixed |
Blogs & niche media | DR 30 – 55 | Editorial, do-follow |
Academic / research | DR 70 – 90 | Citation, mixed |
One placement from a DR 80+ outlet can outweigh months of low-authority link building.
How Do You Sign Up and Get Started with HARO?
Getting started takes under five minutes:
• Go to connectively.us and create a free source account
• Select industry categories to filter queries by topic
• Start receiving the daily email digests with journalist queries
• Reply directly through the platform dashboard or the email itself
• Track your pitches and responses inside your account
The free plan covers all queries with unlimited pitching. Paid tiers add keyword alerts and filtering.
How Do You Write a HARO Pitch That Actually Gets Published?
Most HARO pitches fail because they're too generic. Journalists can receive 80+ responses to a single query. Here's what separates the ones that get used:
• Lead with your credentials, state who you are, and why you're qualified in the first line
• Answer exactly what was asked, don't pad with background context the journalist didn't request
• Be specific numbers, real examples, and direct experience beat vague opinions every time
• Keep it under 250 words. 150–250 is the sweet spot for most queries
• Always include a bio with your full name, job title, company, and website URL
Treat each pitch like you're answering a client question in a first meeting; be direct, be useful. Pairing HARO with a guest posting strategy accelerates results across both earned media and direct placements.
What HARO Response Rate Should You Expect?
Honest answer: low. Most consistent HARO users report a 5–15% acceptance rate on pitches. That sounds rough, but one accepted pitch from a DR 90 publication moves your domain authority more than months of typical link building.
Pitch Quality Level | Acceptance Rate | Common Reason for Rejection |
Generic, no credentials | 1 – 3% | Indistinguishable from other pitches |
Relevant but vague | 5 – 8% | Not specific enough to quote directly |
Specific + credentialed | 10 – 20% | Wrong timing or angle for that story |
Niche expert + data-backed | 20 – 35% | Rarely rejected if pitch matches query |
Improving your rate is mostly about relevance, not volume.
Radar comparison: HARO vs Guest Posting vs Directory Listings across six performance dimensions
How Does HARO Fit Into a Broader SEO Strategy?
HARO links are organic and editorial; they signal authority in a way paid links can't replicate. For startups building domain authority from scratch, HARO is one of the few free channels that delivers real SEO movement fast. Pair it with a solid SEO and AEO growth strategy so the pages earning those backlinks are optimized to convert. For a broader playbook, this startup link-building guide covers how to stack multiple channels by stage and budget.
The Bottom Line
HARO is one of the most underused free tools available for startup link building. The barrier isn't access; it's consistency and pitch quality. Show up daily, respond to queries with real expertise, and the backlinks follow.
If you want help building a full backlink strategy from HARO and press releases to guest posts and organic authority visit Viral Impact and talk to the team about what fits your current stage.