HARO Launches Self-Serve Advertising for PR Professionals, Keeping the Service Free

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 is significant for Texas businesses because it offers a new, cost-effective way to reach a highly targeted audience of PR professionals, publicists, marketers, and founders without a sales call or subscription fee. The platform starts at $105 and is designed for companies that sell to that audience, such as PR and marketing software, agencies, media databases, and event organizers.

The new system allows advertisers to pick a placement, choose editions and dates on a calendar that shows live pricing, write the ad in the browser, and pay through Stripe. HARO staff review every ad before it runs. Booking is open at helpareporter.com/advertise. According to Brett Farmiloe, founder and CEO of Featured, the company that owns HARO, the decision to keep HARO free for journalists and sources while charging advertisers is a deliberate alternative to platforms that charge PR professionals monthly subscriptions for the right to pitch more often. "HARO stays free for journalists and for the experts who answer them," Farmiloe said. "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, demonstrating the scale of its reach. The newsletter's readers include PR professionals, publicists, marketers, founders, and subject matter experts who answer journalist requests in categories such as business, technology, health, travel, lifestyle, and entertainment. For Texas-based companies in these sectors, advertising in HARO could provide direct access to decision-makers and influencers who shape media coverage. The self-serve model eliminates the need for lengthy sales negotiations, making it accessible to small and medium-sized businesses as well as larger firms.

Advertisers can choose from three placement types: Presenting Sponsor, Spotlight, and Classified. Presenting Sponsor appears at the top of the edition, above the journalist query index, and is labeled "Sponsored." Spotlight appears directly below the query index, above the first journalist query, and is labeled "Spotlight." Classified appears in the closing Classifieds block after the last query, with up to three listings per edition. Each ad is plain text with one link, and HARO does not accept images or HTML. Rates vary by placement, edition, and weekday, with Thursday base rates ranging from $125 for an Evening Classified to $795 for a Morning Presenting Sponsor. Monday through Wednesday run above the Thursday rate, while 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 Afternoon Classified placements for $450) and Full Month Presence (four Presenting Sponsor, eight Spotlight, and 20 Classified placements for $6,450).

The launch also includes advertising standards to maintain trust. Ads may not promise a story or editorial coverage, describe a placement as guaranteed press, sell links, or present a paid placement as news. Ads that do not meet the guidelines are declined and refunded. 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/. For more information about HARO, visit HARO. The platform is owned by Featured, an AI co-pilot for PR founded in 2022 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. With this launch, HARO aims to sustain its free service while giving businesses a straightforward way to reach a valuable audience.