HARO (Help a Reporter Out), the journalist-request newsletter owned by Featured, announced the launch of Advertise in HARO, a self-serve platform for purchasing text advertising in its three weekday editions. The system allows advertisers to select placements, choose editions and dates on a calendar displaying live prices, compose ad copy in the browser, and pay via Stripe. HARO staff review every ad before publication. Booking is available at helpareporter.com/advertise.
The move matters because it provides a new, accessible channel for businesses targeting PR professionals, publicists, marketers, founders, and subject matter experts—the core readership of HARO. Unlike some platforms that charge PR professionals a monthly subscription to pitch more frequently, HARO remains free for journalists and sources. "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."
HARO sent more than 100 million emails to subscribers over the past year, underscoring the scale of the audience now available to advertisers. The self-serve system is designed for companies selling to that audience, such as PR and marketing software providers, agencies, media databases, research publishers, event organizers, course creators, and other newsletters. The process involves three steps and a review: choose a placement, edition, and date; write the ad copy and link text; and pay through Stripe. No HARO account is needed, and the receipt and review decision are sent to the work email on the order. HARO requires at least one business day between booking and publication for review, and advertisers can request up to two revisions before the deadline stated in their review email. Ads that do not meet HARO's advertising guidelines are declined and refunded in full.
Placement options include Presenting Sponsor at the top of the edition above the journalist query index, Spotlight directly below the query index above the first journalist query, and Classified in the closing block after the last query, with up to three listings per edition. All ads are plain text with one link; images and HTML are not accepted. 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. Rates are published on the booking calendar and vary by placement, edition, and weekday. For example, Thursday base rates for Presenting Sponsor range from $795 for Morning to $525 for Evening, while Classified ranges from $195 to $125. Monday through Wednesday run above the Thursday rate, and Friday runs below it, making Friday the lowest-priced day. Volume discounts apply automatically to a la carte orders: 10% off four or more placements, 15% off eight or more, 22% off 16 or more, and 28% off 30 or more. Fixed-price bundles are also available, such as Try HARO (four Classified placements, Afternoon edition) for $450 and Full Month Presence (four Presenting Sponsor, eight Spotlight, and 20 Classified placements) for $6,450. Bundle prices include the discount and do not stack with volume discounts.
Advertising standards prohibit promises of a story or editorial coverage, describing a placement as guaranteed press, selling links, or presenting a paid placement as news. "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/. A launch offer for first-time advertisers is shown on the booking page. HARO, founded in 2008, was shut down by its previous owner in December 2024 and relaunched by Featured in April 2025. Featured, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, operates as Terkel, Inc. and owns HARO and Connectively.
