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News & Media · head to head

HARO vs Substack

HARO logo

HARO

News & Media

Help A Reporter Out - connecting journalists with expert sources

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substack logo

Substack

News & Media

The newsletter platform for writers and publishers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: HARO hARO was rebranded and phased out by Cision in favor of Connectively (www.connectively.us) starting early 2024, per the vendor's own helpareporter.com notice (Internet Archive capture, 2023); Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
  • They diverge on capability: HARO covers Daily journalist queries, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HARO and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where HARO and Substack differ
AttributeHAROSubstack
PlatformsWeb, EmailWeb, Mobile
Founded20082017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in HARO

  • Daily journalist queries
  • Source submissions
  • Query archives
  • Response tracking
  • Source directory
  • Email matching
  • Profile management
  • Email

Only in Substack

  • Newsletter publishing
  • Subscriber management
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Email analytics
  • Post scheduling
  • Archive creation
  • Free/paid tier split
  • Comments & discussion

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

HARO

  • Finding expert sourcesnot Substack
  • Press coveragenot Substack
  • Expert positioningnot Substack
  • Media relationsnot Substack

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot HARO
  • Reader monetizationnot HARO
  • Community buildingnot HARO
  • Subscriber managementnot HARO

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

HARO

  • HARO was rebranded and phased out by Cision in favor of Connectively (www.connectively.us) starting early 2024, per the vendor's own helpareporter.com notice (Internet Archive capture, 2023)

Substack

  • Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees

Pricing, plan by plan

HARO

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Daily email alerts
    • Query submissions
    • Source directory
  • Pro$19.99/month
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support
    • Analytics

Substack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited newsletters
    • Basic design
    • Archive access
  • Pro$12/month
    • Custom domain
    • Advanced analytics
    • Member chat

Which should you pick?

Choose HARO if

  • You need daily journalist queries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Email.
  • You also want source submissions.
HARO review

Choose Substack if

  • You need newsletter publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want subscriber management.
Substack review

Questions people ask

Is HARO or Substack better?
Neither clearly leads. HARO starts at Free and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HARO or Substack?
HARO starts at Free and Substack at Free.
Does HARO or Substack run on more platforms?
HARO runs on Web, Email. Substack runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use HARO for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is HARO best used for?
HARO is most often used for finding expert sources, press coverage, expert positioning, media relations. Of those, finding expert sources and press coverage are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
What can HARO do that Substack cannot?
HARO covers Daily journalist queries, Source submissions, Query archives, Response tracking. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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