Since Featured relaunched HARO (Help a Reporter Out) in April 2025, the service has sent over 100 million emails connecting journalists with sources, according to data released today. The milestone offers a revealing look at how AI, spam, and crowded inboxes are reshaping the dynamics between journalists and PR professionals.
The 2026 statistics from HARO indicate that as communication volume surges, both journalists and sources are prioritizing authenticity and filtering. Key findings include: 21% of pitches are entirely AI-generated, 35% of journalists block AI-generated pitches, a user is banned every 23 minutes, and 32% of journalist requests are rejected during approval. Notably, human-written pitches are approximately three times more likely to be used by journalists.
“Human-written pitches are about 3x more likely to get featured than AI-written ones,” said Brett Farmiloe, CEO of HARO. “The sources who stand out typically come from fully human teams who can provide credible information, respond to what the journalist actually asked for, and make the journalist’s job easier. As inboxes get more crowded, being helpful becomes the differentiator.”
To combat the influx of AI-generated content, every pitch submitted through HARO is analyzed using AI detection technology from Pangram. Journalists can also report unhelpful pitches, triggering a manual review by the HARO team. These measures aim to maintain the quality and trust that have been central to HARO's mission since its founding in 2008.
The data underscores a growing challenge for PR professionals: while access to journalists has increased, earning their attention has become harder. In an environment where inboxes are overflowing, relevance, credibility, and expertise are becoming critical for sources to stand out. For journalists, the ability to filter out low-quality or AI-generated pitches is essential to their workflow.
HARO, which was shut down by its previous owner in December 2024, was relaunched by Featured in April 2025. It operates as a free newsletter that connects journalists with expert sources, delivering requests directly to subscribers. Featured, the parent company, is an AI co-pilot for public relations, helping professionals find media opportunities and secure coverage. The company also owns Connectively and supports over 100,000 users and 2,500 publishers.
As the PR industry adapts to the rise of AI, the HARO data serves as a cautionary tale: while AI can increase efficiency, it cannot replace the human touch that journalists value. For sources, the takeaway is clear: invest in crafting personalized, credible responses that demonstrate genuine expertise.
