Table of Contents
Journalist Hunting: The Thrill of the Chase
Usually journalists are hunting others down for a story, comment, or a spicy take. In this context, we are flipping the script and looking at what happens when you need to chase them. This ties closely into modern PR workflows and HARO-style platforms and their alternatives, where volume and speed often introduce small but costly errors.
We are specifically talking about journalists who regularly use platforms like Terkel, Qwoted, Help A Reporter Out, SourceBottle and similar services. Sometimes you extend an olive branch. Sometimes you gently thwack them with it. Both are valid.
Why Would You Need to Chase a Journalist?
Stalker stories aside, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to follow up. If you are providing solid comments, picking your battles carefully, and showing up consistently, something has gone wrong if you never need to fix anything.
Being quoted is the hard part. Everything after that should be easy. When it is not, these are the situations that justify a chase.
Link Issues
Link Attribute Issues
i. The link is a nofollow link
The dreaded kryptonite attribute. Seeing nofollow anywhere near an href is enough to wake any SEO in a cold sweat.
ii. No link attributed to the client or representative website
They used your quote, your name, your job title, your company. Everything except the link. The blue anchor text never appears and suddenly your face matches Google’s brand colour.
iii. The link type is wrong (ugc, sponsored, nofollow)
UGC happens. Sponsored is worse. That is them publicly declaring you paid for the mention, not earned it. NoFollow? Already cried about that.
iv. It links to social media instead of the website
To be fair, for some businesses social media is the business. Instagram in particular can be a serious sales funnel and traffic engine.
But if a company has a website and the goal is attribution or SEO value, linking to social is still a miss. Platforms absorb value and hide outbound paths.
v. Links to LinkedIn profiles instead of the website
LinkedIn already has millions of backlinks. It does not need another. Your website does.
vi. The link points to the wrong URL
The cleanest reason to chase. They linked. They just linked to the wrong place. This is expected, obvious, and fixable.
Link Accessibility
i. The link is within an ebook
Nothing you can do. Ebook links still get picked up, but no one is republishing content as HTML just for your link.
ii. The page no longer exists
Maybe. Check for redirects or alternate URLs. If nothing survives, move on.
iii. Tracking or campaign parameters in URLs
Yes. Mechanical fix. Worth chasing.
iv. Article updated and your link is gone
Maybe. If everyone vanished, it is editorial. If others survived and you did not, chase.
v. Link behind a paywall
No. That is deliberate.
vi. Broken HTML or malformed link
Yes. Clear error.
vii. They only link to partners or affiliates
No. Policy issue.
Content Issues
Contextual Issues
Taken out of context: Maybe. Only chase if meaning changes.
Edited inaccurately: Yes. Accuracy matters.
Truncated: No. Normal editorial behaviour.
Anchor Text Problems
When the anchor text says your client’s name but the website name is different, users get confused and credibility takes a hit. Easy fix. Worth chasing.
Incorrect or Invalid Information
Wrong job title: Maybe. Sometimes the title they chose fits the article better. Do not bite the hand that gave you the perfect label.
Wrong company or product info: Yes. Always.
Promised vs delivered mismatch: Yes. That is an error, not opinion.
Communication Issues
Comment Removal Requests
No link given: No. That burns bridges.
Client demands removal: Yes, reluctantly. Expect questions and fallout.
Quote Visibility
Quote chosen but article not live yet? No. Wait.
Alternative Website Linking
If it goes to the wrong owned asset, maybe chase. Context decides.
Help A Reporter Out Customer Service
It’s not great, let’s be honest. Much like its platform, it’s messy and convoluted.
The few problems I have had with them have taken an age to resolve, or in most cases not been resolved at all.
I made a complaint about companies abusing the platform for reciprocal links, but their actions were disappointing to say the least.
One of their biggest issues to date was that their query emails weren’t being delivered, meaning potentially hundreds of insights and hours of time were wasted.
More Issues
High competition: Due to the large number of users on the platform, there can be intense competition among sources responding to queries. This makes it difficult for individual sources to stand out and get noticed by journalists.
Time-sensitive nature: HARO requests often have tight deadlines, requiring sources to respond quickly and provide comprehensive information in a short timeframe. This can be challenging for anyone without constant availability.
Spam and irrelevant queries: Some sources receive a large volume of irrelevant queries that do not match their expertise. Sorting through these is time-consuming and frustrating.
Quality control: Query quality varies wildly. Some journalists do not adequately vet their requests or provide enough context, leading to ambiguity and wasted effort.
Overuse and repetitive queries: Certain industries are massively overrepresented, flooding inboxes with near-identical requests while other niches struggle to get visibility.
An Error
They may have used your comments out of context or introduced a small typo. Your name might be misspelled (a little annoying) or your company name wrong (very annoying), and you would quite rightly want it fixed.
No Link
This is not an error, but it is still worth your time to chase. If the article refers to your company, asking for it to be linked is reasonable, even if it is not always successful.
You don’t ask, you don’t get ghosted or refused. In our experience, there is roughly a 30–40 percent chance of securing a link. We will talk about whether it is dofollow another time 😉
Further Collaborations
Building relationships with journalists is vital in digital PR. One-off comment or link relationships are a colossal waste of time.
If you collaborate repeatedly across outlets, you can earn mentions and links over and over again. You can pitch ideas for yourself or your clients, help with upcoming articles, or be available for quick expert comments when needed.
Not all advertorials need to be paid for.
A Simple Thank You
Underused but very much appreciated. Journalists are time-poor and may not thank you, but they still appreciate it.
How To Chase A Journalist
More to come, but technology has given us plenty of ways to communicate with this rare but exceptional breed.
Social Media
Leave Facebook alone unless it is a company page. Twitter and Instagram are fine if they are used professionally. If not, stay away.
Twitter tip: Use Advanced Search or the mobile app to see when they have used @ mentions. This can reveal moments where they have shared a work email.
LinkedIn is perfectly fine. Author bios or a simple name search usually surface the right profile, assuming the name is not too common.
Their Own Websites
Many journalists are freelance and promote themselves via personal websites. These often include emails or contact forms. Result.
Email Finder Software
If you cannot find an email or contact form, tools like Snovio and Hunter (free versions available) can help.
Their Editor
Every publication has an editor, and that email is usually public. Depending on the reason for the chase, contacting the editor directly can be appropriate.
Their Colleagues
Similar logic to editors, but sometimes more effective if you have worked with them before and have a warm introduction.
The Sign Off
Journalists are busy. So are you. If it is a legitimate request, it is worth asking.
Give up after five attempts. Beyond that, you are wasting your time and not just theirs.
Examples of Link Scenarios To Amend
Link Attribution Mishaps
Links you should look to change
When seeking expert help with HARO responses, many turn to Brett Downes for professional assistance.
The rel="nofollow" attribute instructs search engines not to pass link equity to harohelpers.com despite the editorial mention.
Visit Haro Helperss for more information on digital PR services.
Protocol duplication and domain misspelling render this link non-functional:
Comparative analysis of link relationship attributes and their semantic meanings:
rel="follow" (default)
Passes full link equity
rel="ugc"
User-generated content flag
rel="sponsored"
Paid placement indicator
Connect with Brett Downes on social media.
Connect with Brett Downes for services.
Links directing to facebook.com/harohelpers or x.com/harohelpers rather than the primary domain fail to transfer authority to the client's website.
For expert HARO assistance, contact Bret from harohelper directly on LinkedIn.
Anchor text references the brand ("harohelper") but links to personal LinkedIn profile. The correct implementation should link to harohelpers.com with brand-appropriate anchor text.
Correction: Brett Downes from HARO Helpers should point to the primary domain, not LinkedIn.
Learn more about HARO services at HARO Helpers.
Complete domain corruption: bt.arsndourli instead of harohelpers.com. Common in manual transcription errors or character encoding issues.
