The 5 HARO Mistakes That Are Killing Your Travel Link Building Success
Most travel brands waste months on HARO without earning a single backlink. These five mistakes explain why—and how to fix them immediately.
You've sent 47 HARO pitches. Zero responses. Zero backlinks. You're ready to give up on HARO entirely.
Before you quit, check if you're making one of these five mistakes. They account for 80% of failed HARO attempts from travel brands.
The good news? All five are easy to fix once you know what you're doing wrong.
Mistake #1: Pitching Every Query You See
This is the biggest HARO mistake. You think more pitches equal more placements. So you respond to 20 queries per week, whether you're qualified or not.
Why This Fails
Journalists spot generic, unqualified responses instantly. When you pitch queries outside your expertise, you waste their time. They remember. Your future pitches go straight to their spam folder.
A travel blogger who's never visited Morocco shouldn't pitch a query asking for "hidden gems in Marrakech." The journalist can tell you Googled the answer.
The Fix
Only pitch queries where you have genuine, first-hand expertise. Three targeted pitches per week with real experience beat 20 generic ones.
Quality Over Quantity Rule:
- • Can you answer this without Googling? If no, skip it.
- • Have you personally experienced what they're asking about? If no, skip it.
- • Would your answer differ from 50 other "experts"? If no, skip it.
A 30% success rate on five targeted pitches gives you 1-2 placements weekly. A 2% success rate on 20 generic pitches gives you zero.
Mistake #2: Writing About Yourself Instead of Helping the Journalist
You write a pitch explaining how great your company is. Your services. Your awards. Your credentials. The journalist deletes it in three seconds.
Example of This Mistake
"We're an award-winning travel agency with 15 years of experience. We've helped over 10,000 clients plan amazing trips to destinations worldwide. Our team of expert travel consultants can provide unparalleled service for all your travel needs. We'd love to be featured in your article about sustainable tourism..."
This pitch talks about the company, not the journalist's query. It doesn't answer their question. It's an advertisement disguised as a pitch.
The Fix
Answer the journalist's question directly. Give them a quote they can use. Mention your company once in your signature.
Better Approach:
"Sustainable tourism bookings jumped 156% in 2024, but travellers now demand proof. We started providing carbon offset certificates showing exactly which reforestation projects their trip funded. This transparency increased repeat bookings from 23% to 61% within eight months."
The journalist needs good quotes, not sales pitches. Help them write their article. The backlink to your company happens automatically in your signature.
Mistake #3: Sending Vague, Wishy-Washy Responses
Your pitch uses phrases like "many tourists," "often," "it depends," and "generally speaking." No specific numbers. No concrete examples. Nothing quotable.
| Vague (Gets Ignored) | Specific (Gets Featured) |
|---|---|
| "Many travellers prefer eco-friendly hotels" | "67% of our 2,400 customers chose eco-certified hotels in 2024" |
| "Budget travel is becoming popular" | "Budget bookings increased 43% year-over-year" |
| "Some destinations are better for families" | "Portugal saw 78% more family bookings than Spain in 2024" |
| "Prices vary depending on season" | "Peak season hotels cost £150/night vs £60 in shoulder season" |
The Fix
Replace vague words with specific numbers, percentages, amounts, or timeframes. Even rough estimates work better than "many" or "often."
Specificity Checklist:
- • Include at least one number or percentage in your quote
- • Name specific destinations, hotels, or companies when relevant
- • Give concrete examples from your actual experience
- • Use exact timeframes ("in the last 8 months" not "recently")
Journalists can't quote "many tourists prefer X." They can quote "67% of 2,400 surveyed travellers chose X over Y."
Mistake #4: Responding Too Slowly
You see a perfect query on Monday morning. You're busy, so you plan to respond during lunch. Lunch gets postponed. You finally send your pitch Tuesday evening—23 hours later. Too late.
The Timing Problem
Most journalists pick their sources within 6-8 hours. Your brilliant pitch arriving 23 hours later doesn't get read. The article is already written.
Response Time Success Rates:
- • Within 2 hours: 35-40% success rate
- • Within 6 hours: 27-32% success rate
- • After 12 hours: 18-23% success rate
- • After 24 hours: 3-5% success rate
The Fix
Set up email notifications for HARO. When you spot a relevant query, respond within the hour if possible. HARO timing matters more than perfect pitch quality.
Speed Strategies:
- • Keep response templates ready to customise
- • Have your bio and credentials saved in a document
- • Draft pitches on your phone whilst commuting
- • Respond immediately or skip the query entirely
A good pitch sent within two hours beats a perfect pitch sent 20 hours later. Speed wins.
Mistake #5: Following Up Too Aggressively
You send a pitch Monday morning. No response by Wednesday. So you email the journalist asking "Did you get my response?" or "Just checking if you need any more information."
Why Journalists Hate This
A travel journalist receives 73 pitches for one query. She picks three sources. That means 70 people don't get featured. If all 70 sent follow-up emails asking "did you see mine?", she'd get 70 pointless emails.
Following up on HARO pitches wastes the journalist's time and marks you as someone who doesn't understand how media works.
The Fix
Never follow up on HARO pitches. If the journalist needs more information, they'll email you. If they used your quote, set up Google Alerts for your name to catch the article when it publishes.
The Only Acceptable Follow-Up:
- • After the article publishes: Thank them and share it on social media
- • That's it. No other follow-ups are appropriate.
Send your pitch. Move on. If they use it, great. If not, pitch better queries tomorrow. Don't chase individual journalists.
How to Know If You're Making These Mistakes
Track your HARO activity for two weeks. Count your pitches and placements. The numbers tell you what's wrong.
If you're sending 15+ pitches weekly with zero placements:
Problem: You're making Mistake #1 (pitching too many irrelevant queries). Fix: Cut your pitch volume by 70%. Only respond to queries where you have genuine expertise.
If journalists never respond asking for more info:
Problem: You're making Mistake #3 (too vague). Fix: Add specific numbers, examples, and concrete details to every pitch.
If you're responding 12+ hours after queries arrive:
Problem: You're making Mistake #4 (responding too slowly). Fix: Set up email alerts and respond within 6 hours or skip the query.
If you get placements but no backlinks:
Problem: You're making Mistake #2 (forgetting your URL). Fix: Always include your website URL in your email signature. This is where the backlink comes from.
Fix Your HARO Strategy Today
Download our free HARO blueprint with proven templates, timing strategies, and the exact system for avoiding these mistakes and earning five editorial backlinks in 45 days.
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Stop Making These HARO Mistakes
These five mistakes kill most HARO attempts from travel brands. Fix them and your success rate jumps from 5% to 25-30%.
Pitch fewer queries. Answer the journalist's actual question. Use specific numbers. Respond within six hours. Never follow up.
Learn the HARO basics, grab our proven templates, and start earning backlinks from Forbes, Travel + Leisure, and The Telegraph.
Or explore our professional HARO services where we handle pitching for you, avoiding all five mistakes whilst you focus on running your travel business.