What Happened to HARO and Is HARO Back in 2025?

If you’ve used HARO before, you probably noticed it disappeared without warning. One day, the emails just stopped. No updates, no news. It left a lot of people wondering the same thing — what happened to HARO?

For years, HARO (Help a Reporter Out) helped journalists find sources and gave businesses a chance to be featured in the media. Then, it just vanished.

Now in 2025, there’s some exciting news — HARO is back.

In this blog, you’ll find out what actually happened, why it disappeared, and what’s next now that HARO is making a comeback in 2025.

HARO’s Disappeared: Where Did It Go?

In 2023, HARO got a new name — Connectively. Cision.com, the company behind HARO, made the switch and said it was a fresh start. But when you logged in, it didn’t feel the same. You could still see some of the old features, but something was off. 

Many users kept calling it HARO because that’s what they knew. Still, the experience changed, and not in a good way.

After some time, even Connectively stopped working. 

Image Source: Cision

And suddenly, what happened to HARO became a big question for journalists, marketers, and small business owners.

Cision gave a short reason. They said they wanted to focus on other tools that worked better for their PR users. But many people believed there was more going on. Let’s figure them out in the next section. 

Why Did HARO Shut Down?

Here are the reasons why HARO stopped working. 

Quality Dropped for Journalists

In the beginning, HARO was trusted by journalists for finding reliable sources. But as HARO SEO tactics grew popular, many users started misusing the platform to chase backlinks. Journalists began receiving answers that were self-promotional or completely off-topic.

Instead of valuable insights, they got keyword-stuffed replies that didn’t help their stories. Over time, the signal got lost in the noise. For those asking what is HARO in SEO, it became more of a link-building tool than a media connection platform — and that shift hurt its credibility.

Abuse of the Platform

As the platform gained popularity among SEO professionals, HARO saw a rise in spam and low-effort responses. Some marketers began using AI tools to auto-generate generic answers, flooding journalists with content that lacked originality. Others outsourced mass responses with no real value. 

This constant abuse made reporters lose faith in the system. If you’re wondering how do you respond to a HARO query, the idea was always to be relevant. But the platform was filled with people chasing fast links, not meaningful connections.

HARO Didn’t Keep Up with New Tools

Over the years, other PR tools came in with better filtering, analytics, and user experience. HARO didn’t keep up. The interface stayed the same, and search features remained limited. It didn’t adapt to the evolving needs of users or offer smarter ways to match journalists with credible sources. 

As a result, even long-time HARO fans started looking elsewhere, and competitors gained ground quickly.

No Clear Direction

After HARO was rebranded as Connectively, many users felt lost. The new name, new branding, and shifting features confused the community. Yet, there was no noticeable improvement in how the platform worked. 

The core promise — connecting journalists and sources — got buried under unclear updates and poor execution. Without strong leadership or direction, the platform simply lost its place in the industry.

Is HARO Back in 2025?

Yes, HARO is officially back in 2025.

After its shutdown in late 2024 under the name Connectively, the platform quietly made a comeback in April 2025. A new version of HARO was launched on helpareporter.com, where users could sign up to receive updates. The first batch of HARO emails started rolling out on April 22, 2025. 

The core idea is still the same — reporters submit queries, and sources can respond to gain media coverage. But the platform is now operated under new management by Featured, and it’s being reintroduced with some structural improvements to avoid past issues.

                                                     Source: helpareporter.com

The original platform was shut down due to growing issues like spam, low-quality AI responses, and a drop in meaningful connections between journalists and real sources. These problems damaged HARO’s credibility, and users moved on to other tools. 

So, if you’ve been asking what happened to HARO, it was basically pushed out by its own decline in quality. The new version is aiming to fix that. It promises better quality control and has returned with the same core function, but with a clearer plan to support only high-quality responses.

Final thought

So finally, we’ve covered… what happened to HARO? In short, it got rebranded, overused, and shut down quietly. But now, HARO is back in 2025 with a second chance. For those in PR, SEO, or media outreach, this is big news.

HARO may never be perfect, but with the right changes, it is still a valuable tool—especially if you know how to use HARO the right way.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to write pitches that convert, just reach out. Fill out the form here and we’ll handle the rest.

FAQs

1. What happened to HARO in the first place?

HARO was rebranded by its parent company, saw an increase in spammy pitches, and gradually lost quality. Eventually, it was shut down quietly in late 2023, leaving many PR professionals looking for alternatives.

2. Is HARO back in 2025?

Yes. HARO relaunched in 2025 with a new website and updated platform features. The goal is to restore trust, improve pitch quality, and reduce spam while keeping its core function of connecting journalists with credible sources.

3. Why is HARO important for PR and SEO?

HARO offers opportunities to be featured in reputable publications. These media mentions often include high-quality backlinks, which can boost search rankings, build authority, and increase brand visibility.

4. What changes can we expect from HARO’s relaunch?

The 2025 version is expected to focus on better spam filtering, improved journalist-source matching, and possibly more advanced profile features for users to showcase their expertise.

5. How can I get the most out of HARO in 2025?

Respond only to relevant queries, provide concise yet valuable answers, include credible data or quotes, and maintain a consistent pitching schedule. Quality over quantity is key to landing media features.