## HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connects journalists who need expert sources with people who can contribute quotes, context, and interviews. It is a high-effort PR backlink opportunity: useful pitches can earn credited media mentions, sometimes with a link back to the source's website, but publication and link attributes depend entirely on the journalist and outlet.

- URL: https://www.helpareporter.com/
- Guide: https://backlinkbadger.com/provider/haro-help-a-reporter/
- Link type: nofollow
- Free option: yes
- Domain authority: 17/100
- Spam score: 1/100
- Difficulty: 85/100
- Estimated time: 45 minutes
- Requirements: Sign up with an email address to receive source query digests., Prepare a concise expert bio, relevant credentials, and the canonical website URL you want credited., Monitor query emails and respond before the journalist's deadline., Write specific, quotable answers instead of promotional copy.

HARO is best treated as an editorial outreach channel, not a guaranteed profile link. You earn the backlink only if your response helps a journalist enough to be cited in the finished article.

## Method: respond to source requests

1. Go to the [HARO sources page](https://www.helpareporter.com/sources) and sign up for the free daily media query emails.
2. Watch for requests where your experience, company data, or subject-matter expertise clearly matches the journalist's brief.
3. Reply quickly with a short answer, your name, role, credentials, and the website URL you would like used for attribution.
4. If the journalist follows up, provide any extra details or interview availability they request.
5. After publication, check the article to confirm whether your credit includes a link and whether the link is followed or nofollowed.

HARO's own about page describes the backlink upside cautiously: selected sources may be credited, often with a link, when the final story is published.

[Image: HARO how it works: review media opportunities, respond to queries, and get featured in the media]

## Notes

- The source-side flow is free, but the opportunity cost is real because accepted pitches are competitive.
- Keep every response useful to the story. Journalists are unlikely to publish generic brand pitches.
- There was no stable public source-success example on the official HARO pages during this run, so this entry uses the official workflow explanation rather than claiming a specific third-party article as proof.