Connectively (Connectively.us) is a platform where journalists and sources connect with one another. Much like the HARO Newsletters, Connectively’s primary objective is to connect journalists with sources and help sources get the attention they want and need for their companies, blogs, and personal websites.
The goal for many sources is to gain backlinks to build authority for their website, while journalists are looking for professionals to quote in their upcoming stories.
The domains range across anything from Forbes and CNN to your everyday blog about budding businesses. Domain Authorities range from 95 to 0, allowing sources to pick and choose where they would like to comment. Similarly, journalists can pick and choose what source comments they want to use in their pieces after sources send their comments.
Connectively is all about facilitating connections and getting both journalists and sources what they want: comments and exposure.
The Rocky Start
Aside from fully launching about four months after they said they would, Connectively has had issues with spammy journalist profiles, AI-generated sources, and a host of technical errors, including, but not limited to, an incredibly slow Help Line. It can take anywhere from 24 hours to 24 days (true story) to get a response from someone.
Their new Twitter/X account had about 5 tweets a few months back and last time I looked I can’t seem to find it.
We get that freebie customers can’t ask for discounts, but doing that to paying customers is criminal.
Pricing Plans
Connectively, unlike its HARO Newsletter counterpart, has plans for sources: Lite, Core, Pro, and Premier.
The Lite Plan is free and allows a source 10 pitches per month, one saved search, limited access to public profile viewing, and one profile.
Connectively boasts that if you pay annually, you can save 20% on your purchase.
- Lite Plan – Free
- Core Plan – $182.40/year (25 pitches per month)
- Higher tiers go up from there
Eagle-eyed tip: The monthly Core Plan gives you 25 pitches for $19 — easily the best bang for your buck. The other plans? Not so much.
The User Experience
In the beginning, its interface was a little challenging to navigate. With a barrage of questions from journalists needing to be answered by sources, orientation is key.
When you use the platform as a journalist, you are greeted by a window labeled ‘My Queries’ where you can see all of the queries you have submitted.
Fortunately for sources, the navigation can be quite seamless if you know how to use the platform. With 20 journalist requests per page, you can filter and work through them efficiently.
Advantages of Connectively Over HARO
- Searchable Database – Browse queries in real-time instead of waiting for email digests.
- More control – Filter by topic, deadline, and media outlet.
- Profile system – Journalists and sources both have profiles, making matching easier.
Disadvantages of Connectively Compared to HARO
- Pay-to-Pitch Model
- While this reduces spam, it introduces a financial barrier that HARO never had.
- For smaller businesses or freelancers, this cost can be prohibitive.
- Steep Learning Curve Initially
- The platform was hard to navigate at first. HARO’s simple email system had almost no learning curve.
- Slow Customer Support
- Response times can stretch from days to weeks.
- Limited Free Pitches
- HARO allowed unlimited free pitches. Connectively caps free users at a low number per month.
- Journalist Queries Going Unchecked
- Queries can go live very quickly with little editorial buffer. This opens the door to lower-quality or fishing-style requests.
- Some journalists post for one outlet and then place the answers on weaker sister sites.
Final Word
If you want help spotting the real from the fake, getting more bang for your free subscription, reverse-engineering the journalists, or fishing out the phishers — get in touch:
Or if you want access to our $10/month unlimited live pitch data, journalist backgrounds, and traffic-light warning system for queries, email me with the subject line “Help us out Haro”.
