HARO (Help a Reporter Out), the journalist-request newsletter owned by Featured, has launched Advertise in HARO, a self-serve system for buying text advertising in its three weekday editions. The move matters because it offers a new way for companies to reach PR professionals while keeping the core service free for journalists and sources, a contrast to some platforms that charge PR people for pitch access.
The newsletter, which sent more than 100 million emails to subscribers over the past year, is free to receive and answer. Advertising now pays for it. “Some platforms in this category charge PR people a monthly subscription for the right to pitch more often. We took the other route,” said Brett Farmiloe, founder and CEO of Featured, the company that owns HARO. “HARO stays free for journalists and for the experts who answer them. The companies that pay are the ones that want to reach this audience, and now they can book that reach in a few minutes without a sales call.”
Advertisers can book at helpareporter.com/advertise. The process involves choosing a placement, edition, and date on a calendar showing live prices up to 45 days ahead; writing the ad copy and link text; and paying through Stripe. No HARO account is needed, and HARO staff review every ad before it runs, requiring at least one business day between booking and publication.
Placement options include Presenting Sponsor at the top of the edition, Spotlight below the query index, and Classified in the closing block. Thursday base rates range from $125 for a Classified in the Evening edition to $795 for a Presenting Sponsor in the Morning. Volume discounts apply automatically, and fixed-price bundles are available. HARO publishes three editions each weekday: Morning at 5:35 a.m. ET, Afternoon at 12:35 p.m. ET, and Evening at 5:35 p.m. ET.
Advertising standards prohibit promising a story or editorial coverage, describing a placement as guaranteed press, selling links, or presenting a paid placement as news. Ads that do not meet guidelines are declined and refunded. “We wanted buying an ad in HARO to feel the way submitting a query feels for a journalist. You see the rate and pick the date, and the ad runs once our team has read it,” Farmiloe said. “That is the whole system.”
A full guide to placements and advertising guidelines is published at https://blog.helpareporter.com/how-to-advertise-on-haro-a-step-by-step-guide-to-haro-ads/. The launch comes as HARO, founded in 2008 and relaunched by Featured in April 2025, continues to connect journalists with expert sources. Featured, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, operates as Terkel, Inc. and owns HARO and Connectively. For more information, visit HARO. Press inquiries can be directed to Brett Farmiloe via Email Contact.
