How Australian Entrepreneurs Can Break Into Global Media Using HARO
Media Magnet Podcast | Episode 52 | Listen here: Breaking into Global Media: Insider Tips for Australian Entrepreneurs with HARO's Brett Farmiloe
If you're an Australian business owner who wants to be quoted in Fast Company, featured in Entrepreneur magazine, or cited as an expert source in The New York Times — this is the episode that shows you exactly how to make that happen.
In Episode 52 of the Media Magnet Podcast, Liz Nable sits down with Brett Farmiloe, founder and CEO of Featured.com and the man behind the revival of HARO (Help a Reporter Out) — the world's largest platform connecting expert sources with journalists.
Whether you're brand new to media call-out services or already using SourceBottle for local PR, this episode is your introduction to the international stage.
What Is HARO and How Does It Work?
HARO — Help a Reporter Out — has been connecting journalists with expert sources since 2008. It is the global equivalent of Australia's SourceBottle, but operating at a scale that includes some of the most recognised media outlets in the world.
Here is how the platform works:
- A journalist submits a query for an expert source
- HARO sends that query out via email newsletter — up to three times a day (morning, afternoon and evening editions)
- Sources who have relevant expertise can respond directly to the journalist
That's it. At its core, HARO is an email-based product. No complicated platform. No gatekeeping. Just a direct line between you and a journalist who is actively looking for someone with your knowledge.
As Brett explained on the podcast: "It's really simple at its core, and I think that's why it works."
The HARO Revival: What Happened and Why It's Back
HARO was founded in 2008, acquired by Cision in 2010, and then rebranded as Connectively before being discontinued in December 2024. For over a year, thousands of PR professionals, business owners, and journalists were left without one of the most trusted tools in earned media.
Brett Farmiloe and his team at Featured.com acquired HARO and relaunched it in April 2025 as a free, ad-supported service — for both journalists and sources.
The relaunched HARO is focused on restoring quality and trust. One of Brett's top priorities is eliminating the volume of AI-generated, low-quality submissions that had eroded journalist confidence in the platform. The goal is relevance over volume, and that is good news for any business owner willing to pitch with intention.
Why HARO Is a Massive Opportunity for Australian Business Owners
Australia and New Zealand make up the third-largest user group on HARO, behind the US and the UK. That means the platform already has infrastructure, journalist queries, and momentum that is directly relevant to this part of the world.
But here is the bigger opportunity: HARO gives Australian entrepreneurs access to global media placements that would otherwise require a PR agency, an international contact list, and a significant budget.
You do not need to be expanding internationally to benefit. You simply need to have expertise that adds value to a story a journalist is already writing.
Brett gave a specific example on the episode: a query that went out for Fast Company about the rise of "workcations" — people working remotely for extended periods. That topic is as relevant in Brisbane as it is in Arizona. Location is not the barrier most people assume it is.
US-based journalists are not going to discount an Australian expert source simply because of geography. What they care about is relevance, credibility, and ease. If you give them that, you have a real shot at a global media placement.
The Most Popular HARO Categories for Expert Sources
If you are wondering whether your expertise is a fit for HARO, here are the most active categories on the platform:
- Business and entrepreneurship
- Finance and investing
- Technology and innovation
- Lifestyle and wellness
- Home and garden
- Healthcare
This covers a broad range of industries. Whether you are a financial planner, a tech founder, a health coach, or a small business owner with a strong point of view on your industry — there is likely a query on HARO that fits you.
How to Get Featured: Brett's Tips for New Sources
Getting featured through HARO is not about responding to every query. It is about responding to the right ones, in the right way.
Here is the approach Brett recommends for anyone just getting started:
1. Listen before you pitch
Sign up at helpareporter.com and spend time reading the queries before you respond to any of them. Get a feel for what journalists are actually asking for, the language they use, and the type of response that would be useful to them.
2. Start with your strongest expertise
Only respond to queries where you genuinely have something valuable to contribute. This is not the place to stretch your credibility. Your success rate goes up significantly when you stay in your lane.
3. Make it easy for the journalist
Provide everything they need in your pitch: a clear quote they can use, your name and credentials for attribution, and your contact details. Journalists are working fast. The easier you make it for them to include you, the more likely they are to do so.
4. Do not be discouraged by volume
High-profile outlets like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times attract a large number of submissions. That is expected. But quality and relevance consistently outperform volume. A well-matched, well-written pitch to a mid-tier publication will almost always beat a generic blast to the biggest names.
5. Build confidence through small wins
Start with the opportunities you are most qualified for, land a few placements, and let your confidence grow from there. This is exactly the approach Liz teaches inside Media Masters Academy — preparation before pitching so you are never going in cold.
How to Set Up Your HARO Profile for the Best Results
Getting started is straightforward:
Step 1: Sign up at helpareporter.com Enter your email address, verify it, and you will start receiving journalist queries in your inbox up to three times a day.
Step 2: Create a free profile at featured.com Featured.com is a full platform — you can create a profile, save your information, and set keyword alerts to monitor the queries most relevant to your industry. Because Brett's team owns both platforms, many HARO queries are cross-posted to Featured.com, making it much easier to filter for the right opportunities.
The two platforms work together. HARO is the newsletter. Featured.com is the platform with smarter tools. Use both.
What Australian Business Owners Need to Know Before They Pitch
Liz made an important point during this episode that is worth highlighting for any business owner considering HARO for the first time.
Knowing how to pitch is not optional. Jumping onto HARO without understanding what makes a good media grab, how to write a compelling quote, or how to speak with confidence about your expertise will result in a low success rate and a lot of wasted time.
The business owners who win consistently on platforms like HARO are the ones who know their story, can communicate it clearly, and understand what a journalist actually needs from a source.
That is exactly what Liz teaches inside Media Masters Academy — a live, six-week group coaching program designed to help Australian business owners become their own publicists and pitch with confidence to the media outlets that matter.
If you want to go beyond HARO and get a full media strategy that includes journalist access, live pitch practice, and a media contacts database, you can find out more at liznable.com.
The Bottom Line on HARO for Australian Entrepreneurs
HARO is one of the most accessible earned media tools available to Australian business owners right now. It is free, it is proven, and it connects you directly with journalists from some of the most respected publications in the world.
The platform has been revived with a clear focus on quality. That is an advantage for any business owner willing to approach it strategically rather than spray and hope.
The opportunity is there. The question is whether you are ready to pitch.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- helpareporter.com — Sign up to receive daily journalist queries
- featured.com — Set up keyword alerts and create your source profile
- Media Magnet Podcast, Episode 52 — Listen to the full conversation with Brett Farmiloe
Want to Build a Full Media Strategy — Not Just One Placement?
HARO is a powerful tool. But knowing how to pitch, what to say, and how to make a journalist's job easier is the skill that turns one placement into a consistent stream of media coverage.
That is what the Media Members Inner Circle is built for — a monthly membership community for business owners who want ongoing support, resources, and momentum in building their media profile.
Join the Inner Circle and get the tools, the training, and the community to make media work for your business every single month.
