HARO Alternatives: The Good, Bad And Ugly of PR and Backlink Services
Here we go! This article shows where you can actually find everything you need to know, when it comes to PR and backlinks.
The reality is SEO is complicated – and forever changing. Let’s be honest, when you’re trying to build your own brand awareness, whether that’s through social media or building backlinks, you are up against AI – real robots, and we’ve all seen how that goes down in the movies… It’s never good news for humans. Well, the same applies when you’re trying your best to hack the algorithm.
Google has eyes and ears everywhere and they can pick up if you’re trying to play games with them. So, if you don’t know what you’re doing, even if you are putting in the time and energy and you think you’re following all of the right guidelines, you can end up doing more harm than good, negatively impacting your website’s SEO OR simply, wasting your time completely, without any reward…
We’ve heard this over and over again from our clients who finally decide to reach out to us for help – so for those of you who are still dead set on attempting to control the beast that SEO is, for yourself, we’re happy to give you our best advice to make your solo-journey that little bit easier (or alternatively, you could just book in a free consultation call with us, and we’ll be happy to teach you our all-knowing ways there).
Although Help A Reporter Out is definitely a great way to gain quality backlinks for your website, not all of us are naturally-born journalist-whisperers. So, if you’re not finding you’re having much luck there (as many people who aren’t professional HARO outreach specialists find, so don’t be disheartened), you may just need our spectacularly detailed cheatsheet, which we’re happy to share with you for free, if you reach out to us here – brett@harohelpers.com.
Otherwise, you could continue reading this guide, to understand how you can gain super PR powers, become the King of Content, climb your way to the first page of Google, drive traffic, win clients and see all of your wildest business dreams become reality! Yep, all of that is really possible by simply incorporating backlinks into your life.
So now hopefully you’re feeling motivated to get started – big media outlets like Forbes, Fox News, Mashable, The New York Times and other high authority publications, here we come!
We have broken this down into the most easily-digestible way to see where it’s worth placing your time, energy and money (and where it is not!).
Table of Contents
Forbes Councils – $$$
Forbes Councils is an exclusive group for executives and entrepreneurs hoping to get some media coverage from Forbes.com.
The Good
We’ve all heard of Forbes.com, so think of the benefits of being published there! Exclusivity, professional networking opportunities, and of course, the massive boost in credibility that comes with having your name attached to one of the most well-known business publications in the world.
The Bad
Well, look, if we could all be published in Forbes, wouldn’t we do just that? That’s the thing, this is not an open platform. You have to apply and be accepted, and even then you’re not guaranteed publication. It’s invite-only for a reason.
The Ugly
Then comes the real whopper that most definitely has to fall under our “Ugly” section, once you get accepted, membership fees start at several thousand dollars per year. This is definitely not a route for those with limited budgets.
JustReachOut – $$
JustReachOut was founded in 2014 in the hopes of helping small businesses “do PR and get exposure” without having to hire a full-time PR person or agency.
In addition to letting users pitch, JustReachOut has a team of editors ready to “give you feedback on your pitches” before you send them out.
In order to make the most of this platform, you would already need to have experience doing PR outreach yourself, or be willing to learn quickly.
If you want to take a break from PR outreach and make the mistake of cancelling your account instead of just pausing it, your account will be completely wiped out from their system, so they won’t even be able to reinstate this information for you.
Meltwater – $$$
Meltwater has been around since 2001 and its website guarantees users that it offers “comprehensive media monitoring and analysis across online news, social media, print, broadcast, and podcasts.”
The Good
This is one of the better known PR tools, so it has a good reputation online. Going above and beyond providing users with access to an extensive database of journalists, the tool can also be used for brand management, social media management, and even competitor research.
The Bad
According to a G2 reviewer, one of the downsides of Meltwater is that there is “a huge data loading time when doing a big date range,” plus “the connection with Facebook is weird and lacks proper documentation”.
The Ugly
Premium access starts at $4,000 per year, which means the service costs around $333 per month. As such, the service is recommended for bigger businesses that often get mentioned in different online publications.
Muck Rack – $$$
Muck Rack describes itself as “the new standard in public relations software.”
The Good
The Muck Rack website maintains an extensive media database that helps users find journalists, podcasters, and publications related to their niche. Moreover, business owners not only discover reporters but are also kept updated with the news. You also receive notifications when media contacts write about your industry, based on keywords that you’ve specified.
They also really look after you at the beginning to try to get you to subscribe to the platform, having 1-1 calls with you (and your team) to show you how everything works, without you having to make any financial commitments.
The Bad
Some users have complained that the added broadcast tool has limited functionality when compared to other coverage monitoring tools. Others have likewise pointed out that the platform’s database is not exhaustive when it comes to publications, and that the interface could be more intuitive.
The Ugly
Muck Rack does offer a huge PR database, but with pricing starting at $5,000 per year paid in a lump sum, and not everything being included in the standard package, it’s either a real commitment, or simply, not an option for everyone. This would not be the recommended route for small business owners with limited marketing budgets!
NinjaOutreach – $
Beyond connecting businesses to journalists, NinjaOutreach also helps users “find Instagram and YouTube influencers, bloggers and more.”
You can sift through the NinjaOutreach database by entering industry-specific keywords. Additionally, it provides email addresses of media contacts and allows you to track your outreach campaigns.
One G2 reviewer wrote that the platform’s high return of profiles means “there are inevitably some results that are not relevant.”
There are many complaints online that we’ve seen from reviews, about the customer service not being responsive enough.
Press Plugs – $
Founded by Tracey and Mike Nolan, Press Plugs is a “media hub that connects journalists, agencies and businesses.”
Business owners and professionals can access the service for free through a 7-day trial with no card required. After the trial, paid plans start from a relatively affordable monthly fee.
Along with their other services, members receive requests for requests from the media, much like HARO.
The team at PressPlugs sorts through #journorequest Tweets, filtering them before adding the most notable ones to their platform.
PressPlugs only includes UK media outlets in their database, so it’s more limited than other online platforms that have a more global reach.
ProfNet – $$
ProfNet is a service from PR Newswire that connects journalists with expert sources.
It has been around for a long time and is used by many established media professionals.
The platform can be useful, but it is generally geared more towards larger organisations and agencies rather than individual small business owners.
Qwoted – $$
Qwoted is a platform that connects journalists with verified experts and sources.
It focuses on quality over quantity and has built a solid reputation among certain media circles.
Pricing and access levels vary, and it is often more selective than open platforms like the old HARO.
SourceBottle – $
SourceBottle is particularly popular with Australian journalists and some international media.
It sends out regular digests of journalist requests and allows sources to respond directly.
It is generally more affordable and accessible than the big enterprise PR tools.
Terkel – $
Terkel is another expert-source platform that has gained traction as an alternative to traditional HARO-style services.
It focuses on connecting experts with journalists looking for quotes and insights.
Twitter – Free
Journalists use Twitter to post questions and get expert responses. All you have to do is keep a keen eye on the latest posts with the hashtags that trend for journalist requests. A few of the most useful ones to watch are #JournoRequest, #PRrequests, and #RadioGuestList.
Best of all, Twitter is obviously free to use, so you have unlimited opportunities to pitch AND it all happens in absolute real time so you can get a response really quickly too.
The Bad
There are literally hundreds of millions of Twitter users… Although not all of them will be responding to journalists’ requests, you will have a lot of competition – so time is of the essence here! So it’s best to do the most you can to grab the journalist’s attention – we’re not just talking about replying to the tweet, we suggest you send a DM if you can and even go as far as trying to find their personal email online or reach out to them on LinkedIn to really stand out.
The Ugly
Competition can be stiff on Twitter since, as pointed out above, it’s a free platform. You will have to keep your eyes peeled for new journalist requests plus you also need to do your own research to learn about their website, domain authority, and if their niche is relevant to your business.
Final Thoughts
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Have we missed any? Are there new kids on the block? Want to share your experience with us? Reach out and let us know
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If our intricately-detailed overview of HARO alternatives for PR and backlinks has only confused you more than you were before you began reading this incredibly long article, then it might just be time you reached out to us for some help, HARO is good, but the others will be more useful next year.
We’re happy to have a free consultation call with you as we do offer more than building organic backlinks via editorial platforms such as Terkel and Qwoted we’re also in the PR game, so we can do all of the above for you, without you having to worry about a thing. Of course, we’d leave the best ‘til last!
Reach out to us at brett@harohelpers.com or book a free consultation call here: Call With Brett
