The Best Help a Reporter Out (HARO) Alternative Platforms

Introducing Help a Reporter Out Alternative Platforms: HARO stands as a prominent website where journalists from both established and emerging media outlets seek sources for their articles.

In 2008, renowned PR expert Peter Shankman found himself regularly receiving requests from journalists searching for professional gardeners and the top 100 best technical directors, as highlighted by Fortune magazine. Compiling these requests, Peter initiated the distribution of a daily letter summarizing the data to his subscribers, including specialists and PR experts. This initiative eventually gave rise to HARO, or Help a Reporter Out.

While HARO serves as a valuable tool gradually aiding businesses, mastering outsourcing skills and building connections with diverse journalists takes time. For those operating in highly specific niches, patience is crucial in awaiting relevant requests.

If your business aims for rapid increases in traffic and conversion turnover, it’s advisable to explore alternative avenues rather than investing time solely in this platform.

While some companies have achieved substantial success through HARO placements, the majority of entrepreneurs who witnessed remarkable success had nothing to gain.

Here, we present a curated selection of 7 Help a Reporter Alternative options for those seeking diverse and effective approaches.

Innovative Help a Reporter Out Alternative Platforms

1. Quotte.com

Introducing Quotte.com – Your Alternative to Help a Reporter Out (HARO): Quotte.com is a dynamic platform designed to connect journalists with expert sources seamlessly. Offering a user-friendly interface and efficient communication tools, Quotte.com streamlines the process of source discovery for journalists and ensures that businesses and professionals can effortlessly contribute their expertise to relevant media inquiries. With a focus on simplicity and effectiveness, Quotte.com stands as a valuable alternative to HARO, providing a fresh perspective for those seeking robust solutions in the realm of media sourcing.

2. PRNEWS.IO

Online service for the distribution of PR content in blogs and online media. Thanks to the platform for hosting sponsorship content, distance is no longer a problem for communication with customers and partners abroad: for several clicks, you can share news, press releases, and articles with media editors, regardless of their location or the location of the target audience.

A unique platform through which you can quickly and easily post materials on the websites of major news outlets around the world. The innovative “single window” principle allows you to share information almost instantly with the target audience without tedious e-mail.

It allows you to control your PR activity on the Internet, as well as effectively attract investors and potential partners through the leading world media.

PRnews.io is a service that will help you solve several problems at once: save time, increase brand awareness, and much more. You can be sure that they will help you realize all the necessary materials for promotion. It has many undeniable advantages:

• control the distribution of PR content at the right time
• an easy-to-use interface for creating, publishing, and distributing content;
• a convenient press center that can be customized to suit your brand;
• ongoing online chat support from the creation of a press release to its publication.

The service takes a commission for processing orders, organizing document flow, maintaining the media base in current condition, aggregating statistical data on sites (attendance indicators, SEO, etc.), and the ability to contact technical support. The price list is open to any user — everything is transparent according to the items. Just add to the basket what you want, then pay with a bank card and enjoy the results of PR in online publications.

3. JustReachOut Help a Reporter Out Alternative

A platform to promote the presentation and search for journalists. The task of the service is to monitor the Internet for articles that are somehow related to the area in which the startup works. Then the authors of these materials are sent template letters with information about the project.

It has built-in tracking of pitches that you send from the platform so that you know whether the journalist has opened them or not. 

In addition to the main features, it offers technical support in the form of e-mail correspondence, presentation reviews, and lessons that will tell you how to optimize keywords for search, improve your material. It is also possible to search for journalists by keywords that relate to your activities.

If we talk about price policy, then the minimum fee with limited search capabilities will be $199 per month. A full package of services is provided for $699 per month.

3. Muck Rack Help a Reporter Out Alternative

A popular service designed to facilitate PR specialists’ lives and focused on establishing contacts with representatives of the media.

Muck Rack, a social network for journalists, a good advantage of this service is the presence of a tool that allows, by adding a bookmark to the browser, to see who shares links to your content immediately. This tool will be useful for all journalists, especially those who publish their work on sites that do not provide real-time information about who shares this content.

Using this PR platform, you can familiarize yourself with articles, interests, and topics that are interesting to a particular reporter and track changes in his working career. A good option is to have keyword alerts. This helps to track new receipts on requests of interest easily.

Muck Rack also allows its customers to maintain complete analytics and statistics (reporting, graphs, newsletters) that will show your company’s progress.

A small but still minus is the tracking of contact information about a journalist from the Twitter network. After all, if someone is not registered there, he will not get into the service database.

Pricing, which includes an annual subscription, starts from $5000.

4. Meltwater Media Intelligence

This is a SaaS solution for media analytics used by communications (PR) specialists working in brands both B2C and B2B in all business sectors and areas of activity.

The Meltwater online service allows you to screen news, social media posts, and other types of messages so that the user can track everything relevant to a controlled brand, competitors, and industry. Meltwater’s artificial intelligence media monitoring technology, combined with a global network of partnerships, provides clients with access to content locally, nationally, and globally.

It is one of the leading products in the American market in the field of online media monitoring and media analytics. Meltwater software stands out as one of the most comprehensive universal solutions for public relations, communications, and marketing professionals.

Meltwater also lets you track all your social media accounts on your platform and respond to comments. In addition to journalists, he has a database of profiles of influencers on which you can look to establish cooperation and partnership.

The monthly service package will cost you from $333, which is about $4000 per year.

5. Cision Communications Cloud – Help a Reporter Out Alternative

It is a marketing and PR platform that provides communication professionals with powerful software tools for managing information and contacts.

Cision enables you to manage your audience, deliver performance across traditional, digital, and social networks, and track your brand in one integrated solution. Automated analysis implemented by this software helps to get quick reports and quickly translate information campaigns into valuable analytical materials.

The software product is designed to combine its brand with influencers and decision-makers on one single platform. Owns the world’s largest press release distribution network PR Newswire.

The price policy starts at $7,200 per year.

6. #journorequests, #RadioGuestList, and #prrequest on Twitter

It is more suitable for individual entrepreneurs, startups, and freelancers.

By searching the specified tags, you can easily find many queries and questions from journalists and writers who are looking for sources and experts for the stories they are working on. To see more profile results, you just need to connect tags to your keywords.

You can easily contact the journalist directly using e-mail, which greatly simplifies communication.

The most significant advantage is free to use.

7. Qwoted Help a Reporter Out Alternative

A service for searching expert opinions and sources for your articles. Correspondence and communication are exclusively on the platform, that is, contact information is not provided.

The number of competitors here is smaller. The response to requests is in favor of journalists. The service allows you to filter messages by key figures such as:

• gender;
• geographical data.

Also, reporters have the opportunity to contact companies and projects of interest themselves.

The free use rate allows you to answer only 3 requests from journalists per month. The paid usage package starts from $150/month.

ProfNet

ProfNet is a leading expert-sourcing platform that connects journalists with knowledgeable sources across various industries. This robust network allows reporters to efficiently find and connect with subject matter experts, facilitating the seamless exchange of information for media coverage. With a user-friendly interface and a diverse pool of experts, ProfNet serves as a go-to resource for journalists seeking reliable and timely insights for their articles.

SourceBottle

SourceBottle is a dynamic online platform that simplifies the connection between journalists, bloggers, and content creators with expert sources and story contributors. Designed to streamline the process of finding relevant and credible information, SourceBottle facilitates a two-way communication channel, enabling media professionals to discover valuable sources for their stories. With a user-friendly interface and a diverse community of experts, SourceBottle serves as a go-to platform for those seeking timely and targeted contributions to enhance their content. Whether you’re a journalist on the lookout for expert insights or a source eager to contribute, SourceBottle provides a collaborative space to foster meaningful connections in the media industry.

Pitchrate

Pitchrate is an innovative platform designed to bridge the gap between journalists and expert sources, fostering seamless collaboration within the media landscape. Tailored for both media professionals and subject matter experts, Pitchrate facilitates a streamlined process for connecting journalists with relevant, credible sources for their articles, features, and stories. With its intuitive interface and emphasis on efficient communication, Pitchrate empowers content creators to discover expert insights and diverse perspectives, enhancing the quality and depth of their media content. Whether you’re a journalist in need of reliable sources or an expert looking to contribute, Pitchrate provides a dynamic space for meaningful collaborations in the ever-evolving world of media.

ResponseSource

ResponseSource is a comprehensive media database and communication platform, serving as a vital resource for journalists, bloggers, and PR professionals. With an extensive database of media contacts and sources, ResponseSource streamlines the process of connecting journalists with relevant experts, story leads, and insights. This platform facilitates efficient and targeted communication, enabling media professionals to enhance their stories with credible and timely information. Whether you’re a journalist seeking expert input or a PR professional looking to connect with the media, ResponseSource stands as a valuable tool to foster collaboration and streamline media relations.

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) Alternative Platforms

Here’s a simple table comparing Help A Reporter Out (HARO) with some alternative platforms:

Feature	Help A Reporter Out (HARO)	ProfNet	SourceBottle	Muck Rack
User Interface	Established, user-friendly	Intuitive and user-friendly	Easy navigation	Modern and streamlined
Expert Database	Diverse	Extensive and varied	Comprehensive sources	Wide-ranging expertise
Communication Tools	Email-based pitches	Direct communication	Efficient contact options	Real-time interactions
Industry Coverage	Broad spectrum	Wide-ranging industries	Targeted and specific	Focus on media professionals
Ease of Use	Moderate learning curve	User-friendly interface	Straightforward process	Intuitive and accessible
Global Reach	International	Primarily U.S.-focused	Global network	Broad international presence
Subscription Cost	Free and paid options	Subscription-based	Free for basic access	Varies based on features
Success Stories	Numerous success stories	Proven track record	Positive feedback	Recognized industry successes
Overall Rating	Widely used and trusted	Highly regarded	Efficient and reliable	Well-regarded in the industry

Choosing the Right PR Platform

Choosing in favor of a particular PR platform, first of all, you need to pay attention to the reporter’s experience who already has samples of writing related to your industry or company.

Remember, you are the direct source of information that will be discussed and discussed further. Share stories, interesting examples regarding your area of ​ ​ activity.

Determine which functions the platform should perform for your business. For example, what you prefer first of all is the use of key players to search for reporters, or the ability to track social networks simultaneously while working on it.

The essential functions that the service should own are:

1. Find journalists, influencers, and bloggers who have written on related topics using specific keywords associated with your industry or company.
2. Confirmed contact information of reporters. The current place of work, the e-mail address, that is, the base, should be as full and updated as possible.

The more features the tool provides, the more expensive it will be. But, believe me, it will cost your money, and you will not regret using it.