Free journalist-source connection platform (formerly HARO) connecting SEO professionals and PR experts with journalists seeking expert quotes for earned media backlinks.
Featured (formerly Help A Reporter Out — HARO) is a free journalist-source connection platform that enables SEO professionals, PR practitioners, and subject matter experts to earn high-authority backlinks through media coverage. After HARO was shut down by Cision and briefly operated as Connectively before being acquired by Featured.com in April 2025, the platform was revitalized with new features focused on pitch quality, spam reduction, and expanded media opportunities. True to the founders' commitment, Featured HARO remains free for both journalists and sources, maintaining the open-access model that made the original HARO one of digital PR's most valuable tools. A Pro plan at $99/month adds keyword alerts and priority placement features.
The platform connects thousands of journalists from major publications with expert sources who can provide quotes, data, and insights for their stories. For SEO professionals, successful HARO responses result in editorial backlinks from authoritative news and media sites — some of the highest-quality links available for improving domain authority and search rankings. The combination of free access and high backlink value makes it an essential tool in any comprehensive SEO and digital PR strategy.
Journalist Query Access: Journalists post queries describing sources they're seeking for stories across verticals including business, technology, finance, healthcare, lifestyle, and entertainment. Sources receive these queries via email digest or can browse them through the platform interface. Each query includes the publication name, journalist contact, submission deadline, and specific source requirements. The platform's April 2025 improvements focused on increasing query quality and reducing spam to improve pitch success rates for serious respondents.
Expert Source Pitching: As a source, you respond to relevant journalist queries with your credentials, insights, and contact information. Featured HARO's revamped quality controls have reduced noise in the system, meaning journalist inboxes receive fewer responses and your pitches stand a better chance of standing out. The platform's community norms favor concise, relevant, on-deadline responses that directly address the journalist's stated needs.
Keyword Alerts (Pro): The Pro plan adds keyword monitoring that surfaces relevant queries before they appear in scheduled email digests, enabling faster responses to high-competition opportunities. Early responses to popular queries have a documented advantage in securing journalist attention before inboxes fill with competing pitches. This feature is particularly valuable for competitive niches where response speed significantly influences placement rates.
Backlink Acquisition for SEO: Successful media placements typically include links back to the source's website, creating editorial backlinks from domain authority scores often well above 50-80. These natural, editorial backlinks from respected publications represent some of the highest-quality links available without paid placement, making consistent HARO participation an effective long-term link building strategy. SEO practitioners often report significant domain authority improvements after sustained media placement campaigns.
Credibility & Brand Building: Beyond the direct SEO value of backlinks, media placements establish brands and individual experts as recognized authorities in their fields. Appearing in publications like Forbes, TechCrunch, The Washington Post, and industry-specific media builds social proof that influences customer trust, conversion rates, and perceived expertise. This brand credibility compounds over time as media mentions accumulate and create network effects with other journalists seeking trusted sources.
Creating a Featured account as a source is free and takes under five minutes. After registering, configure your expertise categories and keyword preferences to receive relevant query notifications. Set up a source profile highlighting your credentials, organization, and areas of expertise — journalists review profiles when evaluating pitches. Begin monitoring daily query digests or real-time alerts, and respond to queries where you have genuine expertise to contribute. Start with queries in your highest-knowledge areas to maximize initial placement rates before expanding to adjacent topics.
Respond to queries promptly — journalists often fill their source needs within hours of posting. Keep pitches concise (under 150 words) and directly answer the journalist's specific question rather than providing general company information. Include your full name, title, organization, and contact information in every response. Focus on queries where you have direct, specific expertise rather than pitching broadly on topics you know tangentially. Build a library of expert responses to common questions in your niche to enable rapid, high-quality pitching at volume.
Pros: Completely free for sources and journalists; high-authority editorial backlinks when successful; builds genuine brand credibility alongside SEO value; revitalized with quality improvements in April 2025; access to journalists from major publications; Pro plan adds competitive keyword alert advantage; HARO brand recognition means journalists trust the platform.
Cons: High competition for top publication queries; response success rates vary significantly by niche and expertise level; results are not guaranteed — effort investment without certain backlink return; best results require consistent, volume pitching over months rather than immediate results; quality of available queries varies by industry vertical.
SEO professionals and PR practitioners across the industry have welcomed the revival of HARO under Featured, with many expressing relief that the beloved platform returned after its brief, controversial stint as the paid Connectively service. Users appreciate the commitment to maintaining free access as a foundational principle. The quality improvements in the April 2025 relaunch receive positive feedback for reducing the spam pitches that had degraded journalist experience on the original platform. Long-time HARO users report seamless transition to the new Featured HARO interface.
Featured HARO represents one of the most cost-effective link building and digital PR tools available — high-authority editorial backlinks at zero cost, from a revitalized platform with improved quality controls. For SEO professionals building sustainable, white-hat link acquisition strategies, consistent HARO participation creates a compounding asset of media relationships and domain authority growth. The combination of free access, genuine brand-building value, and SEO impact makes it an essential tool in any comprehensive organic search strategy.
