Most founders hunting for HARO alternatives for crypto start from the same place: a vague memory of getting quoted through an email digest. That service died in late 2024. Something with the same name came back, prices moved, and the crypto-specific queries turned out to be a different animal altogether.
Here’s what’s verifiable as of October 1, 2026, plus how to choose between the options without wasting a month.
What Replaced HARO: A Short, Checked History
Start with the shutdown itself. Cision’s own notice says Connectively (HARO) was permanently discontinued as of December 9, 2024. The company pointed people to CisionOne, its media monitoring and outreach product, instead.
That wasn’t the end of the name, though. The current HARO site offers free daily media queries by subscription, and its footer says it’s powered by Featured. So one option is simply the free digest again. It’s free, which is good. But it’s also crowded.
Platforms Compared: Qwoted and Featured
Qwoted’s pricing page lists a free Basic plan limited to 2 pitches a month with a two-hour delay on requests. Its Pro plan is $149 a month for 35 pitches a month with no delay, and a Teams plan has custom pricing and unlimited pitches. Still, for a founder answering only the best-fit queries, that delay is the real cost.
Featured’s pricing page lists a free tier, Lite at $29 a month billed annually, and Pro at $79 a month billed annually. It says all plans include the same features and that upgrades add daily usage. Its journalist requests come from HARO, LinkedIn and other sources.
Other platforms, such as Muck Rack or Cision, sell wider media databases and monitoring. Their pricing isn’t published on the pages checked here, so ask for a quote before comparing. And always read current terms yourself, because plans change.
How Crypto Queries Differ
General queries are everywhere. Crypto ones are rarer, and they come with extra risk. Many reporters outside the beat want a quote on a price move. Don’t give one, because a price opinion from a founder reads as promotion and can age badly within a day.
The better fit is a query on regulation, security habits, payments or a specific technology. Filter for those. Then check the outlet itself, because some syndicate content to sites with weak standards. A link from a dubious domain isn’t worth the effort, as budget-friendly coverage tactics explains.
Writing a Response That Gets Used
Speed matters, since the first good answer often gets used, but a rushed reply is worse than none. Put the answer in the first two lines. Then add one fact you can source and a single line on why you’re the right person. Leave the product pitch out. For the basics of pitching, see a guide to pitching reporters.
Then offer something quotable, and keep it plain. The rules in the guide to press release quotes apply here too, because a reporter will lift a sentence straight into the piece. Keep subject lines factual, following the subject line study.
Cost, Time and Which Tool Fits
For HARO alternatives for crypto teams, a small team can start with the free HARO digest and a free Featured or Qwoted account. Budget about 30 minutes a day to scan and answer. If you’re getting replies but missing deadlines, the paid delay-free tiers might be worth it. If you aren’t getting replies at all, the fix is the answer, not the tool.
For founders building a name over time, pair requests with owned content, as a thought-leadership primer for founders describes. Stage matters too. Early on, use free tools and sharp replies. After that, add a database and monitoring when volume justifies it.
HARO alternatives for crypto: tool check
Run each source request through these lines before replying.
NCA can set up a source-request routine for crypto teams, including reply templates and a weekly review. Ask about expert-request support and we’ll scope it around your beat.