Journalist source request tool.
A journalist source request tool helps an operator monitor and respond to journalist queries asking for sources, expertise, or quotes. The category collapses several adjacent jobs: aggregating queries from platforms (HARO, Featured, Qwoted, Help a B2B Writer), scoring each query for brand fit, drafting a voice-validated pitch in response, and tracking what landed. Evaluating a tool comes down to four dimensions — source coverage, voice fidelity, outlet diligence, and pricing model.
The four evaluation dimensions
Source coverage: how many journalist platforms does the tool aggregate? Single-platform tools (Featured-only, HARO-only) miss queries arriving on other platforms. PRAPI covers 8 live feeds. Voice fidelity: does the tool draft pitches that sound like the brand, or generic-feeling templates? PRAPI runs every draft through a brief.md voice validator (banned phrases, required elements, channel limits). Outlet diligence: does the tool flag pay-for-play platforms and sponsored-content farms before you waste time pitching? PRAPI checks DA, PBN signals, and stated content models per outlet. Pricing model: per-brand vs per-portfolio matters once you run more than one brand. PRAPI is per-portfolio at $49 / $149 / $249 per month for 1/5/10 brands.
The implicit alternative — manual monitoring
Many founders try to monitor source requests manually: subscribe to HARO emails, check Featured every morning, refresh Qwoted at lunch. This works at 1-2 platforms; it stops scaling at 5+ because the response windows (typically 4-24 hours) require constant attention. Tools collapse the monitoring overhead but introduce a new question: trust the tool's scoring or evaluate every query yourself? The right answer is usually scoring as a filter and your judgment as the final gate.
Why per-brand routing matters for portfolios
An operator running 2-5 brands faces a routing problem: a fintech query might fit Brand A while a SaaS query fits Brand C. Without per-brand scoring, you either dump every query into a single inbox (high noise) or maintain separate accounts per brand (high overhead, often 5x cost). A tool with native multi-brand routing handles this automatically and prices accordingly. PRAPI is built for this; most enterprise tools are not.
FAQ
What is a journalist source request tool?
A tool that aggregates queries from journalists actively seeking sources, scores each query against your brand, and helps draft and send a response. The category includes inbound aggregators (HARO, Featured, PRAPI) and platform-specific tools.
How is this different from a journalist contact database?
A source request tool is inbound — journalists are actively asking. A contact database (Muck Rack, Cision) is outbound — you cold-pitch journalists. Inbound has higher response rates because the journalist is already looking; outbound has wider reach but lower per-pitch fit.
Which journalist platforms should I monitor?
For B2B SaaS founders: HARO (now Connectively), Featured, Help a B2B Writer, and Qwoted are the main inbound platforms. For UK / international: ResponseSource. For specialized verticals: vertical-trade-press source desks. PRAPI aggregates HARO, Featured, Help a B2B Writer, PressRanger, SourceBottle, Substack, X, and LinkedIn natively.
How fast do I need to respond to a journalist query?
HARO and Featured typically expect responses within 24 hours; some queries close within 4-12 hours. PRAPI surfaces queries with response-window context so you can prioritize accordingly.
Is HARO still active in 2026?
HARO was sunsetted by Cision and migrated to Connectively in 2024. The original helpareporter.com email flow no longer runs. PRAPI keeps the email-forward pattern alive: forward Connectively (or other source-request platform) emails to your PRAPI inbox; queries are scored and drafts produced in your inbox.
Do journalist source request tools work for non-tech industries?
Yes — the source platforms HARO, Featured, and Help a B2B Writer cover queries from journalists across business, finance, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and other verticals. PRAPI's outlet diligence database currently covers 50+ outlets across tech, business press, vertical trade press, and founder-leadership press.
Try PRAPI for 14 days.
Aggregate 8 live source-request feeds, score every query against your portfolio, draft voice-validated responses.