HARO Alternatives

HARO Alternatives: The Tools That Replaced It in 2026

HARO closed in December 2024. Journalists still need expert sources every day. They just find them somewhere else now. Here's a practical, tool-by-tool guide to the platforms that replaced it, and how to win on each.

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The short version

HARO is gone, but the method isn't

Help a Reporter Out was retired for good. Cision, its owner, rebranded it as Connectively in 2024 and then shut that down on December 9, 2024. The daily emails that connected reporters with expert sources stopped landing.

What did not stop is the need behind it. Journalists still write stories that call for a credible quote, a statistic, or an expert opinion, and they still go looking for sources to fill them. That demand simply moved onto other platforms, which is good news: it means HARO-style link building still works, you just do it somewhere else now.

This page is a practical guide to choosing a replacement. If you want the full history of the shutdown and the wider context, read our pillar on what replaced HARO. If you already know the backstory and just want to pick a tool, keep reading.

At a glance

The HARO alternatives, compared

Five real options that soak up most of the journalist requests HARO used to carry. Scan the table to shortlist, then read the detail below to decide.

Platform	What it is	Best for	Cost	How you win
Qwoted	Journalist request platform with a media database, built for experts and PRs	Business, finance, tech, and B2B founders who can pitch daily	Free tier for experts; paid plans for more reach	Log in every morning and answer fresh requests fast with a tight, quotable expert take
Featured.com	Question-and-answer platform (formerly Terkel) where experts answer editor questions	Anyone comfortable writing thoughtful long-form answers, not one-liners	Free to answer; paid plans lift limits and speed	Write genuinely useful, specific answers editors can publish as-is
Help a B2B Writer	Free source-request service from Superpath, emailed as digests to experts	SaaS, marketing, and B2B service brands with in-house expertise	Free	Watch the twice-daily emails and reply to B2B queries within the hour
SourceBottle	Email-based source requests, strong in Australia, the UK, and lifestyle beats	Consumer, lifestyle, health, and small-business experts, especially outside the US	Free	Subscribe to your call-out categories and pitch relevant ones the same day
Social source requests	Journalists posting live requests with #JournoRequest / #PRRequest on X, Bluesky, and LinkedIn	Fast movers who can monitor feeds and reply in public or by DM	Free	Track the hashtags, reply quickly, and lead with proof you're a credible source

None of these is a HARO clone with the same reach. The practical answer for most brands is to run two or three in parallel, which is exactly what a digital PR service does on your behalf.

Tool by tool

Each platform, and how to win on it

Qwoted

What it is: Qwoted is the closest thing to a modern HARO. Journalists and podcast hosts post source requests, and experts pitch a response inside the platform. It leans toward business, finance, technology, and B2B, and it pairs the request feed with a media database so PRs can also reach out to reporters directly.
Who it suits: It suits founders, executives, and subject-matter experts in professional niches who can commit to checking the feed most days. If your expertise is business-adjacent and you can write a crisp quote on short notice, this is usually the highest-yield place to start.
How to win: Speed and relevance win here. Pitch only the requests you can answer with real authority, open with the quotable line the journalist can lift straight into their piece, and keep it to a few sentences. Fill out your expert profile properly, because reporters check it before they cite you.

Featured.com

What it is: Featured (previously Terkel) works on questions rather than deadlines. Editors post a question, experts submit written answers, and the strongest ones get published in roundup articles across a network of business and marketing sites, often with a link and a byline.
Who it suits: It fits anyone who would rather write a considered paragraph than race a same-day deadline. Marketers, consultants, and SaaS operators do well here because the questions skew toward business, growth, and how-to topics.
How to win: Answer the exact question asked, be specific, and add a concrete example or number the editor can't get from a generic reply. Thin, obviously templated answers get skipped. One sharp, original answer beats ten vague ones.

Help a B2B Writer

What it is: Run by the content community Superpath, Help a B2B Writer is a free service that emails source requests from B2B writers to a list of experts, usually twice a day. It is deliberately narrow: business-to-business topics, not consumer or general news.
Who it suits: It is built for SaaS, martech, agencies, and B2B service companies. If your buyers are other businesses and you have in-house operators who can speak to real workflows, the queries here will feel tailor-made.
How to win: The requests move fast, so replying within the hour matters. Answer from lived experience, name the tools or tactics you actually use, and skip anything that reads like a brochure. B2B writers reward practitioners over marketers.

SourceBottle

What it is: SourceBottle is an email-driven service that sends journalist and blogger call-outs to registered sources. It has always been strongest in Australia and the UK, and it covers a broad set of consumer beats: health, lifestyle, parenting, small business, and travel among them.
Who it suits: It suits consumer and lifestyle experts, and it is one of the better options if you are based outside the US or want coverage in AU and UK outlets specifically. Local relevance is a real advantage here.
How to win: Pick your call-out categories carefully so your inbox stays relevant, then pitch the same day a fitting request lands. Match the outlet's tone, offer a human, usable quote, and include a line of credentials so the journalist trusts the source.

Social source requests

What it is: Plenty of journalists skipped the platforms entirely and now post requests straight to social media. On X you'll find them under #JournoRequest and #PRRequest, and the same behavior has spread to Bluesky and LinkedIn as reporters follow their audiences across platforms.
Who it suits: This works for anyone willing to monitor feeds and respond in real time. It rewards people who are already active on the platform and have a profile that signals credibility at a glance, since the reporter's first check is often your bio.
How to win: Set up saved searches or columns for the hashtags, reply fast while the request is live, and follow the journalist's stated instructions to the letter (some want a public reply, others a DM or email). Lead with why you're a legitimate source, not with a pitch for your product.

How to choose

Which one is right for you

Business, finance, or tech expert: start with Qwoted, add Featured.com for written answers.
SaaS or B2B marketer: Help a B2B Writer plus Qwoted covers most of your relevant requests.
Consumer or lifestyle, or based in AU/UK: SourceBottle is your strongest starting point.
Already active on X, Bluesky, or LinkedIn: track #JournoRequest and #PRRequest for fast, free wins.
Short on time: the honest answer is to hand the daily monitoring and pitching to a service.

Or skip the grind

Let us run all of them for you

Every one of these platforms rewards daily attention, and that is the part most brands can't sustain. We monitor the request feeds across Qwoted, Featured.com, Help a B2B Writer, and the rest, pitch you as an expert source, and win editorial links that clear a DR40+ dofollow bar. You pay only for qualified placements.

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FAQ

HARO alternative questions, answered

What actually happened to HARO?

Help a Reporter Out was owned by Cision. Cision rebranded it as Connectively in 2024, then shut Connectively down on December 9, 2024. The email service most people knew as HARO no longer exists. The method behind it, journalists sourcing expert quotes, moved to the platforms on this page. For the full timeline, see our guide on what replaced HARO.

Which HARO alternative is the best one to start with?

For most business and B2B experts, Qwoted has the highest volume of relevant requests and is the closest replacement for HARO. If you prefer writing considered answers over racing deadlines, Featured.com is a strong second. SaaS and marketing brands should also be on Help a B2B Writer, and consumer or AU/UK-focused experts should add SourceBottle. Most people who want real results run two or three of these in parallel.

Are these HARO alternatives free?

Several are free to join and pitch, including Help a B2B Writer, SourceBottle, and monitoring social source requests. Qwoted and Featured.com offer free tiers for experts and sell paid plans that raise limits and add features. You can get real placements without paying for any of them; the paid plans mostly buy speed and volume.

Do links from these platforms actually help SEO?

When a journalist cites you and links back, you get an editorial link on a real publication, which is exactly the kind of link Google's guidelines favor. The links are earned on merit rather than bought or self-placed. Quality varies by outlet, so the value comes from consistently landing credible publications, not from any single pitch.

Do I have to use all of these platforms?

No. Pick the ones that match your niche and the volume you can handle. A solo founder might run Qwoted and Featured. A B2B SaaS team might add Help a B2B Writer. The trade-off is time: each platform needs daily attention to catch requests while they're open, which is the main reason brands hand the whole thing to a service.

Can you run all of these platforms for me?

Yes. That is our service. We monitor Qwoted, Featured.com, Help a B2B Writer, and the other request networks every day, pitch you as an expert source, and win editorial links on publications that meet a DR40+ dofollow standard. You pay only for qualified links, not for the pitching. See our digital PR services for how it works.

Want the links without the daily pitching?

Tell us your niche and the topics you can speak to. We'll work every relevant HARO alternative for you and report each placement with its publication, link, and domain rating.

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