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Helpareporter Review

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Should I use Helpareporter?

Connecting journalists and sources - helpareporter.com

· 13 hours ago

Buy it if you are a founder, expert, or SEO team willing to write fast, manual pitches to journalists — the free tier makes earned press and backlinks very cheap. Skip it if you expect automated or guaranteed coverage; pitches here are high-effort with low reply rates, and the service already died once.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 14 public sources; HARO relaunched in August 2025 after a December 2024 shutdown, so current pricing details are thinly documented.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security postureNo public security evidence found

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Bootstrapped founders doing DIY PR
  • SEO teams chasing earned backlinks
  • Experts and sources seeking press quotes
  • Agencies sourcing journalist requests

Not for

  • Anyone expecting guaranteed backlinks without writing pitches
  • Teams wanting automated outreach — queries demand fast, manual replies
  • Brands needing a full media-contact database or PR CRM
  • Buyers needing vendor stability — it shut down once already

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Service died in 2024 and relaunched in 2025; verify current terms and ownership before building on it

medium

Free-tier pitching is crowded; expect very low reply rates without fast, tailored pitches

medium

Legacy data was handled under Cision's privacy notice; confirm where your data lives post-relaunch

low

Self-serve ads now run inside the query newsletter, diluting signal for readers

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free to sign up and receive journalist queries
  • Regularly listed among top link-building tools by SEO publications
  • Back online in 2025 after its 2024 shutdown
  • Reach extends beyond journalists to creators, multiplying placement opportunities

Cons

  • Shut down entirely in December 2024; continuity risk proven
  • Absorbed by Cision before the shutdown; ownership has churned
  • AI-generated pitch spam is degrading the request ecosystem
  • Many pitches simply get ignored by journalists
  • Newsletter now carries self-serve advertising clutter

Sources & method

- 14 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x6news x4

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Core pitching is free; paid tiers optional
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Email-based query digests, minimal setup
  • Feature depth: 2/5. Query digests and profiles; little tooling
  • Support quality. No support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture. No public security evidence found
  • Yes Free tier Free sign-up to receive journalist queries
  • Guess: 2008 Founded By Peter Shankman; relaunched Aug 2025
  • 2024 → 2025 Relaunch timeline Shut down Dec 2024, back Aug 2025
  • 30x Creator reach More creators than journalists on the platform

Pricing

Free tier: Yes

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

SEO and PR community sources treat HARO as a standard free channel for press mentions and backlinks, while noting many pitches go unanswered.

Full analysis

Based on 14 public sources; HARO relaunched in August 2025 after a December 2024 shutdown, so current pricing details are thinly documented.

Free journalist-request service, reborn in 2025. Great DIY press and backlinks if you'll pitch; useless if you won't.

Methodology

Based on 14 public sources; HARO relaunched in August 2025 after a December 2024 shutdown, so current pricing details are thinly documented.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) – Connecting Journalists & Sourceshelpareporter.com
    official
  2. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) Is Backblog.helpareporter.com
    official
  3. 30x More Creators Than Journalistsblog.helpareporter.com
    official
  4. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) Is Shutting Down In Decemberreddit.com
    news
  5. HARO Launches Self-Serve Advertising in the Journalist-Request Newsletternewsworthy.ai
    news
  6. AI made pitching cheaper. Journalists are paying the price.alicedubin.substack.com
    news
  7. Help A Reporter Out Data Privacy Noticeprivacy.cision.com
    official
  8. HARO Review: Pricing, Features & Verdictsoftwr.com
    review
  9. 7 best link-building services for SEO performancesearchengineland.com
    review
  10. Why HARO Pitches Get Ignored and How to Improve Your Pitchesharolinkbuilding.com
    review
  11. What Is Help a Reporter Out (HARO)? Alternative Platforms to Get Pressampifire.com
    review
  12. Journalist Request Platform Connectively Surpasses 100,000 Usersprnewswire.com
    news
  13. Qwoted Pricing: What It Costs in 2026 and Alternativespresspitchai.com
    review
  14. Peter Shankman's "If I Can Help a Reporter Out" Reviewstrustpilot.com
    review

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