Expert Quotes for Backlinks: HARO Alternatives That Work

Expert quotes are one of the few link-building tactics that cost nothing but your knowledge. A journalist needs a source, you supply a useful answer, and the published article credits you, often with a link. The problem is that the best-known matchmaking service, HARO, went through a messy few years, and a lot of articles online are out of date.

I have done outreach since 2016 and I see members of our community trade quote opportunities all the time. Below is the current HARO situation with dates, the alternatives I could verify, and how to write answers that get used.

HARO status: what happened and where it stands

Here is the timeline, as reported by the sources I checked.

• Before 2024: HARO (Help a Reporter Out) emailed daily digests of journalist requests. Cision owned it.
• December 2024: Cision's replacement platform, Connectively, was shut down. Most sources give December 9, 2024, though a BuzzStream interview gives December 24, so I will say "December 2024".
• April 15, 2025: Cision announced it was selling HARO to Featured.com, according to Wikipedia. Featured announced the revival on April 16.
• Mid to late April 2025: HARO relaunched under Featured. Sources put the exact day at around April 22.
• Since then: Guides dated 2026 describe HARO as live. Featured said at the acquisition that HARO would stay free for journalists and sources, supported by newsletter ads (acquisition announcement).

BuzzStream interviewed the new owner and covers the relaunch in its HARO is back write-up. I could not independently confirm daily volume, so treat any "number of journalists" claim you see with caution.

Why expert quotes are worth the effort

Links are scarce. Backlinko and BuzzSumo found that 94% of 912 million blog posts have no external links, and only 2.2% get links from multiple websites. Journalists are one of the few groups who routinely cite sources in print, and a single quote can place you on an established site you would struggle to guest post on.

HARO alternatives I could verify

Qwoted

Qwoted's help center says it has a free plan and that journalists, PR pros and experts can create accounts at no cost. Paid plan prices are not public, so I will not guess.

Help a B2B Writer

This service is free for sources: pick your areas of expertise and you get emails when a writer's request matches. The site advises writers to allow at least three days for responses. Superpath acquired it from founder Elise Dopson, and plans to integrate it into the Superpath Slack community. Details are on helpab2bwriter.com.

SourceBottle

SourceBottle's sign-up page says it is free for sources, with up to two emails a day of call-outs. It started in Australia in 2009 and covers other markets too. A paid pitching service exists, but you do not need it.

#journorequest on X

Search the hashtag, sort by Latest and add your topic. A BuzzStream data study found that UK-based accounts made up 78.5% of all #journorequests, so it works best for UK-relevant topics.

Featured.com

Featured connects experts with publishers who may run the best answers. Since it also owns HARO, it is worth a look, but check its own site for current pricing before you commit.

How to write an answer that gets used

1. Answer the exact question. Skip the sales pitch.
2. Lead with the point. Journalists skim and lift the first usable sentence.
3. Add a specific example or number you can back up. Never invent data.
4. Give your credentials in one line and ask for a link to your site if appropriate.
5. Reply fast. Deadlines are tight.

Template

Hi Alex, re your query on remote hiring mistakes. The most common one I see is skipping a paid trial task. In our last 12 hires, the trial caught issues interviews missed. Happy to expand. I am Jordan Lee, head of talent at Acme (acme.com). Thanks!

Which requests to answer (and which to skip)

Your time is limited, so filter. A good request has four marks: it names the outlet or describes it clearly, it asks a narrow question, it has a deadline, and it sits squarely in your field. Skip anything vague like "looking for any expert in business", and skip requests where you would have to stretch your credentials. Editors can tell, and one weak answer can cost you the next one.

Prefer outlets your own customers read. A link from a site with an audience in your niche sends referral traffic and signals relevance. If a request does not name the publication, ask yourself whether you would be proud to see your name beside the article. If not, skip it.

Quick checks before you hit send

• Is the answer under 150 words unless the writer asks for more?
• Did you include your full name, role and company, spelled exactly as you want it printed?
• Did you offer a link target, such as a relevant page on your site?
• Would the quote stand alone if the journalist pasted it as-is?

Where the link actually comes from

A quote does not automatically bring a link. Outlets differ: some link your name to your company site, some link only a source's bio, and some print the name with no link at all. Do not argue with an editor over it. Instead, make linking easy. Put your site in your signature, keep a short bio page on your site, and have a page that backs up your claim, such as a study or guide, which the writer may cite alongside your quote.

When an article goes live without a link, a polite follow-up often works: thank the journalist and mention that your full data is at a specific URL in case readers want to see it. Keep it to two sentences, and send it once.

Common mistakes

• Pitching your product instead of answering. Journalists delete these on sight.
• Missing deadlines. A late answer is a lost answer.
• Making up credentials or numbers. One false claim ends the relationship and can hurt your reputation.
• Answering outside your field. A narrow, credible voice gets used more than a generalist.

Expert-quote swaps between community members

Inside the Free Backlinks community, members sometimes act as sources for each other's content. A roundup writer needs three experts. Another member has the expertise. The writer includes the quote and a link to the expert's site, and later the expert quotes the writer in a piece of their own. This is the same idea as a guest post exchange, with a shorter piece of content.

The rules I give members:

• Quotes must be real and the expert must actually hold the view.
• The link should add value for the reader.
• Do not make it a scheme. Google's spam policies warn against excessive link exchanges; two or three honest quote swaps are different from a loop of 50 sites.

You can join Free Backlinks to find writers who need sources. We also explain wider tactics in 17 ways to get free backlinks and where to find link partners.

Set expectations

• Many responses are never used. Plan on a low hit rate and keep answering.
• Links vary. Some outlets cite you with no link, and some add nofollow.
• Credibility counts. A named quote on a real publication builds trust even without a link.

Pair quotes with the rest of your toolkit: see free link building tools for monitoring and tracking.

A worked example of a quote that gets used

Suppose a reporter asks: "How can small SaaS teams reduce churn without discounting?" A weak answer is a general paragraph about customer success. A strong one is short, first-hand and quotable:

"The cheapest churn fix we found was a call with every customer who cancelled in the first 60 days. Three questions, ten minutes. The pattern that came out of those calls changed our onboarding more than any discount ever did." (Name, role, company, link to profile)

It works because it has one clear point, it reads like a real experience, and the reporter can lift it without rewriting. Always include your name, title, company and a page that proves who you are.

Pitch checklist before you hit send

• Did you answer the exact question asked, in the first sentence?
• Is the answer under about 150 words unless the request asked for more?
• Does it include a specific example from your own work?
• Are your credentials and a profile link included?
• Did you meet the deadline in the request?

Common questions

Do quotes always come with a link?

No. Some publications link to your site, some to your profile, some only name you. Treat the link as a bonus and the mention as the baseline.

Can I reuse the same answer for different requests?

Reuse your stories and data, but rewrite the answer for each question. Copy-pasted replies are easy for journalists to spot.

Is it worth doing if I am not an executive?

Yes. Reporters want people who do the work. Practitioners often give better answers than executives. See also link building communities where members swap expert-quote opportunities.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Help a Reporter Out
• BuzzStream – HARO is Back (we talked to the new owner)
• Newsworthy – Featured.com acquires HARO from Cision (April 15, 2025)
• Qwoted Help – Is Qwoted free to use?
• Help a B2B Writer
• Superpath – Superpath has acquired Help a B2B Writer
• SourceBottle – Be a Source
• BuzzStream – Where do #journorequests come from
• Backlinko – Content study of 912 million blog posts
• Google Search Central – Spam policies