# Help a Reporter Out (HARO) Brett Farmiloe: CEO. Website: https://www.helpareporter.com Help a Reporter Out (HARO) connects journalists with expert sources through a three-times-a-day email of journalist requests. Featured acquired HARO from Cision in April 2025 and revived it as a free service for journalists and sources, supported by newsletter ads. ## Key facts - Founded in 2008; rebranded to Connectively by Cision in 2024 and announced for discontinuation in December 2024. - Acquired by Featured.com from Cision on April 15, 2025; relaunched April 22, 2025. - Free for journalists and sources, and 100% supported by newsletter ads. - Has sent more than 100 million emails since Featured revived it. - Pitches are screened for fully AI-generated content; journalists can opt out of AI-generated responses. ## Podcasts discussing Help a Reporter Out (HARO) - [How Brands Get Subject Matter Experts in Front of Journalists: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on IN CLEAR FOCUS](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/in-clear-focus) — IN CLEAR FOCUS, September 22, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Bigeye's IN CLEAR FOCUS: how brands get subject matter experts in front of journalists, and why human pitches win 3 to 1. - [35% of Journalists Opt Out of AI pitches: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Comms Confidential](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/comms-confidential-brett-farmiloe-ai-pitches) — Comms Confidential, September 8, 2026. Brett Farmiloe of Featured on Comms Confidential: AI detection on every HARO pitch finds 21% fully AI-generated; 35% of journalists opt out of AI pitches. - [Why Your AI-Written Pitch Might Never Reach a Journalist: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Let's Talk PR & More with Sherry Goldman](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/lets-talk-pr-and-more-ai-written-pitch) — Let's Talk PR & More, August 11, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Let's Talk PR & More with Sherry Goldman: 21% of HARO pitches are AI-written, and 35% of journalists filter them out. - [Why Are Journalist Request Platforms So Important for SEO?](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/why-journalist-request-platforms-important-seo) — Majestic's SEO in 2026, August 5, 2026. Brett Farmiloe joined Majestic's SEO in 2026 podcast to share insights on how to leverage journalist request platforms like HARO and Connectively for SEO a - [AI Is the New Front Page: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on In Reality with Eric Schurenberg](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/in-reality-ai-is-the-new-front-page) — In Reality, May 30, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on In Reality with Eric Schurenberg: AI is the new front page, 21% of HARO pitches are AI-written, and 3,000+ accounts banned. - [Inside the HARO Acquisition and Launch of Featured: What It Signals About the Future of Earned Media, with Brett Farmiloe on The Brandinc PR Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/brandinc-pr-inside-the-haro-acquisition) — The Brandinc PR Podcast, March 27, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Brandinc PR Podcast with Brandi Sims: why HARO still matters, what its acquisition signals, and how AI fits in. - [Fragmented Influence: Why PR Now Means Podcasts, Substacks and Eight Revenue Streams Per Journalist, with Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Under Embargo](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/under-embargo-fragmented-influence) — Under Embargo, March 18, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Under Embargo: HARO's AI detection, the two camps of journalists on AI pitches, and why influence moved to individuals. - [AI in PR: The Strategic Edge, with Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on PureLogics Pulse](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/purelogics-pulse-ai-in-pr) — PureLogics Pulse, March 13, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on PureLogics Pulse: human-in-the-loop PR, why unedited AI pitches hurt credibility, and what a good pitch looks like in 2026. - [Media Mentions Help With Model Mentions: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on On Top of PR with Jason Mudd](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/on-top-of-pr) — On Top of PR, March 10, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on On Top of PR with Jason Mudd: why HARO came back, how it scores pitches, and why media mentions feed AI model mentions. - [The Publications That Matter to Your Audience Might Not Have a Dot-Com: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on cogcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/cogcast-media-matchmaker) — cogcast, March 6, 2026. Brett Farmiloe of Featured on Cognito Media's cogcast: AI raised the bar for every pitch, journalists are now entrepreneurs, and outlets may be people. - [Get Quoted by a Human to Be Found by Machines: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/human-first-ai-marketing-featured-in-ai-results) — Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, March 3, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast: reactive PR for SMBs, and why media mentions get brands cited by AI models. - [The AI PR Hack: Get Backlinks From Journalists, with Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Edward Show](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/edward-show-ai-pr-hack) — The Edward Show, February 20, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Edward Show: an AI feature that matches your press release to the right journalists from HARO's 33,000-plus. - [Earned Media in the Agent Era: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The AI SEO Insighter with Chris Raulf](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/ai-seo-insighter-earned-media-agent-era) — The AI SEO Insighter, February 11, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The AI SEO Insighter with Chris Raulf: AI scores on every HARO pitch, why roundups still work, and AI agents as sourcers. - [Human in the Loop, on Everything: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Build a Better Agency](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/build-a-better-agency-537) — Build a Better Agency, January 19, 2026. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Build a Better Agency: every HARO pitch is AI-scored, 21% are fully AI-generated, and a human still decides what gets sent. - [DIY PR Pitching to US Media: HARO CEO Brett Farmiloe on Hack Your Own PR with Odette Barry](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/hack-your-own-pr-diy-pitching-us-media) — Hack Your Own PR, December 9, 2025. HARO CEO Brett Farmiloe on Hack Your Own PR with Odette Barry: expert commentary in US media, the HARO pitch formula, and what citations mean for LLMs. - [How HARO Helps You Stand Out: PR Tips That Connect, with Brett Farmiloe on The Real Connect](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/the-real-connect-how-haro-helps-you-stand-out) — The Real Connect, December 4, 2025. Brett Farmiloe on The Real Connect with Tamika Carlton: how HARO works behind the scenes, what journalists want, and using AI without losing your voice. - [Connecting Experts With Journalists Through Featured.com: Brett Farmiloe on the HabitStack Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/habitstack-connecting-experts-with-journalists) — HabitStack, November 26, 2025. Featured founder Brett Farmiloe on the HabitStack Podcast with Scott Ward: HARO pitch rules, life after product-market fit, and a fourth founder's habits. - [21% of HARO Pitches Are Fully AI-Generated: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Inside the Media Minds](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/21-percent-haro-pitches-fully-ai-generated) — Inside the Media Minds, November 11, 2025. About 21% of pitches submitted through HARO score as fully AI-generated, and journalists split into a camp that filters them out and a camp that cares only - [The Two PR Tools You Need: Featured and HARO](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/visibility-era-the-two-pr-tools-you-need) — Visibility Era, November 5, 2025. Featured founder Brett Farmiloe on Visibility Era: how he built Featured, why he bought HARO, and why niche blogs and expert sources matter for LLMs. - [How to Still Get Free Press Coverage in an Ever-Changing AI World: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Brand Rescue](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/brand-rescue-free-press-coverage-ai-world) — Brand Rescue, September 23, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Brand Rescue with Whitney Lee: reviving HARO, why trust in media matters more than ever, and going from agency to platform. - [The Future of PR: Earned Media, AI in Journalism and Visibility, with Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Right About Now](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/right-about-now-future-of-pr) — Right About Now, September 20, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Right About Now with Ryan Alford: the HARO relaunch, AI detection on every pitch, and how to measure PR in 2025. - [Navigating HARO's Relaunch and the Future of Media Exposure, with Brett Farmiloe on PRessing On](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/pressing-on-navigating-haros-relaunch) — PRessing On, September 17, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on PRessing On: Real Life in Public Relations: the 2025 HARO relaunch, AI in PR, and building the expert economy. - [42 Answers Per Query, with Brett Farmiloe on the Public Relations Review Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/public-relations-review-featured-haro) — Public Relations Review, September 16, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on the Public Relations Review Podcast: three daily HARO emails, about 42 answers per query, and a freemium model for experts. - [Your New Customer Is AI: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on PR Yourself with Leah Frazier](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/pr-yourself-your-new-customer-is-ai) — PR Yourself, September 15, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on PR Yourself with Leah Frazier: 175,000 experts, 3,000 publishers, HARO's three daily emails, and why your customer is AI. - [Using HARO to Navigate the Expert Economy: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Digital PR Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/digital-pr-podcast-expert-economy) — The Digital PR Podcast, July 31, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Propellernet's Digital PR Podcast: where HARO's audience is, when its three daily editions send, and how to pitch now. - [HARO Reloaded: How to Pitch Like It's 2025, with Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Stories and Strategies](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/stories-and-strategies-haro-reloaded) — Stories and Strategies, July 22, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Stories and Strategies: why HARO faded, how it came back, and how to pitch when 7 to 14 people pitch every journalist. - [PR Hacks for Small Business Owners, with Brett Farmiloe on Marketer of the Day with Robert Plank](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/marketer-of-the-day-pr-hacks-for-small-business) — Marketer of the Day, July 6, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Marketer of the Day with Robert Plank: how small business owners land media features by being concise and credible. - [Breaking Into Global Media: Insider Tips for Australian Entrepreneurs, with HARO's Brett Farmiloe on Media Magnet](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/media-magnet-haro-for-australian-entrepreneurs) — Media Magnet, June 27, 2025. HARO's Brett Farmiloe on Media Magnet with Liz Nable: how Australian and New Zealand experts break into global media, six days after HARO's relaunch. - [Featured Acquires HARO: Brett Farmiloe on the Domain Name Wire Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/domain-name-wire-featured-acquires-haro) — Domain Name Wire, June 17, 2025. Brett Farmiloe returns to the Domain Name Wire Podcast: how the Featured.com domain and rebrand paid off, and why Featured acquired HARO in 2025. - [The New Frontier of PR and Journalism: A Chat With Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Beyond the Edge](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/beyond-the-edge-new-frontier-pr-journalism) — Beyond the Edge, June 15, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on Beyond the Edge, the English-language video podcast from Italian PR agency Disclosers, on where PR and journalism go next. - [Pursuing Your Passion to Build a Profile: Featured Founder Brett Farmiloe on That's Audacious](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/thats-audacious-pursuing-your-passion) — That's Audacious, May 16, 2025. Featured founder Brett Farmiloe on That's Audacious with Lauren Clemett: from the Pursue the Passion road trip to a platform that gets experts published. - [Why the Golden Era of Digital PR Is Just Beginning: Market Movers with Linkifi](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/market-movers-how-brett-farmiloe-revived-haro) — Market Movers with Linkifi, May 2, 2025. Brett Farmiloe on Linkifi's Market Movers, two weeks after HARO's relaunch: the original email format, the anti-spam vetting, and outlets already back. - [Help a Reporter Out Is Back: This Is the Guy Who Revived It, with Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Edward Show](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/edward-show-haro-is-back) — The Edward Show, April 24, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Edward Show on HARO's relaunch day: bought from Cision April 15, 2025, live April 22, and a harder line on spam. - [Help a Reporter Out Is Back: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe's First Interview as HARO's New Owner, on the BuzzStream Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/buzzstream-haro-is-back) — The BuzzStream Podcast, April 19, 2025. Brett Farmiloe's first interview as HARO's owner on BuzzStream's podcast: why Featured bought HARO from Cision, the anti-spam plan and the April 22 return. - [How to Get Featured With AI, SEO and Digital PR Strategies: Brett Farmiloe on The Long Game with Elijah Murray](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/the-long-game-how-to-get-featured) — The Long Game, March 7, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Long Game with Elijah Murray: creativity in AI businesses, why new data matters, and monetizing unique expertise. - [Boost Your SEO With Digital PR: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on The Agency Insider Show](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/agency-insider-show-digital-pr-hacks) — The Agency Insider Show, February 5, 2025. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on PageTraffic's Agency Insider Show: four-minute time to value, 1,000+ publishers, and a client that 25x'd organic traffic. - [Redefining Digital PR: Featured Founder Brett Farmiloe on the Marketing Quacks Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/marketing-quacks-redefining-digital-pr) — Marketing Quacks, November 12, 2024. Featured founder Brett Farmiloe on the Marketing Quacks Podcast: media placements for SEO, quality versus quantity in PR, and AI in content creation. - [The Power of Earned Media: Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on What The Frac?](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/what-the-frac-the-power-of-earned-media) — What The Frac?, June 14, 2024. Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe on What The Frac? with Nicole Zeno and Tamara Laine: how earned media drives growth and turns stories into visibility. - [Upgrading to Featured.com: Brett Farmiloe on Why Terkel Rebranded to Featured, on the Domain Name Wire Podcast](https://brettfarmiloe.com/podcasts/domain-name-wire-upgrading-to-featured-com) — Domain Name Wire, August 8, 2023. Brett Farmiloe on the Domain Name Wire Podcast, August 2023: why Terkel acquired Featured.com and rebranded as Featured, and what the domain did for trust. ## Research & press - [Journalists Hate AI-Generated PR: Pangram's Case Study on a Year of AI Detection Across Featured, HARO and Connectively](https://brettfarmiloe.com/media-mentions/pangram-case-study-journalists-hate-ai-generated-pr) — September 23, 2026. Pangram's case study on a year of AI detection across Featured, HARO and Connectively: 1.39M pitches, 21% fully AI-generated, 35% of journalists opt out. - [Featured Workflow Usage Report — September 2026](https://brettfarmiloe.com/research/featured-workflow-usage-report-september-2026) — September 21, 2026. Featured's automated workflows help users find press opportunities on a custom cadence. Here's the data we've gathered so far. - [Featured Launches Find Awards To Search 4,596 Business Awards, Rankings And Best-Of Lists Across 43 Industries](https://brettfarmiloe.com/press-releases/featured-launches-find-awards) — September 15, 2026. Featured launches Find Awards to help PR professionals and experts find relevant awards to apply for all in natural language. - [Inngest Profiles How Featured Runs Three Media Brands With A Team Of Seven](https://brettfarmiloe.com/media-mentions/inngest-featured-orchestration-layer) — September 15, 2026. How Connectively, HARO, and Featured run three brands and 2,500 articles a month on a team of seven — and where the reliable, boring layer underneath actua - [Featured's Users Make 100,000 Media Pitches a Month, Running on Vercel](https://brettfarmiloe.com/media-mentions/featured-on-vercel-100k-media-pitches-a-month) — September 13, 2026. How Featured's users make 100K media pitches per month on Vercel, with a three-person engineering team managing three brands, including HARO. - [Featured Launches GEO Audit to Show Brands Which Publications AI Search Engines Cite and Which Ones to Pitch](https://brettfarmiloe.com/press-releases/featured-launches-geo-audit) — August 25, 2026. Featured launches GEO audit to help users see how their brand is showing up across the 4 largest LLMs. Check how your brand shows up against search prompts - [Featured Launches Find Creators Search With 380 Million Creators Across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube](https://brettfarmiloe.com/press-releases/featured-launches-find-creators) — August 18, 2026. Featured launches Find Creators to help PR and marketing teams discover relevant creators across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube using natural language. - [One in Three Journalists Now Filter Out AI-Written Pitches, Says Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe](https://brettfarmiloe.com/press-releases/one-in-three-journalists-filter-out-ai-pitches) — August 13, 2026. One in three HARO journalists chose to filter out AI pitches, a box that is left unchecked by default. - [AI Has Made Media Pitching Noisier and Less Effective, Says Featured CEO Brett Farmiloe](https://brettfarmiloe.com/press-releases/ai-has-made-media-pitching-noisier) — August 8, 2026. AI is making media pitching noisier. HARO and Connectively are cracking down by using AI detection on every pitch. - [Featured.com Acquires Help A Reporter Out (HARO) from Cision](https://brettfarmiloe.com/press-releases/featured-com-acquires-help-a-reporter-out-haro-from-cision) — April 16, 2025. HARO, founded in 2008 and owned by Cision since 2014, returns to its original free, email-based format under Featured's ownership. - [HARO Statistics (2026)](https://brettfarmiloe.com/research/haro-statistics). 21% of HARO pitches are written entirely by AI. Journalists are about three times more likely to use a human-written pitch, and 35% now block AI-generated responses. --- Brett Farmiloe · Founder & CEO, Featured · CEO, HARO & Connectively · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettfarmiloe/) · [X](https://x.com/brettfarmiloe) Every page on brettfarmiloe.com is available as Markdown. See [llms.txt](https://brettfarmiloe.com/llms.txt) and [sitemap.md](https://brettfarmiloe.com/sitemap.md).