How to get quoted by reporters: HARO tips that still work

HARO, short for Help a Reporter Out, started in 2008. According to Cision's announcement, Cision acquired it through its 2014 merger with Vocus, later rebranded it as Connectively and then wound it down. Cision's own notice says the platform was permanently discontinued as of December 9, 2024.

That was not the end. Cision announced the sale of HARO to Featured.com in April 2025, and Featured's announcement said HARO would remain free for journalists and sources, supported by newsletter ads, and would return to its original daily email format.

Featured has since relaunched Connectively as a separate platform. In a June 2026 release, Featured said Connectively had passed 100,000 users and runs alongside the HARO email, giving experts a choice in how they find media opportunities.

So if you stopped checking HARO when it shut down, it is back, in roughly its old form.

A reporter posts a short request, usually a topic, the kind of expert they want, a few questions and a deadline. Sources reply by email or through the platform. The reporter reads what comes in and contacts the people whose answers fit the story.

Two things follow from that. Speed matters, because reporters on deadline often work with the earliest useful answers. And the reporter is choosing quotes, not reading essays. Your job is to make their job easy.

HARO arrives by email and, per Featured's announcement, stays free for sources. Connectively is the platform Featured runs alongside it. Featured's own HARO page says Featured owns and operates HARO and that Connectively members see HARO queries the moment they go live. That comes from Featured's sales page, so weigh it accordingly, but it explains why some experts use both.

Whichever service you choose, prepare before you answer anything:

• A two sentence bio that says what you do and for whom.
• A link to a current headshot.
• The one or two topics you can speak on with real authority.

Then read the requests every day for two weeks. You will quickly see which ones fit your expertise and how fast the good ones fill up.

These come from how reporters work, and they apply to HARO, Connectively and any similar service.

Answer only what you know. Skip requests outside your expertise. A strong answer to one relevant request beats ten generic ones.

Lead with the answer. Put your best two or three sentences first, written so they can be quoted as they stand. Then add one or two lines of supporting detail.

Make it specific. A real number from your own business, a short example or a clear opinion is more useful than general advice anyone could give. Only include figures you can back up if the reporter asks.

Include who you are. Your name, title, company, website and a one-line reason you are qualified to speak on the topic. Reporters need to attribute the quote correctly.

Respect the deadline and the format. If the request asks for a certain length, send about that. If it asks for a specific type of expert, be that expert or skip it.

Follow up once, at most. Reporters get many replies. If your answer is not used, the next request is a better use of your time than a second follow up.

Earned quotes are free, and that is part of their value. If you ever pay for coverage, or give a blogger or creator free products expecting them to talk about you, different rules come into play. The FTC's guidance on endorsements says that if someone receives free products or other perks with the expectation of promoting an advertiser's products in a blog, the FTC Act applies. Keep earned media and paid promotion separate, and disclose the paid kind clearly.

When a story runs with your quote, the work is not over.

1. Share it. Post the link on LinkedIn and your other channels, and thank the reporter publicly.
2. Add it to your site. A short "As seen in" section on your about page, linked to the original article, lends credibility to new visitors.
3. Build the relationship. Reporters return to sources who were helpful and easy to work with. Being reliable once makes the next request more likely to come straight to you.

For more on how press mentions fit into a bigger plan, our guides to digital PR and thought leadership content go deeper.