The Truth About Using HARO! HARO Sources Tell Us Their HONEST Experiences

My name is Pierre and I'm a content strategist at a digital agency called Spiralytics. I've been responding to HARO queries for over six months now. [I] Haven't used it to find expert sources yet, but I certainly will in the future. 

Why I use HARO: 

I use HARO for a number of reasons. To build my company's brand, to build our clients' brands, and to build my own personal brand online. Getting featured on relevant articles is great for building authority within specific niches. 

As a digital agency, HARO ties in perfectly with how we operate. We look for opportunities to showcase our client's brands in a professional context, create valuable content that serves their target market's interests and distribute it to the right audiences. The bonus: there's the opportunity to get a link back from an authoritative industry source. 

What I'm trying to get out of HARO: 

Primarily, we want our/our clients' brands to be featured on an authoritative third-party website. It helps position brands as industry experts, which is awesome for building awareness and trust. In most cases, a user wouldn't have come across our brand if they hadn't seen it mentioned on a popular industry portal. 

As a bonus, a backlink from a relevant high-authority publisher helps drive targeted traffic to our website, which means a decent chance for quality sales leads. Backlinks from strong domains also pass relevant SEO authority, which makes us even more visible to users on search engines. 

How have I found using HARO: 

Love it! It's straightforward, easy to use, and direct to the point. I get queries sent to my inbox three times a day, I filter through the results to find anything relevant, then I respond to select queries to the best of my abilities. It's as simple as that. 

The only issue I have with it is that respondents remain in the dark for an indefinite period of time that can last months. I once got a quote published more than four months after I submitted it. T'was a pleasant surprise, but it's always nicer to know what's going on before it happens. 

Contributor: Pierre de Braux | Twitter | LinkedIn

Company: spiralytics.com

Until January of this year, I never knew what HARO was. I joined a new company at that time and they introduced me to this community. 

I primarily use it to search for PR opportunities for the company, as well as our clients. However, I found it to be very useful for inspiring content ideas for blog posts, both internally and for our clients. It definitely provides new perspectives on subjects that I've worn out or hadn't considered before. 

So, for me, HARO is great for new opportunities, but the largest benefit I get from it is helping give my brain a boost and consider new creative angles for content. 

Contributor: Jessica Wright

Company: iversoft.ca

HARO works for me with personal anecdotes, but not professionally. As a Public Relations professional, I look for opportunities to connect my clients with reporters. My focus is primarily B2B; most of the HARO requests are B2C and are not appropriate for their services.

I have been contacted by reporters when I submitted personal anecdotes, including an extensive mention in The New York Times.

If I see the HARO notice arrive in the last 15 minutes, I quickly scan the requests. Otherwise, I delete the email, because I know the paid subscribers have already beaten me to the punch.

Contributor: Janet Falk | Falk Communications and Research | LinkedIn

Company: JanetLFalk.com | Twitter

I'm using HARO as a way to hopefully get more backlinks to both my Indiana health insurance website and my health benefits association for members of all states CompMed Rx website.

I've been a user for about 2 weeks. I am pretty good at checking for the HARO email every few hours and scanning through it to see if there are any queries pertaining to what I do and my experiences. So far I believe I've responded to 5 requests (including this one) mainly for mothers day gift ideas.

The thing that keeps running through my mind is how much is HARO costing me? Sure I'm on the free plan so most people would say nothing. However, I'm probably spending an extra 30 minutes a day scanning each email to see if anything is relevant to what I do. Then if there is something I'm spending another 10 to 30 minutes responding to the reporter. Could the time be better spent doing other SEO activities, trying to sell to or serve current customers?

I think time will tell, but for now, I'm looking for ways to reduce the amount of time I spend HAROing. One of the ways I plan to do this is setting up a keywords search in my Gmail settings. That way I'll hopefully only get emails that pertain to my line of work and the rest will go to my trash.

Contributor: Larry Medcalf

Company: CompMedrx.com | Twitter | Facebook

I have been using HARO now for several months --- I even pay for the additional service --- and am very disappointed.

I am a writer that has extensive experience in many areas --- parenting, business, food, marketing, tools, family, marriage, promotion, tech. So I thought HARO would be a great place to plug in and help reporters with stories that I can add value to.

Over the past several months I have replied to dozens of postings --- for some of them, I would become so excited because the slant was perfect with my background. So far I have not had a single reply.

My guess is, that writers don't want to talk to writers.

I may cancel my HARO membership. It's not a bad service, but I don't think it's something that needs my kind of contribution.

Contributor: Everett De Morier

Company: everettdemorier.com

I started using HARO mainly as a chance to share what I knew with others and get publicity for my full-time skin care business.

As a small business, it is difficult, without spending a fair amount of money, to stand out in an e-commerce/social media world. Using HARO gives me the chance to be seen. When I am picked up by a writer or journalist it not only allows my expertise to show, but offers the readers a link back to my business. What I get from using HARO is credibility. It is a forum that allows me to connect with people I might never have been able to reach.

I love HARO so much, I even wrote a book about using it more efficiently! The Power of Free Publicity (Learn more about this book here: UK Readers, USA Readers).

Contributor: Roberta Perry

Company: scrubzbody.com

I joined HARO on the day Peter Shankman announced it as a Facebook page called If I can help a reporter, I will. I was the 6th person to sign up. I knew Peter from a listserv for PR professionals, though I don't think we'd met in person yet. 

There are four main reasons I use HARO: 

1. To get media coverage for myself. I send out lots of query responses--this is the 70th since New Year's. I use a custom template (which you'll see below this list) (Editor Note: Links included, but format slightly changed for this article) that includes a link to my media room and Wikipedia page, list of some of the more impressive media that have covered me, etc. On my media page, if you scroll past the boxed quotes from the first broadcast and then print journalists and click on any of the links starting with Radio, you'll see a very long list of outlets that have covered me. The vast majority are either from HARO or an older, paid service I used to use called ProfNet. I haven't counted the number, but it's got to be well into the hundreds. 

2. To pass on leads to others. I do this so often, I've got another template for that. I've helped many friends and colleagues and some thought leaders get coverage (and having thought leaders on my side is great if, for instance, years later, I want a book endorsement). 

3. To learn about trends before they emerge into the wider discourse. I scan all the queries and sometimes open queries I know nothing about, just to anticipate where the culture might be going. 

4. As a writer, I occasionally post a query if I want specific kinds of sources I don't have in my network. 

As a profitability consultant for green and social entrepreneurship businesses - and author of 10 books, most recently Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World (endorsed by Seth Godin, Chicken Soup's Jack Canfield, and many others), I show businesses how they can go beyond mere sustainability (keeping things the same) to regenerativity (making things better). 

I work with them to develop and market profitable products and services that turn hunger and poverty into sufficiency, war into peace, and catastrophic climate change into planetary balance. 

Contributor: Shel Horowitz

Company: Media Room | Wikipedia Page | transformpreneur.com | goingbeyondsustainability.com

I use HARO to promote my book. 

So many people's eyes glaze over when we bring up technology - and especially security - and so I tried to build an entertaining story to keep people engaged. With the daily deluge of data breaches, ransomware attacks, fake news scams, and you-name-it, I keep hoping people will wake up. 

By now, I've probably done more than 500 HARO responses, and a few ended up quoted in blog posts. I learned many queries come from IT companies promoting their services and I don't respond to those anymore. A few come from real news organizations. Two years ago, one HARO querier quoted me out of context and got me in trouble in my day-job. That taught me to be more careful when I respond. 

Many times, I have the perfect answer for the query; sometimes I even have a blog post that exactly addresses the article the querier wants to write. When I answer those and get silence in return, it's frustrating. 

I keep thinking, I'm not going to pour more time into HARO queries, but then the next batch of queries arrives and I try one more, looking for that exposure that will trigger lots of book sales. If a few of the right people read my book and it stops just one major data breach, then it will be worth the trouble. 

Contributor: Greg Scott | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook Page

Company: dgregscott.com

HARO is a great way for startups to find PR opportunities to with reporters and bloggers we for sure know are interested in writing about a specific topic. While it's very exciting to see HARO requests from Tier 1 outlets, as a startup, I also prioritize requests for quotes from bloggers.

Every small mention is a win and can help build thought leadership for founders. I definitely would recommend HARO for startups. Using HARO is sort of like shopping at a thrift store, it can take time to sift through everything but it's worth it because you never know when you will find a gem!

Contributor: Carli Evilsizer | Twitter

Company: branderlymedia.com | roomiapp.com

I'm the owner of One Tribe Apparel, an e-commerce fashion brand that sells handmade clothes, bags & yoga accessories from Thailand. We also donate $1.00 per sale to the Elephant Nature Park that rescues & cares for abused elephants.

I use HARO primarily to get links and mentions for One Tribe Apparel which improves our search rankings & traffic.

The secondary benefit is being referenced as an expert in premier publications like Forbes & Business News Daily which helps me build my personal brand as an entrepreneur and digital nomad.

For HARO to be effective you must respond within the first few hours of the queries being sent out or you're just wasting your time. You also need to be consistent and expect to only be featured in 10% to 25% of the queries you respond to.

Since I started taking HARO seriously in early 2017 I've been featured more than 50 times and I am a big fan of the platform and opportunities it's brought me.

Contributor: Ryan O'Connor

Company: onetribeapparel.com | Instagram

I began trying HARO after my first book was published in 2014. I wanted to establish backlinks to my author website to help boost my SEO. I found the HARO emails super easy to use and quickly addicting. Before I knew it, I was being interviewed for the Wall Street Journal! 

I now have over 80 links on my site AND have a mention on HARO's website itself, where they link to a 'special tips' video I made on how new users can maximize use of this service. 

I have helped a lot of reporters and enjoyed the daily search for new article queries to pitch to. I am in books ('Reach Out' by Molly Beck), magazines (Psychology Today), newspapers (WSJ, Chicago Tribune) and websites everywhere. It is what entrepreneurs and creatives should check out when it comes to today's marketing!

Contributor: Carrie Aulenbacher | Twitter

Company: carrieaulenbacher.com

HARO has been an essential marketing tool for my business since 2009. I scour queries every day and have had so many placements, people call me a Media Whore. And since I'm answering this query, I guess the label fits. 

Contributor: Steve Silberberg 

Company: fitpacking.com

I use HARO for the same reason as I suspect most people do, which is to gain exposure for my businesses. However, I find that using HARO also has benefits for online link building. Often, when companies mention you in a story following a HARO request, they link to your website. It’s a pleasing side effect to end up getting links from reputable sites.

Contributor: Ben Taylor

Company: homeworkingclub.com | Twitter

My name is Jonathan Marsh and I own a company called Home Helpers of Bradenton, a licensed Florida Home Health Agency. We provide non-medical in-home caregiving services as well as medical alert services to individuals in our community, primarily seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Our website can be found here. Our primary social media outlet is our Facebook page.

I use HARO because it allows for me to connect with others to share my knowledge and experiences while at the same time allowing the opportunity for some SEO benefits for my business' website. By responding to the HARO inquiries, I have been able to help others in their blogs or articles whether it be related to my business or just me personally. At the same time, writing helps keep me sharp in my field and keeps the thoughts and ideas flowing. 

I actually speak about a lot of the things I write about so contributing to HARO requests actually helps me to continue to hone my skills and build upon my knowledge. In doing so, I have made some lasting connections that would allow for me to contribute thoughts and ideas with those individuals in the future. 

It has also opened the doors for some guest blogging opportunities for myself and for those individuals to be guest bloggers on my company's blog. 

Overall, HARO has been an exciting and fun experience for me from the start. I have responded to HARO requests off and on since September 2017.

Contributor: Jonathan Marsh

Company: homehelpershomecare.com | LinkedIn

I first heard about HARO when I was working for a PR agency, but have since moved to a law firm as the sole marketing arm for the entire firm. Although my job does entail some PR now, HARO has been instrumental in establishing more of a name for the firm as well as greatly helping our SEO efforts. As a marketer, the main goal is to enhance our SEO efforts – and HARO could not be a better resource for this. 

Not only is it helpful for that aforementioned purpose, but HARO really does help businesses of all sizes. That factor alone is why I love the service so much – for people like me working for a smaller law firm, we have the ability to compete with large businesses who are able to outsource all of their marketing or PR efforts to an agency. HARO is a part of my daily routine, and I highly recommend it as a resource for PR and marketing professionals.

Contributor: Lindsey Andrews | Twitter

Company: torhoermanlaw.com | Twitter | Facebook

When researching about how best to broaden our horizons, I came to know about HARO via Neil Patel. We started using HARO with the idea that we would increase the scope of our audiences and make them aware of what the company does. So far, we have had minimal luck with it (we are focused on Europe and there are a lot of American centric queries). I do find it useful in that there is such a diversity of queries and you can obviously find the right hook if you look carefully enough. 

I intend to continue using HARO. You never know, when you might strike gold with it. 

Contributor: Kirti Manian | Twitter | Community Manager for Eonic HK 

Company: eonic.com.hk | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Here at WikiJob, we use it primarily for branding, and for acquiring links through quality media that would otherwise be very hard to get. We generally reply only to queries where we feel our industry experience will make our insight useful for that journalist, and we try to reply in depth, rather than giving a short response. We've even ended up with a few partnerships with publications that started with a HARO query and response. 

It has to be one of our favorite tools. We regularly get quality exposure and links from well-recognized sites (eg from Inc, Huffington Post, CEO Blog Nation) and it's so easy to use 

Contributor: James Rice | LinkedIn

Company: wikijob.co.uk

I was looking for a way to get my company and my name out there in the Internet wild. I found HARO doing searches for ways of boosting visibility across all platforms.

Amazingly, one of my first responses to a HARO query was picked up by the Today Show people who wanted an automotive expert for a clip on winter hacks for your car. On one site of theirs, it received over 1.5 million views!!! Other postings in the 100's of thousands.

Since then I've been tapped numerous times for interviews and features on websites as diverse as AccuWeather and AutoZone. (See Links Below)

https://www.today.com/home/how-defrost-car-windows-quickly-use-potato-rubbing-alcohol-t121645

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/how-to-avoid-getting-shocked-by-static-electricity-during-winter/70003963

The only downside that I have seen to HARO are query seekers that use my information and do not give credit where they got it from or give a thumbs up when used. You need to search regularly to see what might have been used.

Contributor: John Burkhauser

Company: boltontechnology.com

My name is Angela Van Nutt and since I've started using HARO last month I've only written in to now 3 articles. I chose to use HARO because as someone in network marketing, I'm always looking to expand my network and broaden the number of people I can reach and share my product and story with. Using this outlet has been very easy and helpful and I will continue to choose the inquiries that fit myself and my product to enhance my business and broaden my network. 

To give you a little of my background. I've been in network marketing for the last 5 years, however, this past December after researching the benefits of CBD oil in children with autism, I found an incredible ground floor opportunity with the company HempWorx. 

My 4-year-old son was diagnosed on the autism spectrum last year and has been struggling socially and with his sleep and his speech. We were at the point where we would try anything to help him! Within 24 hours of his drops we noticed he was sleeping better, he wasn't exhausted so his speech had improved and his confidence level was already building!! 

With it working that well and so fast on my son, we decided my 8-year-old daughter suffering from ADHD and severe anxiety deserved some relief as well! And boy did she get it! Her results came after about 2 weeks on the drops and hers were huge! Her grades improved, her focus was incredible and she was sleeping like a rock!! 

Then my husband began taking them. He suffers from anxiety and depression. He was able to take himself off his prescription! He's been recognized at work for his confidence increasing! 

HempWorx CBD oil has truly changed the lives of my family members and so many others. It's made me an advocate to help them and help others that may find relief as well! I am blessed to be able to share this product and this company with the world and HARO is becoming a new outlet for myself as a Network Marketer! 

Contributor: Angela Van Nutt

Company: hempworx.com

I've been using HARO since 2009 and have found it valuable (make that invaluable) to my work as a health educator, blogger, 7-book international author and psychotherapist specializing in eating psychology. The interviews I've had through responding to HARO queries have helped create a national platform for me and spread the word about my mission to teach troubled eaters to stop dieting and bingeing, eat normally, and improve their relationship with food and their bodies. 

Specifically, I use HARO to get more exposure via interviews that market my message and build my legitimacy as an expert in my field. Rarely do I encounter a problem. For example, once in a while, a query is listed with a deadline that has already past. 

Contributor: Karen R. Koenig | YouTube | Twitter

Company: karenrkoenig.com | LinkedIn | Facebook

I’m a professor of finance at Gordon College and also the Director for the school's Master of Science in Financial Analysis program.

I started in this role 6 months ago. I joined to launch the master’s program. So I’ve been using HARO to increase my visibility and raise awareness of the master’s program. I’ve found mixed results – wonderful publicity with leading publications like Forbes, US News & World Report, TheStreet etc but that resulted from a myriad of submissions. I'm trying to determine whether HARO is worth the time and effort.

Background – I moved into education after 4.5 years working on Wall Street (as a COO at JPMorgan in New York).

I decided to trade in the corporate world to be an entrepreneur. Anyone can start a company. I decided to change an industry. Specifically, I moved to academia to help a small college build a huge new business.

I’m basically running my own business, as an entrepreneur -- trying to make it successful. Gordon recently launched a brand new one-year master’s in financial analysis. I’m leading (and teaching) the program. The goal is to disrupt the MBA industry.

Business school is a daunting proposition – two years of lost wages combined with ~$200,000 in debt. Yikes. Knowing all that (especially from my experience as a Wharton MBA) I joined Gordon College to launch an innovative one-year master’s program. We’re turning the MBA model on its head.

Ours is a one-year accelerated masters. Tuition ~$30,000. So only one year of lost earnings, significantly less debt, and you're moving into a lucrative career field. Seems a much better model to me.

Contributor: Alexander Lowry | LinkedIn | Twitter | Academic Profile

Company: gordon.edu/gradfinance

I work in Development and Marketing for a nonprofit called EAC Network. Our objective is to reach individuals within our community of Long Island and the boroughs of New York through innovative programs that improve quality of life. We help people within five service areas: Children & Youth, Family & Community, Behavioral Health & Criminal Justice, Seniors & the Incapacitated, and Vocational Services. You can learn more about us on our website.

I'm using HARO in order to get more exposure for my organization. Working for a nonprofit in marketing is rewarding but challenging, as we don't always have the funds to spend on promotion. I would always rather our funds be spent towards helping people, so I try to find creative ways to get our name out there. 

We are a large nonprofit that's reaching our 50th year of service in 2019, but many people in our area don't recognize our name separate from our individual programs. I want to make sure we're known as experts in our field, and I want to make sure that people who could benefit from our services know that we're here to help. I've found HARO to be fast-paced and rewarding. Some days I don't get a chance to review the queries, but I always find it interesting to see what people are writing about. We have been quoted a few times and it's been a great experience. 

Contributor: Sarah Muller

Company: eac-network.org | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

I self-published a book about health and well-being. It teaches easy techniques to access inner strength and turn stress into relaxation and sadness into happiness. Because I don't have established publishers advertising for me, I use HARO to get to the bestseller list. It worked!

Contributor: Milana Perepyolkina 

Company: gypsyenergysecrets.com 

I recently signed up to receive and respond to queries after I read about HARO in a blog https://backlinko.com/backlinks-guide. 

Indeed, I have been trying to find legit ways of getting backlinks to my sites, and when I went through the article at backlinko, I realized that I could get legitimate backlinks to my site by simply helping a reporter. 

Using HARO has made me learn some things that I never knew, for sometimes when responding to the queries, I do some research which in return equip me with the knowledge I never had. 

I do not intend to stop using HARO soon. I believe it is the only way to make my website get legitimate backlinks and to achieve online success.

Contributor: Wycliffe Ouko | Content Writer

Company: myessaydoc.com

Why I use HARO

I started using it to help with my website SEO with the links from the articles I’m featured in. 

What I am trying to get from using HARO

I realized early on that I really enjoy writing my pitches and I’ve enjoyed getting to know other writers, reporters, authors, etc. in this process via email or phone interviews. 

How I have found using HARO

I try to keep it fun and don’t get too attached to the outcome. I try to respond to as many pitches as possible that I can speak to as a mental health professional, business owner or even with a personal story, that way if one gets rejected, it’s not a big deal. I’ve been doing this for almost two months, and I’ve already been featured in 100+ articles, etc.!

Contributor: Heidi McBain

Company: heidimcbain.com

I am a corporate ghostwriter and HARO is my go-to reference for (3) things. 

1) I review the requests daily to source opportunities for my clients and/or extended network so that they might have an opportunity to share their expertise.

2) As a freelance writer, I monitor what contributors are requesting to source trends for future articles I may want to write 

3) For pure entertainment, some of the entries pique my curiosity as a reader 

Contributor: Andrea Preziotti

Company: andreapreziotti.com | Instagram

I serve as partner of an event planning company based in Long Beach, California and we stage events, meetings and corporate functions nationwide. We were established in 1987. 

I have been using HARO for at least 10 years and it has been a great experience in not only getting our company's name out to global audiences, it's also been beneficial in educating consumers and various audience demographics about the profession. For example, it could be responding to a query in providing men with quick party fixes for Health & Fitness Magazine and budget tips for Brides.com to Super Bowl party tips for Atlanta Journal & Constitution and party planning for Costco Connection and topics such as event security and risk management for Smart Meetings and many other media outlets. The topics run the gamut. 

Contributor: Greg Jenkins 

Company: bravoevents-online.com | Twitter | Facebook

I began using HARO over a week ago at the recommendation of my Publicist, and have already gotten good results. I am using it to get the word out about my upcoming book as well as share my expertise as an Entrepreneur with the online community. I now recommend HARO for my coaching clients (other entrepreneurs) in order to elevate them as authorities in their area of expertise. 

Contributor: Veronica Kirin | Twitter | Instagram

Company: veronicakirin.com

It is hard to use it and for the first year or so I used it I got almost no responses. Certainly no articles, but since I have learned and learned a lot - I now have fully used to the max. I would now say that I am somewhat successful with it. 

It is hard to give you an exact number, but I probably have been featured in at least 20 articles using this service. It is great because it gives my fledgling life insurance website a real chance to go up against the big boys. 

Mainly what I am trying to get from HARO is a trade: I will give you, the reporter the information you need for free in exchange for press and a do follow backlink back to my site. It is the most perfect pairing I have ever seen. 

HARO rocks. 

Contributor: Scott W Johnson

Company: wholevstermlifeinsurance.com | Twitter

The main problem with Haro is the almost complete lack of acknowledgment. 

Those seeking (free) help can at least hit the reply button and type THANK YOU or paste in a pre-written acknowledgment. If the material is used, the user should notify the person who took the time to write and submit, obviously. 

Claiming one is too busy to reply while fully expecting contributors to spend a great deal of THEIR time to help a reporter out, is entitled and selfish. It's just good manners and common sense. I wrote to HARO asking them to address this matter to their reporter members but received no reply from them. 

Contributor: Richard Sullivan | Fitness Author and Personal training Consultant. Author of “Reclaim Your Youth”, find out more here: UK Readers, USA Readers.

Company: discoveringhawaii.com

I am a veteran HARO user. I guess that I have been using the service for about 8 or 10 years. I read about the service in a New York magazine that is now defunct. I then read Tim Ferris’ 4-Hour Work Week, and he suggested getting quoted in articles to gain credibility as an expert in my field. That is what I use it for. It has worked! 

I have been quoted in dozens of magazines, newspapers, and blogs. My wife answered an anonymous query and ended up getting published in a major woman’s magazine. That one article lead to her getting interviewed on TODAY with Kathy Lee and Hoda, World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer and also a TV commercial with Toyota automobiles. She is Gina Scarda. 

Contributor: Tom Scarda | LinkedIn 

Company: tomscarda.com | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

My name is Dr. Sonja Ann Jones. Also, I have used Haro using my old name Sonja Fisher. I just got married. I use Haro for many reasons. 

First I use it to inspire others in stories I think that my experiences will help others. 

Second I also use it to promote my acting, and book projects as well as my company Nonstop 4 the Top. I seek out opportunities for interviews both print and podcasts. 

Thirdly I have used HARO to advertise to get people to interview for my own podcast in the past. 

HARO is amazing and the best resource for media, publicity etc. I have been featured in many articles and shows through HARO that have led to great opportunities and networking. Thanks for everything!!

Contributor: Dr. Sonja Ann Jones | Twitter | IMBD

Company: sonjaannjones.com | nonstop4thetop.com

My experience with Haro has been generally positive. 

I answer one or two queries a week, in the areas I know something about. 

From time to time, my contributions (or portions of them) are used, and I like to think they are helpful. It is always nice to see my name in print (or in pixels, anyway) and I suppose it raises my Google presence a bit. 

I do understand journalism deadlines, and it is often pretty obvious to me that journalists are often assigned to write an article about topic X by tomorrow - and the journalist often says But I don't know anything about topic X!!!! The smart ones promptly yell for help, hence HARO. 

The ones who are, shall we say, not quite as smart, write the article anyway, and they often get it so wrong it is laughable or pathetic, or both. 

The one bad experience I had with Haro was a request for information from the Atlanta Constitution Journal regarding business jets. I sent the reporter a reply which included the uses, rationale and financial aspects of business jets, as requested. 

Unfortunately, she was doing a hit piece instead and wanted to show that private jets were criminally wasteful, environmentally catastrophic, and were for rich, sneering, entitled capitalist pigs, the brazen, unscrupulous exploiters of the working class, exclusively. 

She replied to me in most ungracious terms AND complained to Haro about me, resulting in a letter of reprimand! I said screw this (actually it was a LOT stronger than that) and dropped out of Haro for about a year. 

I eventually came back (obviously), but the ACJ remains (in fact, they have a featured position) on my permanent **** list and I absolutely won't contribute anything to them ever again . . . 

Contributor: Mike Arman 

I've been using HARO for 5 years. Read it every day. I own a portfolio of small businesses, in addition to being a venture capitalist ($50M fund based in Ottawa, Canada). 

I read HARO every morning to look for queries that are relevant to one of my projects. I then forward them to the relevant CEO, as well as respond to any myself that relate to my specialties (covered call investing, being an entrepreneur, etc). 

I probably respond to 1 query per week personally and forward 4-5 individual queries to others who are relevant (per week). It has been a great resource to get mentions in quality publications, which in turn, has helped our SEO as well as organic traffic. I've gotten mentions (and links) in CNN Money, Forbes, AmericanExpress, Inc Magazine, Men's Health, Entrepreneur Magazine, and others. 

Contributor: Mike Scanlin

Company: borntosell.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube

I started using HARO to promote my books and Ukraine (war mostly). I never found a chance to say anything about my books to anyone or even mention them.

Once, I did submit info and stories from Ukrainian soldiers to an American media outlet. I have been using it for about 4 months.

I found out that, though I am subscribed to international queries, they are all American oriented. Maybe this is not surprising. But, most of the queries are like fast media - in allusion to fast food. I never heard of any query about current events or such. They are mostly beauty, some finance, holidays and sex.

Contributor: Aename Ale

Why you use HARO

I use HARO to find queries that I'm either:

A. Professionally qualified to answer, or

B. Have deep interest or experience in.

It is the only place, I know of, where you can collectively find a pool of writers and reporters seeking input from the public to complete their articles, and this happens on a daily basis, which is pretty cool.

What you are trying to get from using HARO

The primary reason I use HARO is to try to earn backlinks to my website. My website is my small business, and ranking higher in search results is very important. One of the key ways to achieve this is to increase the quantity and quality of my backlinks, and HARO is a good way to try to do this.

How you have found using HARO 

If you're asking how did I hear about HARO, I heard about it on a blog that provided tips to fellow website owners on increasing brand awareness and exposure online. That blog advocated the use of HARO, so I decided to check it out. The rest is history.

If you're asking how have I enjoyed using HARO, I'd say that I've enjoyed it immensely since I first signed up. It has already opened up doors for me and has led to some backlinks for my site. It's a great and helpful tool. The only downside, I'd say, is the fact that you get three emails a day. Each email is chalk full of information, and sometimes due to my schedule, I don't have time to look at each one every day. So because of the frequency of the requests and the busy-ness of my schedule, I'm sure I've missed out on some great opportunities to contribute to interesting articles!

Contributor: Scott Perry

Company: catchershome.com

I am delighted to give you a 5-Star Rave Review!

My name is Chellie Campbell and I treat money disorders – spending bulimia and income anorexia. I am the author of three financial/life balance books, The Wealthy Spirit, Zero to Zillionaire, and From Worry to Wealthy all published by Sourcebooks, Inc. I’ve been speaking and teaching Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops since 1990.

I tell all my clients about HARO and what a terrific PR resource it is. When you’re in business for yourself, it is vital to get the word out about your products and services. Advertising can be expensive, and hiring a PR professional can break the budget of any small business. You give us the ability to introduce ourselves to writers who are looking for experts to quote in their articles for free (or practically nothing if there is currently a fee to join).

I’ve been quoted in Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s World, Pink, Entrepreneur, Jean Chatsky’s column on the NBC website, and many more blogs and social media outlets. Some of them just contact me directly for quotes now. You really make me look good! HARO has really paid off in visibility, book sales, and workshop sales. Thank you so much!

Contributor: Chellie | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Company: chellie.com | Facebook

I started using HARO to obtain relevant backlinks to my website. As a new entrepreneur just starting to try to get noticed in the Los Angeles marketplace, showing up in search results is not easy. 

However, since joining, I’ve already gotten over 6 backlinks from websites with high domain authority and couldn’t be happier with the results! 

Contributor: Alexandra Bassett

Company: dogsavvylosangeles.com