HARO and Connectively: How to Earn Backlinks in Top Media as an Expert Source
Complete guide to HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Connectively for link building. Learn how to respond to journalist queries, earn mentions in high-DA media and build editorial authority as a press source.
HARO (Help a Reporter Out), now relaunched as Connectively, is a platform where journalists from Forbes, Bloomberg, TechCrunch and hundreds of other publications search for expert sources for their articles. When you're cited as a source, the article normally includes a link back to your website. The result: editorial backlinks in DA 70–95 media without paying for them and without cold outreach. It's one of the best earned media link building channels available for any company or professional.
How HARO / Connectively Works
The process is straightforward: journalists post "queries" describing the story they're writing and the type of source they need. As a registered source, you receive emails three times a day (morning, afternoon, evening in New York time) with all queries of the day filtered by category. You respond with your expert perspective in the format the journalist requests. If the journalist uses your response in the article, they typically include your name, company and a link to your site.
What makes HARO unique for link building: the backlinks it generates are completely editorial — the journalist chose to quote you for the value of your response, not because you paid or did outreach. Google weights these links differently from paid or negotiated links.
How to Identify Queries with the Most Potential
With 50–100 queries per email, the key skill in HARO is prioritization. Don't respond to everything — respond to queries with the highest potential for quality links:
| High-priority signal | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Media outlet explicitly identified | You can verify DA before responding |
| Query is specific to your real expertise | Higher chance of being cited vs. generic responses |
| Deadline in the next 24–48 hours | Fast responses have advantage over late ones |
| Asks for expert in [your exact industry] | Less competition from sources in other niches |
| Article URL partially visible | You can research the article's context |
Complement HARO with guaranteed links in high-DA media? Esbuenisimo Links offers both: earned media via PR + links on 1,200+ verified outlets. View platform →
🚀 Digital PR & Link Building
Rank #1 on Google and Get Mentioned by AI
1,200+ media outlets in 8 countries. Backlinks that Google and ChatGPT recognize as trusted authority sources.
See plans and pricing →The HARO Response That Gets Published
Most HARO responses don't get published because they're too long, too vague or don't answer exactly what the journalist asked. The response structure that works:
- Credentials first, brief: One line: who you are and why you're the right person to answer this specific question. Not your full bio.
- Direct answer to the question in the second paragraph: The journalist should be able to copy-paste your quote directly into the article without editing. If the response requires context to understand, it's poorly structured.
- One quotable quote: A concise, direct and potentially memorable phrase the journalist can use as a direct quote in quotation marks. 15–25 word phrases are most frequently cited.
- Data or evidence when you have it: A statistic, a specific case, a concrete number. Journalists prefer sources with evidence over sources with opinions.
HARO for Companies vs. Individuals: Different Strategies
For independent professionals and consultants: the goal is building personal brand. Respond to queries where you can be cited with your name + title + company (or personal site). Over time, you accumulate citations in multiple media that reinforce your topical authority with Google and LLMs.
For companies: designate 1–2 spokespeople with real expertise to respond to queries. Don't use a generic "communications" spokesperson — journalists value perspectives from founders, CTOs, technical specialists or researchers with real knowledge of the topic. The quality of the source determines the probability of being published.
For personal brand link building in particular, HARO is the highest-impact technique for time invested: a 200-word response can generate an editorial backlink in Forbes or Inc. that no amount of money can buy directly.
Want to accelerate your media visibility while building backlinks? Esbuenisimo Labs combines source strategy with active distribution across 1,200+ verified media. Consult strategy →
Esbuenisimo Links incorporates HARO and Connectively as part of earned media strategies for clients, complemented by active press release distribution to maximize editorial coverage and backlinks in high-authority media.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many HARO responses do I need to send to earn one backlink?+
Conversion rates vary greatly by response quality and query competition. Realistic range: 1 backlink per 10–30 responses sent for beginners. 1 backlink per 5–15 responses for experienced sources with verifiable profiles. 1 backlink per 3–8 responses for recognized experts with a track record of previous publications. The key is query selection: it's better to respond to 5 very well-chosen queries than 30 queries generically. With practice, rates improve significantly as you learn to identify queries with the highest conversion probability.
Does HARO generate dofollow or nofollow backlinks?+
It depends entirely on the outlet. Major media like Forbes, TechCrunch, Bloomberg and Entrepreneur typically use nofollow or sponsored on links to external sources, following standard media linking policies. Smaller media and specialized blogs frequently include dofollow links. However, this doesn't necessarily make HARO less valuable for SEO: a nofollow editorial link in Forbes (DA 94) has real value because: (1) Google treats some nofollows as 'hints' it may consider. (2) It generates highly qualified referral traffic. (3) The pattern of editorial citations in multiple media builds the 'entity authority' LLMs use to recognize you.
How much time per week does an active HARO strategy require?+
For a basic but consistent HARO strategy: reviewing the 3 daily emails and selecting relevant queries: 30–45 min/day. Writing 2–3 quality responses per week: 1–2 hours/week. Total: 4–6 hours weekly for a volume of 10–15 monthly responses. To scale: some companies hire assistants for the initial triage (identifying relevant queries) while experts only write the responses. This maintains response quality while optimizing the main spokesperson's time.
What makes a HARO response stand out from others?+
Journalists receive dozens or hundreds of responses per query. What makes responses stand out: (1) Verifiable and relevant credentials — a 15-year sector CEO is cited more often than a 'marketing expert'. Include your LinkedIn or a link to your public profile. (2) Proprietary data or unique perspective — any journalist can find the generic perspective on Google. What they're looking for is data or an angle they can't get anywhere else. (3) Exact answer to the question, not what you wanted to say — read the query three times before responding. (4) Appropriate length — 150–300 words is the optimal range for most queries.
Can I use HARO if my company only operates in Spanish or in LATAM?+
HARO / Connectively is primarily in English and oriented toward North American media. For Spanish-speaking markets alternatives exist: (1) Helpr.es and similar Spanish-language source platforms. (2) Spanish-speaking journalist groups on LinkedIn where you can register as a source. (3) Distribution lists of sources for Spanish-language media. (4) Direct contact with editors of media in your sector in Spain and LATAM — many outlets like El País, La Nación and El Tiempo have accessible section editors. The most effective alternative for LATAM: distributing well-written press releases to national media, which generates the same type of editorial backlink as HARO but with greater message control.
Ready to rank #1 and get mentioned by AI?
Digital PR & Link Building in 1,200+ media outlets across 8 countries. Google and ChatGPT recognize you as an authority source.
See plans and pricing