A lot of people have gotten backlinks from HARO.
The main challenge with using this system, just like any other media outreach system, is that people approach it with the wrong mindset.
You have to understand that HARO means "Help a Reporter Out."
In other words, you have to have a piece of relevant information that is supposed to help a journalist put together an article.
That's the bottom line.
So if you're just gonna come in and say:
"You should write about my article or my website because I've mentioned certain keywords." or
"I focus on certain topics, and you should use these keywords." you're playing the game wrong.
HARO is set up to benefit journalists.
The link that you get out of it is just gravy — great if you have it, but if you don't, don't cry over it.
The key to working successfully with HARO is brand awareness.
So you just get your brand out there, and then eventually, people will contact you because if they've noticed that you have become an authority or an expert in your field, people will come out of the woodwork.
They know that you can be relied on to give them the facts.
They know that they can rely on you for your expertise.
But if you come in with the expectation that "I want links out of this," then whatever value you bring to the table is greatly diminished because your whole approach is to get the backlink and try to fit a square peg into a round hole.
It turns out that your expertise is not a neat fit for what they need.
As the old saying goes, people are not going to care about how much you know until they first know that you care.
Bring value first.
Make sure that when you use the HARO system that there is a direct fit between the data and the expertise that you possess and what they need.
By building your outreach efforts around the needs of others, you will get more.