Search with Candour The secrets to earning great HARO links with Greg Heilers
Dec 29, 2025
Jack Chambers-Ward chats with Greg Heilers, co-founder of Jolly SEO and digital PR expert. They dive into the evolution of HARO and the impact of AI on journalist outreach, highlighting the necessity of human editing to maintain quality. Greg shares insights from his experiences at the Shenzhen SEO conference and the unique challenges in Chinese markets. The duo discusses 'pitch twisting' techniques to enhance relevance and the rising importance of unlinked brand mentions in SEO. A must-listen for digital PR enthusiasts!
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Reactive PR Still Works
- HARO-style reactive PR remains valuable despite platform changes and ownership turnover.
- Greg Heilers has built over 25,000 placements, showing broad applicability for many clients.
Always Edit AI Output
- Use human editors to vet LLM-generated outreach before sending it to journalists.
- Low-effort AI pitches damage reputations and reduce conversion rates over time.
Journalists Spot Low-Effort Pitches
- Journalists notice patterns in inbound pitches and can detect low-effort or AI-like submissions.
- Non-native English writers can be mistaken for AI output, causing unfair scrutiny.