---
title: "Journalist request platforms: HARO, Qwoted, Featured and a…"
description: "The landscape in 2026 Journalist request platforms (sometimes called \"source request\" or \"query\" services) connect reporters who need expert input with…"
url: https://optimizeall.com/learn/digital-pr-and-brand-authority/journalist-request-platforms
updated: 2026-10-05
---

Digital PR, Brand Mentions & E-E-A-T · Press releases, pitches and journalist requests · lesson 6 of 14 · 9 min

# Journalist request platforms: HARO, Qwoted, Featured and a triage system

## The landscape in 2026

Journalist request platforms (sometimes called "source request" or "query" services) connect reporters who need expert input with people who can provide it. The market reshaped itself in 2024–2025, so older guides are often wrong. Always check a platform's current terms, pricing and rules before committing time.

| Platform | How it works (at a glance) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **HARO (Help a Reporter Out)** | Email digests of journalist queries; sources reply to the reporter | Owned by Cision from 2014; rebranded as Connectively and shut down in December 2024; acquired by Featured.com and relaunched in April 2025 as a free, ad-supported service with several digests a day |
| **Qwoted** | Two-sided marketplace: journalists post requests; experts build profiles and pitch | Free tier and paid plans; strong for business, finance and tech coverage |
| **Featured** (featured.com) | Question-and-answer format: publishers pose questions, experts submit answers, publishers choose which to include | Also HARO's owner since 2025 |
| **Source of Sources (SOS)** | Free email digests of queries, launched by HARO's original founder | Back-to-basics, free |
| **ResponseSource** | UK-based journalist inquiry service (paid, for PR teams and brands) | Strong for UK national, regional and trade media |
| **Help a B2B Writer** | Requests from B2B content writers | Often company blogs and trade content |
| **Social requests** | #journorequest on X; journalist posts on LinkedIn and Bluesky | Free; move fast |

Independent comparisons of these platforms have found relatively little overlap between the requests each one carries, so monitoring two or three relevant services typically surfaces more opportunities than relying on one.

## Quality has become the whole game

Since generative AI became widespread, request platforms have been flooded with generic, AI-written answers. Journalists and platforms have responded by filtering harder; several platforms have introduced rules or checks aimed at low-quality or AI-generated submissions, and journalists increasingly ask for real, verifiable experts. The consequence for you: fewer, better answers from genuine experts outperform mass responses.

## Hands-on: set up a triage system

**1. Route digests into one place.** Create an email label or folder for each platform and a filter that applies it automatically (for example in Gmail: *Settings → Filters*, matching the platform's sending address). Turn off notifications for everything except that folder during your monitoring windows.

**2. Score requests automatically (optional).** If you export or copy requests into a CSV (`platform, outlet, title, deadline, text`), a short script can shortlist the ones that match your experts:

```python
import csv
from datetime import datetime, timezone

EXPERTS = {
    "sana":  {"keywords": ["ecommerce", "e-commerce", "seo", "shopify", "search"], "regions": ["uk", "uae"]},
    "faisal": {"keywords": ["data protection", "privacy", "compliance", "gdpr"],   "regions": ["uae", "saudi", "ksa"]},
}

def score(row: dict) -> tuple[int, str]:
    text = f"{row['title']} {row['text']}".lower()
    best, who = 0, ""
    for name, e in EXPERTS.items():
        s = sum(3 for k in e["keywords"] if k in text) + sum(1 for r in e["regions"] if r in text)
        if s > best:
            best, who = s, name
    return best, who

def hours_left(deadline_iso: str) -> float:
    try:
        dl = datetime.fromisoformat(deadline_iso)
    except ValueError:
        return float("inf")
    if dl.tzinfo is None:
        dl = dl.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
    return (dl - datetime.now(timezone.utc)).total_seconds() / 3600

with open("requests.csv", newline="", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    rows = list(csv.DictReader(f))

shortlist = []
for r in rows:
    s, who = score(r)
    h = hours_left(r.get("deadline", ""))
    if s >= 3 and h > 1:
        shortlist.append((s, round(h, 1), who, r["platform"], r["outlet"], r["title"]))

for item in sorted(shortlist, key=lambda x: (-x[0], x[1])):
    print(item)
```

Keyword matching is crude; a human still decides. The point is to spend your attention on the requests most likely to fit.

**3. Answer with a proven structure.** Use the response template from the previous lesson: answer first, two quotable points, one concrete example, one-line credentials, bio link, call window with time zone.

**4. Log everything.**

```text
Date | Platform | Outlet | Tier | Request title | Expert | Minutes to respond | Used? | Link (followed/nofollow/none) | Notes
```

## Platform etiquette and compliance

- Follow each platform's rules on eligibility, pitching format and follow-ups; breaking them can get an account suspended.
- Don't pay for "guaranteed" editorial placement presented as independent coverage. Paid placements must be clearly disclosed as advertising or sponsorship under advertising rules (for example the FTC's Endorsement Guides in the US and the CAP Code in the UK).
- Links from coverage are the publisher's choice. Many are nofollow or "sponsored"; mentions in reputable outlets still build recognition.
- Never misrepresent credentials or invent experts.

## Worked example: a two-platform routine for a small agency

A three-person agency in Lahore serving UK and Gulf e-commerce clients monitors Qwoted and HARO twice a day, plus #journorequest searches on X. A simple CSV and the triage script shortlist around five requests a day; the team answers two or three with named, credentialed experts. After a quarter, their log shows most wins came from business and e-commerce trade outlets, and that responses sent within an hour were used far more often, so they tighten their monitoring windows. (Illustrative scenario.)

## How to measure success

Use your log to calculate, per platform: responses sent, use rate, average time to respond, share of Tier 1–2 outlets and link types. Drop or de-prioritize platforms that consistently deliver low-relevance outlets, and double down on those that reach your customers.

## Video lecture: Journalist request platforms: HARO, Qwoted, Featured and a triage system

Lecture coming soon · 12 chapters · about 8 minutes. Read the full transcript below.

1. Journalist request platforms
2. Why platforms matter
3. The 2026 map
4. Choosing platforms
5. Quality is the whole game
6. Etiquette and compliance
7. Worked example 1: freelance nutritionist
8. Worked example 2: Lahore agency (illustrative)
9. Watch me do it: route and shortlist
10. Answer and log
11. Common mistakes and measures
12. Recap and try this now

## Lecture transcript

### Journalist request platforms

If you learned digital PR a few years ago, much of what you know about request platforms is out of date. The best-known service, HARO, was rebranded, then shut down in December twenty twenty-four, then bought and relaunched in April twenty twenty-five. New platforms grew. And generative AI flooded every one of them with generic answers, so journalists got pickier. In this lecture, you'll get a current map of the major platforms, learn why quality now beats volume, and build a triage system: routing digests, shortlisting requests by expert fit and deadline, answering fast, and logging results so you know which platforms are worth your time.

### Why platforms matter

Why do these platforms still matter? Because they're a direct line to journalists who need an expert right now. For a small business or an agency without a big media network, they're one of the most accessible ways to earn coverage in real publications. Think of a platform like a job board for quotes. Journalists post what they need, and experts apply. And just like job boards, the people who win aren't the ones who send the most applications. They're the ones who send the right application, quickly, for roles they're genuinely qualified for.

### The 2026 map

Here's the current map. HARO, owned by Cision since twenty fourteen, was rebranded as Connectively, shut down in December twenty twenty-four, then acquired by Featured dot com and relaunched in April twenty twenty-five, free and ad-supported, with several email digests a day. Qwoted is a two-sided marketplace. Journalists post requests, and experts build profiles and pitch, with a free tier and paid plans. Featured uses a question and answer format, where publishers pose questions and choose expert answers. Source of Sources is a free digest from HARO's original founder. ResponseSource is a paid UK service. Help a B2B Writer covers business content. And there are social requests, like journo request on X, and posts on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

### Choosing platforms

Which ones should you use? Independent comparisons have found relatively little overlap between the requests each platform carries. So relying on one platform means missing most opportunities. The practical answer is two or three platforms that match your audience and markets. A UK consumer brand might pair ResponseSource with HARO and social requests. A B2B tech firm might pair Qwoted with Help a B2B Writer. A Gulf business might add LinkedIn monitoring and local journalist relationships. Then let your log decide which ones stay.

### Quality is the whole game

Here's the key idea for twenty twenty-six: quality has become the whole game. Since generative AI took off, platforms have been flooded with generic, machine-written answers. Journalists and platforms responded by filtering harder, and several platforms introduced rules or checks aimed at low-quality or AI-generated submissions. Journalists increasingly want real, verifiable experts. So forty generic answers a day will likely earn you less than three specific answers from named, credentialed people. Fewer, better, faster. And never invent credentials or experts. That ends relationships and can get accounts suspended.

### Etiquette and compliance

Etiquette and compliance. Follow each platform's rules on eligibility, pitching format and follow-ups, because breaking them can get you suspended. Don't pay for guaranteed editorial placement presented as independent coverage. Paid placements must be clearly disclosed as advertising or sponsorship, under rules like the FTC's Endorsement Guides in the US and the CAP Code in the UK. And accept that links are the publisher's choice. Many will be nofollow or marked sponsored. A mention in a reputable outlet still builds recognition, and that's often worth more than the link itself.

### Worked example 1: freelance nutritionist

Worked example one, simple. A freelance nutritionist in Toronto joins two platforms and gives herself two fifteen minute windows a day: eight in the morning and two in the afternoon. She answers only requests about nutrition for busy professionals, her specialty, where she can meet the deadline. In the first month, she sends eleven answers. Four are used, including a national lifestyle site and two health trade titles. She notices every win was answered within an hour, so she moves her first window earlier, to catch the morning digest as soon as it arrives.

### Worked example 2: Lahore agency (illustrative)

Worked example two, a business scenario with illustrative details. A three-person agency in Lahore serves UK and Gulf e-commerce clients. They monitor Qwoted and HARO twice a day, plus journo request searches on X. A simple CSV and a triage script shortlist around five requests a day, and they answer two or three with named experts. After a quarter, the log shows most wins came from business and e-commerce trade outlets, and that responses within an hour were used far more often. So they tighten their monitoring windows and drop a platform that mainly delivered low-relevance sites.

### Watch me do it: route and shortlist

Watch me do it. First, routing. In my email, I create a label for each platform, and a filter that applies it automatically based on the sender. Now digests land in one place. Second, the optional script. I paste requests into a CSV with platform, outlet, title, deadline and text. The script checks each request against my experts' keywords and regions, calculates hours until the deadline, and prints a shortlist sorted by fit, then by urgency. It skips anything due within the hour. It's crude keyword matching, so I still read every shortlisted request myself before deciding.

### Answer and log

Third, the answer. I use the structure from the last lesson: answer the question first, two quotable points, one concrete example, a one-line credential, a bio link and a call window with the time zone. The expert reviews and approves the words. Fourth, the log. Date, platform, outlet, tier, request title, expert, minutes to respond, whether it was used, the link type and notes. That log is how you'll decide, after a quarter, which platforms deserve your time and which ones to drop.

### Common mistakes and measures

Common mistakes. Relying on one platform. Answering everything, including requests outside your expertise. Sending generic or AI-written answers. Following up repeatedly against platform rules. Paying for undisclosed guaranteed coverage. And not logging, so you can't tell which platform works. How do you measure success? For each platform, track responses sent, use rate, average time to respond, the share of tier one and two outlets, and link types. Keep what reaches your customers. Drop what doesn't.

### Recap and try this now

Let's recap. The request platform landscape changed a lot in twenty twenty-four and twenty twenty-five. HARO shut down and relaunched under Featured dot com. Qwoted, Featured, Source of Sources, ResponseSource, Help a B2B Writer and social requests each carry different opportunities, so monitor two or three. Quality beats volume, especially now that AI answers flood every inbox. Route digests into one place, shortlist by fit and deadline, answer fast with genuine experts, follow the rules, and log everything. Try this now. Sign up to two relevant platforms, route their digests into one folder, and run a week of twice-daily triage, answering at least three requests.

## Key takeaways

- The platform landscape changed in 2024–2025: HARO shut down in December 2024 and relaunched under Featured.com in April 2025.
- Qwoted, Featured, Source of Sources, ResponseSource, Help a B2B Writer and social requests each carry different opportunities; monitor two or three.
- Generic AI-written answers flood platforms; fewer, better answers from genuine experts win.
- Route digests into one place, shortlist by expert fit and deadline, answer fast with a proven structure, and log every response.
- Follow platform rules and advertising disclosure law; never pay for undisclosed "guaranteed" coverage.

## Try it

Sign up to two relevant request platforms, route their digests into one folder, run a week of twice-daily triage (manually or with the script), answer at least three requests with named experts, and log the results.

- [Previous: Journalist request services and reactive PR](https://optimizeall.com/learn/digital-pr-and-brand-authority/journalist-requests-and-reactive-pr)
- [Next: Thought leadership that builds authority](https://optimizeall.com/learn/digital-pr-and-brand-authority/thought-leadership-that-builds-authority)
- [All lessons of Digital PR, Brand Mentions & E-E-A-T](https://optimizeall.com/learn/digital-pr-and-brand-authority)