HARO-style sourcing converts at 8.4% vs 2.1% for cold outreach

HARO-style sourcing converts at 8.4% vs 2.1% for cold outreach

Sample: 1,200 cold emails and 600 journalist-request pitches, same operator, same quarter (n=1,800).

— Cold outreach reply rate: 2.1%
— Reply-to-link rate (cold): 0.7%
— Journalist-request response: 8.4%
— Response-to-link (HARO): 4.9%

The inbound request inverts the dynamic — the journalist already wants a source, so you skip the pitch-the-pitch step.

The catch: HARO link DR is unpredictable and you compete on speed (median winning reply lands under 12 minutes). Cold outreach is slower but lets you pick the exact target page.

Run HARO for volume and authority lift; run cold outreach when a specific URL must be linked.