The success rate of securing HARO backlinks sits at just 5-10%.
This number might seem low, but HARO (Help A Reporter Out) stands as one of the most powerful link building strategies in SEO. Link building remains the biggest challenge in SEO, and a backlink from a high-authority website can reshape your search rankings.
HARO link building brings exceptional value. The platform connects you to over 75,000 journalists and bloggers, plus more than 1 million sources. You get direct access to premium websites that would be out of reach through other methods.
A strategic approach to HARO helps you build links and establish your industry authority. Many low-quality websites flood HARO with requests and create meaningless content. That’s why we suggest targeting opportunities from sites with a Domain Authority of at least 50.
This piece will guide you through our tested process to secure valuable HARO backlinks. We’ll share the exact strategies that consistently earn us mentions on reputable websites – from account setup to creating the perfect pitch template.
What Are HARO Backlinks and Why They Matter
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a platform that has changed link building. It creates an environment where you earn backlinks by sharing valuable information. You get HARO backlinks when journalists include your expert knowledge in their content and link back to your website.
How HARO connects journalists and sources
HARO works in a simple way. Journalists post questions when they need expert input for their stories. Anyone registered as a source can share their knowledge. This works well for everyone involved. Journalists receive reliable information for their articles, and sources might get quality backlinks and media coverage.
The platform has grown into a bustling community with over 1 million sources and 75,000 active journalists. Big names like Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME regularly ask for expert opinions through HARO. Your website gets a link when they pick your response, and you become recognized as an expert in your field.
Benefits of HARO link building for SEO and branding
HARO backlinks are great for SEO because:
- High-authority backlinks: You can connect with websites that are usually hard to reach. About 68% of questions come from sites with a domain rating of 50 or higher.
- Enhanced E-E-A-T signals: Getting quoted as an expert on trusted websites builds Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—key factors that affect search rankings.
- Diverse link profile: Around 50% of HARO links are dofollow links, which directly boost your SEO.
HARO does more than just help with SEO. Getting featured in well-known publications makes you an intellectual influence and builds trust with your audience. These mentions can also bring targeted visitors who care about your industry.
What is HARO backlinks in the context of digital PR
HARO brings something special to the digital world by combining traditional PR with search optimization. Unlike paid links or sponsored content that need disclosure, HARO gives you editorial links. These links carry more weight because they come with expert insights that make your brand more credible.
HARO is one part of a complete digital PR strategy. Brands looking for steady coverage and quality links should use HARO alongside other outreach methods. Many marketing experts see HARO’s value, which has led to agencies offering done-for-you HARO link building services.
HARO stands out from traditional PR because it’s available to anyone with real expertise. You don’t need media connections or expensive PR firms. The platform rewards quality insights rather than promotional content, which makes these links more valuable to search engines.
How to Use HARO: Setting Up for Success
The right setup makes a big difference when you start with HARO. Your success rate with HARO backlinks will improve by a lot if you set up your account properly, pick the right categories, and manage your inbox well.
Create a HARO source account
You can set up your HARO source account in minutes. The process starts at helpareporter.com where you’ll click the “I’m a Source” button or find the “Sign Up” option in the menu bar. Fill out the registration form with your name, email address, and details about your expertise and industry.
You’ll get a verification email after submitting the form. Your dashboard becomes accessible once you verify your account. The accessible interface lets you update your account details whenever needed.
Choose the right categories and priorities
The HARO Preferences section sits at the bottom of your dashboard. This vital area determines the queries you’ll receive. You can pick specific industries matching your expertise or select “Master HARO” to get queries from all categories.
HARO sends three daily emails – morning, afternoon, and evening editions. These land in your inbox at 5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m., and 5:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Each edition brings different queries, so check all three to find relevant opportunities.
Take time to pick your categories carefully. Your success rate with HARO link building goes up when you focus on niches where you can give valuable input.
Set up Gmail filters and alerts for better management
HARO emails can flood your inbox quickly. A good email management system makes your HARO outreach more sustainable. Gmail users can create special filters to organize HARO emails:
- Click the settings gear icon in Gmail and select “See all settings”
- Go to the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab
- Click “Create a new filter” and type haro@helpareporter.com in the “From” field
- Click “Create filter” and pick actions like “Skip the Inbox” and “Apply the label”
- Make a new label just for HARO emails
Keyword filters can make things even easier. Set up filters with terms from your field to highlight or separate relevant queries. This helps you spot promising opportunities faster.
Google Alerts for your name helps track when your contributions appear in published articles. This way, you can check when your HARO pitches turn into actual backlinks.
Pro tip: Use a separate email address just for HARO to keep these opportunities away from your regular emails. Another option is to create a Gmail filter with keywords from your niche to catch relevant queries right away.
A proper account setup and smart email management create a lasting system to find and respond to the best HARO queries in your field.
Finding the Right Queries to Pitch
Getting HARO backlinks starts with spotting the right opportunities. Hundreds of queries flood in daily. You need to learn how to identify valuable prospects that will maximize your results and save countless hours.
How to scan HARO emails efficiently
HARO sends query emails three times daily at set times: 5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m., and 5:35 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. You need a systematic approach to scan these emails efficiently. Speed matters here—the best opportunities typically get responses within the first few hours.
The smart way to handle incoming emails is to quickly skim subject lines and industry categories. Expert users recommend focusing on your core expertise areas rather than trying to answer everything. Many successful HARO users block specific times in their weekly schedule just to review queries, which helps them stay focused.
Your scan should target topics where you have unique insights or firsthand experience. One expert puts it simply: “Relevancy is key!”. Journalists rarely select pitches from those who venture outside their expertise, which wastes valuable time.
Use keyword filters to narrow down opportunities
The high volume of queries means setting up effective filters is vital for HARO success. Gmail users benefit from creating dedicated folders and labels specifically for HARO emails to stay organized.
Here’s a powerful way to set up keyword filters that automatically sort queries based on your expertise:
- In Gmail settings, create a new filter with “haro@helpareporter.com” in the From field
- Add keywords related to your niche in the “Has words” field
- Set up actions like applying specific labels or marking as important
Users who want advanced features without premium HARO plans have alternatives. Some create spreadsheet-based systems that automatically parse queries based on predefined topics, which saves time substantially.
Evaluate domain authority and publication quality
Each HARO query offers different value. Smart users assess the potential return by understanding the publication’s authority. Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA) is a vital metric—higher scores associate with greater SEO value for backlinks.
Your focus should be on opportunities with Domain Ratings of 40+ for solid SEO benefits, though opportunities above 60 are premium. Experts say an average DR score ranges between 40-50, while anything above 60 represents high-quality.
Publication relevance to your industry matters more than just authority metrics. A medium-authority website that perfectly matches your niche often delivers better results than a high-authority site with little relevance.
The publication’s linking policy needs careful attention. Some high-authority domains only give nofollow links or unlinked mentions, which affects your strategy. Anonymous queries might come from prestigious outlets, but experienced sources usually skip them because publication quality remains uncertain.
These strategic approaches to finding and evaluating queries will boost your HARO success rate and help you use your time efficiently.
Writing a Winning HARO Pitch
Your HARO pitch will make or break your chances of getting featured by journalists in their articles. Becoming skilled at the pitch process can improve your success rate to get valuable HARO backlinks.
Use a proven HARO pitch template
No universal template will work with every journalist, but a proven structure boosts your chances by a lot. A HARO pitch that works has:
- Personalized greeting (using journalist’s name when available)
- Brief introduction establishing your credibility
- Direct answer to the query (200 words maximum)
- Your full name, title, and company
- Website link for attribution
- Headshot link (when requested)
Quick responses with well-laid-out pitches are vital since journalists pick from the first good responses they get. Note that your email subject line creates the first impression—it should be concise yet compelling to stand out among dozens of other pitches.
Be concise, quotable, and relevant
Journalists look for responses they can easily add to their articles without much editing. You should create “snackable” quotes—short, memorable statements that leave an impact. Your text needs line breaks and short paragraphs that express one idea at a time.
Successful HARO users write in a style that makes pull-quotes easy. So you should structure your response as if you’re writing in the journalist’s voice and do all the “heavy lifting” to let them copy and paste your explanation.
Include a short bio and headshot link
Your professional background makes your expertise more credible. You should always add a 2-3 sentence bio after your main pitch. On top of that, it helps to have a LinkedIn-style headshot (300×300px) ready as a shareable link from Google Drive or Dropbox—never as an attachment.
Avoid self-promotion and fluff
HARO exists to help journalists, not to promote yourself. Focus on teaching rather than selling. Journalists need trustworthy sources they can quote easily—making their job simpler improves your chances of getting featured.
You should skip phrases like “I’d be happy to comment” or “checking in”. Give clear, valuable information without promotional language. Getting a backlink through genuine expertise should be your goal, not securing an advertorial for your business.
Tracking Results and Optimizing Your Strategy
Your HARO backlink success depends on how well you track your efforts. A good tracking system helps you understand what works and what doesn’t after you send your pitches.
How to verify backlinks and mentions
You need to make sure articles that feature your insights are published and include your link. Search engines value links that appear in useful, relevant content. Here’s how you can check your HARO backlinks:
- Check whether the article is live and indexed by search engines
- Locate your exact quote and link placement within the content
- Confirm the link type (dofollow vs. nofollow)
Journalists rarely tell you when articles go live, so you need to monitor actively. Google Alerts for your name and company will help you catch published placements right away. Some HARO users say BuzzSumo works better than Google Alerts to find mentions, giving you another option to track your success.
Use spreadsheets and alerts to track success
A dedicated tracking system turns random responses into a measurable strategy. Your tracking spreadsheet should include:
- Query details (publication, topic, deadline)
- Submission dates
- Response status
- Placement outcomes (backlink vs. mention)
- Domain authority scores
You should also track key performance indicators like placement rate, pitch-to-publication ratio, and monthly link growth. These numbers show which query types match your expertise best. A complete tracking system includes:
- Google Analytics to monitor referral traffic from published articles
- SEO platforms to track link indexing and authority scores
- Email filters to organize HARO opportunities by priority
Refine your pitch based on feedback and results
Looking at your data systematically reveals what works in your pitches. Wait about three months, then look at your data to see patterns. Pay attention to:
- Publications that use your responses often
- Topics with the highest acceptance rates
- Pitch formats that get positive feedback
Your data will guide your strategy adjustments. The pitch-to-placement conversion rate usually falls between 5-20%, so keep at it. These metrics will help you focus on opportunities that give you the best results from your HARO strategy.
Conclusion
HARO backlinks stand out as one of the quickest ways to build high-quality links from authoritative websites. Success rates usually stay between 5-10%, but the potential benefits make this strategy worth your time. This piece has covered the whole HARO process from setting up your account to tracking your results.
Good preparation improves your chances of success by a lot. You’ll get better results when you pick relevant categories, set up email filters, and check domain authority before sending pitches. On top of that, your pitch quality determines if journalists will showcase your expertise.
HARO might need considerable time at first, but it pays off beyond just getting backlinks. Of course, when high-authority publications feature you as an expert, it builds your brand’s credibility and boosts your SEO profile. You should look at HARO as both a link building tool and a way to manage your reputation.
The best approach treats HARO as a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll succeed through consistent work, fine-tuning, and learning from your wins and losses. Start with a few well-crafted pitches each week instead of trying to grab every chance that comes along.
You now have all the tools you need to start with HARO—from setup guides to pitch templates and tracking systems. Begin small, track your results, and tweak your strategy based on what works. Soon enough, those high-quality backlinks will stack up and push both your search rankings and industry authority higher.
FAQs
Q1. How can I increase my success rate with HARO backlinks? To improve your HARO success rate, focus on responding quickly to relevant queries, craft concise and quotable pitches, and target publications with a Domain Rating of 40 or higher. Consistency and persistence are key, as typical success rates range from 5-20%.
Q2. What should I include in a winning HARO pitch? A winning HARO pitch should include a personalized greeting, a brief introduction establishing your credibility, a direct and concise answer to the query (maximum 200 words), your full name and title, a website link for attribution, and a headshot link if requested. Avoid self-promotion and focus on providing valuable insights.
Q3. How often does HARO send out query emails? HARO sends out query emails three times daily at 5:35 a.m., 12:35 p.m., and 5:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. It’s important to check all three editions for relevant opportunities in your field of expertise.
Q4. What are the SEO benefits of HARO backlinks? HARO backlinks offer significant SEO advantages, including high-authority backlinks from reputable publications, enhanced E-E-A-T signals, and a diverse link profile. Approximately 50% of links acquired through HARO are dofollow links, providing direct SEO value.
Q5. How can I track the success of my HARO pitches? To track your HARO success, create a spreadsheet to record query details, submission dates, response status, and placement outcomes. Use Google Alerts or BuzzSumo to monitor when your contributions are published. Analyze your data after about three months to identify patterns in successful pitches and refine your strategy accordingly.
