The best HARO link building services in 2026 split into three models — pay-per-link specialists, managed retainers, and free journalist-request platforms you work yourself — and Goldie Agency ranks first for businesses that want the editorial links without depending on HARO alone. Picking the right model matters more than picking a logo.
📺 Watch: 5 Advanced Link Building Tips For HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
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One disclosure. Goldie Agency is my own agency, so I've made the #1 case with receipts you can check, and kept the other nine entries fair and factual.
If you'd rather skip the research, Book a free SEO strategy session and we'll work out which model fits your site.
Where HARO Stands in 2026
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connected journalists with expert sources by email, and brands used it to earn quotes and links in news coverage. Then it wobbled. Cision rebranded it as Connectively and, per Cision's announcement, shut the platform down on 9 December 2024. On 15 April 2025 Cision announced it had sold HARO to Featured.com, which relaunched the service, and per coverage the emails restarted on 22 April 2025.
As of 2026 HARO is live again. It's free for journalists and sources, needs no login, sends three email digests a day, and is funded by newsletter sponsorship. Alongside it, people use Qwoted, Featured.com's own expert-quote platform, and Source of Sources, the free query newsletter launched in 2024 by HARO's original founder Peter Shankman.
The reality check hasn't changed. Replies are competitive, journalists choose few sources, and links are not guaranteed — some mentions are unlinked or nofollow. That's why HARO works best as one channel in a wider link plan, not the whole plan.
Three Ways to Buy HARO-Style Links
Before you compare names, decide how you want to pay and how much of the work you want to do yourself. Every provider on this list fits one of three models.
Pay-per-link
You pay when a placement goes live. A specialist monitors journalist requests, writes the pitches, and you only pay for links that land. It suits businesses that want a predictable cost per result. Ask exactly what counts as a delivered link — followed or nofollow, and on which kinds of sites — before you sign.
Managed monthly retainer
You pay a monthly fee and a team runs the outreach. A good retainer goes beyond journalist requests, so a quiet news week doesn't leave you with nothing. It costs more, but it gives you a plan instead of a lottery ticket. My breakdown of what link building agencies cost, cheap versus premium shows where the money actually goes.
Do-it-yourself with a free platform
You sign up as a source on a free journalist-request platform and pitch yourself. It costs time instead of money — the hours go on scanning digests, replying fast, and writing pitches that earn a pick.
If you want to learn SEO and outreach properly and run it yourself, the AI Profit Boardroom is where I teach the systems step by step. To speed up your pitch drafts, grab my 200+ AI SEO Prompts, and if you want an AI agent sorting the daily requests for you, my Agent OS guide walks through the setup.
The Best HARO Link Building Services, Ranked
This list deliberately mixes managed services and DIY platforms, because the right pick depends on the model you chose above. If you specifically want an agency-only comparison, see my list of the best HARO agencies. One rule applies to everything below: check each provider's current services and terms before you buy — offers change.
| Name | Model | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Goldie Agency | Retainer (managed, custom-quoted) | Editorial links without depending on HARO alone |
| Linkifi | Specialist service | Editorially earned links from journalist requests |
| HARO Link Building | Pay-per-link | Budgeting per placement |
| HARO SEO | Pay-per-link specialist | A dedicated, HARO-only channel |
| Jolly SEO | Specialist service | Journalist outreach done for you |
| LinkBuilder.io | Specialist service | HARO-style links plus broader acquisition |
| Loganix | Modular services | Building your own mix, including press releases |
| HARO by Featured.com | Platform (DIY) | Pitching the relaunched HARO yourself, free |
| Qwoted | Platform (DIY) | Experts who want matched journalist requests |
| Source of Sources | Platform (DIY) | A second free feed of journalist queries |
1. Goldie Agency
Goldie Agency is my agency, so I'll be straight about what it is. It's a full link building agency, not a HARO-only service, and it doesn't advertise HARO campaigns. It ranks first for businesses that want the editorial links HARO promises without betting everything on HARO. The model is managed, custom-quoted link building. Julian has been teaching HARO link building on his YouTube channel since 2019, in videos like HARO Link Building: Get Backlinks With HARO (Fast)! and 5 Tips To Make Your HARO Pitch Irresistible, so the advice here comes from years of working the platform, not from a launch-week review.
I built it from the ground up into a 7-figure SEO agency with a team of 50. Link building is the core specialism — getting you more backlinks from high-quality websites — and the team also builds white-label links for other SEO agencies, which means other SEO professionals trust the work enough to put their own name on it.
The receipts you can check: I wrote the best-selling book SEO Link Building Mastery, I've worked in SEO for 10+ years, my YouTube channel has 428K+ subscribers, my Upwork profile shows a 100% job success score, and client testimonials are published on the Goldie Agency site.
What separates this from a pure journalist-request shop is that the links are paired with AI-first SEO, covering both content and AI-answer visibility. The links land on pages built to rank, and a slow news cycle doesn't stall your whole plan because you're never relying on one channel.
Pricing is a custom quote based on your site and goals, and there are no ranking guarantees. The fastest way to see whether it fits is to Book a free SEO strategy session.
📺 Watch: LIVE: Building Agent OS with Claude
2. Linkifi
Linkifi is a specialist service focused on editorially earned links from journalist requests. Rather than buying a spot on a site, the aim is coverage a journalist chose to include, which is the whole appeal of HARO-style link building. It suits brands that want someone else monitoring requests and handling the pitching while they supply the expertise. Ask how it covers today's mix of platforms now that HARO has relaunched.
3. HARO Link Building
HARO Link Building is a pay-per-link HARO service, so the model is refreshingly simple. You pay for placements rather than effort, which makes it easy to budget per result and easy to compare against other providers. It suits businesses that want journalist-request links without running the outreach themselves. As with any pay-per-link offer, confirm what qualifies as a delivered link before you start.
4. HARO SEO
HARO SEO is a focused, HARO-only service. There's no bundle of unrelated link types to wade through — the offer is built around journalist requests and the pitching that goes with them. That narrow focus suits buyers who already have the rest of their link building covered and just want a dedicated hand on the HARO channel. Pair it with a wider plan so a quiet news week doesn't leave gaps.
📺 Watch: LIVE: Building Agentic Operating Systems with Claude
5. Jolly SEO
Jolly SEO is a specialist in journalist outreach. The work centres on getting your expertise in front of reporters who are actively looking for sources, which is the heart of HARO-style link building. It suits brands with genuine subject knowledge that want a specialist doing the pitching. Bring clear examples of your expertise to the kickoff, because the better the raw material, the stronger the pitches.
6. LinkBuilder.io
LinkBuilder.io offers HARO-style outreach plus broader link acquisition. That combination is useful if you want journalist-request links but don't want your whole link profile depending on them. It suits growing sites that would rather have one provider covering more than one link channel. Ask which parts of the plan come from journalist requests and which come from other outreach, so you know exactly what you're paying for.
7. Loganix
Loganix offers modular services, including HARO-style placements and press releases. The modular setup means you can pick the pieces you need rather than committing to one fixed package. It suits marketers and agencies who like to assemble their own link plan from parts. Combining journalist-request placements with press releases can give a single news angle more than one route into coverage.
8. HARO by Featured.com
HARO by Featured.com is the relaunched platform itself, so this is the do-it-yourself route at the source. It's free for sources, needs no login, and sends email digests through the day. You read the requests, pick the ones that match your expertise, and pitch directly. It suits founders and experts who can reply quickly. Treat it as a daily habit rather than an occasional check, because speed matters.
9. Qwoted
Qwoted is a platform that matches journalists with expert sources, and you work it yourself. Instead of only reading a broadcast email, you get a dedicated place to find relevant requests and respond to them. It suits experts who want a steady flow of opportunities in their niche without paying an agency. Check current plans before you sign up, since what's included can change.
10. Source of Sources
Source of Sources is a free journalist query newsletter launched in 2024 by HARO's founder Peter Shankman. It's a DIY channel — you read the queries and pitch yourself. It suits anyone who already works HARO and wants a second free feed of requests from the person who started the whole idea. Running it alongside HARO widens the net without adding any cost.
How to Choose the Right Model
Expertise but no time? A pay-per-link or specialist service makes sense. Need links every month regardless of the news cycle? A managed retainer that goes beyond HARO is the safer bet. Time but little budget? The free platforms at #8 to #10 are a genuine option.
Whatever you pick, don't make HARO your only channel. For a wider look at providers that aren't journalist-request focused, see my ranking of the best link building services. If you're curious how I test the AI tools that speed up pitching and research, the comparisons live on Goldie Bench.
Still stuck between models? Book a free SEO strategy session and we'll pick the right one for your site together.
FAQ
What are HARO link building services?
They're providers that earn backlinks through journalist requests, either charging per placement or running managed retainers alongside other link channels. The free platforms themselves, like HARO by Featured.com, Qwoted and Source of Sources, let you do the same work yourself.
Are HARO link building services worth it?
They can be, if your expectations are realistic. Replies are competitive and some mentions end up unlinked or nofollow, so a HARO service works best as one channel in a wider link plan.
Can I do HARO link building myself?
Yes. HARO by Featured.com, Qwoted and Source of Sources (#8 to #10 above) all let you pitch journalists directly. My step-by-step HARO link building guide covers how to find the right requests and write pitches that get picked. For the bigger picture, grab my free SEO Link Building book. For ongoing training while you do it, join the AI Profit Boardroom.
HARO is back, but it's still one channel, not a whole strategy. Pick the model that fits your time and budget, and if you want editorial links without betting everything on journalist requests, Book a free SEO strategy session with my team.
