# Journalist Request Finder: HARO Alternative for PR & Backlinks (`scrapemint/journalist-request-finder`) Actor

Fresh journalist requests for expert sources in one feed: SourceBottle call-outs (US, UK, Australia, Canada, NZ, Singapore) plus #journorequest posts on Bluesky and Mastodon. Filter by topic, get the outlet, deadline and link. HARO alternative for PR and link building.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapemint/journalist-request-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Ken M](https://apify.com/scrapemint) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 journalist requests

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Journalist Request Finder: HARO Alternative for PR & Backlinks

**Fresh journalist requests for expert sources, in one feed.** HARO is gone and Connectively closed, but journalists still post call-outs every day. This actor collects them from three places:

- **SourceBottle** call-outs from journalists, bloggers, podcasters and PR agencies in the **US, UK & Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore**, across 11 industries
- **Bluesky** posts tagged **#journorequest**, **#prrequest** and **#mediarequest**
- **Mastodon** #journorequest posts, including journa.host, the journalists' server

Filter by your topics, drop anything you can't answer, and get the outlet, the deadline and a link to respond. Schedule it daily and you have a free HARO replacement for **digital PR, founder visibility and link building**.

No account, no key, no proxy.

### What you get

`source`, `title`, `summary` (the full request), `outlet`, `requesterRole` (Journalist, Blogger, PR Agency...), `author`, `authorHandle`, `authorProfileUrl`, `countries`, `industries`, `postedAt`, `deadline` (YYYY-MM-DD), `deadlineText`, `url`, `links`, `contactEmails`, `matchedTopics`, `howToRespond`

### Example input

Requests about finance, small business, marketing or tech, posted in the last 7 days and still open:

```json
{
  "keywords": ["finance", "small business", "marketing", "tech"],
  "maxAgeDays": 7,
  "openOnly": true
}
```

US and UK SourceBottle call-outs only, no giveaway requests:

```json
{
  "sources": ["sourcebottle"],
  "countries": ["US", "UK"],
  "includeProductRequests": false
}
```

### Example output

```json
{
  "source": "sourcebottle",
  "title": "Startup founders, VCs, and HR leaders for roundup i'view",
  "summary": "I’m writing an expert commentary piece for HeadhuntEZ Insights on a question every company is facing right now: should a role go to a person, an AI agent, or bo...",
  "outlet": "HeadhuntEZ, Inc.",
  "requesterRole": "Writer",
  "countries": ["United States", "UK & Ireland"],
  "industries": ["Professional Services", "Technology", "Business & Finance"],
  "postedAt": "2026-10-16",
  "deadline": "2026-10-22",
  "deadlineText": "22 October 2026 @ 5pm",
  "url": "https://www.sourcebottle.com/query.asp?qid=163008",
  "matchedTopics": ["finance", "tech"],
  "howToRespond": "Free SourceBottle account; respond on the call-out page."
}
```

```json
{
  "source": "bluesky",
  "title": "Seeking a woman in the US who is using #GLP1 pills rather than auto-injection, where a fear/intense dislike of needles kept you from using t",
  "summary": "Seeking a woman in the US who is using #GLP1 pills rather than auto-injection, where a fear/intense dislike of needles kept you from using the drug for weight loss until the pills came out. This is for a national women's health magazine.\nThanks!\n#journorequest #seekingsources",
  "author": "Meryl Davids Landau",
  "authorHandle": "meryldl.bsky.social",
  "authorProfileUrl": "https://bsky.app/profile/meryldl.bsky.social",
  "postedAt": "2026-10-19T19:41:56.449Z",
  "deadline": null,
  "url": "https://bsky.app/profile/meryldl.bsky.social/post/3myauuiezs22n",
  "howToRespond": "Reply to or message the author on Bluesky, or follow the link in the post."
}
```

### Uses

- **Digital PR and link building:** answer requests from real outlets and earn mentions and backlinks
- **Founders and experts:** get quoted in your field without paying a PR retainer
- **PR agencies:** one daily feed for every client's topics, filtered per client
- **Alerts:** schedule it every morning and send new matches to Slack or email with an Apify integration

### Pricing

- **$0.002** per request
- No start fee. A run that finds nothing is free.

A default run (every topic, last 7 days) returns about 100 requests, roughly $0.20.

### Notes

- SourceBottle files many call-outs under several industries and countries. Each call-out appears once, with every industry and country it is listed under.
- Topics match the title, request text and outlet. A SourceBottle industry name counts too, but only when the call-out is filed under three industries or fewer, because some are filed under all twelve.
- Bluesky deadlines are read from the text ("Deadline 24 Oct") when the author gives one. Many posts have none.
- Bluesky request bots repost the same request several times; duplicates are dropped.
- Replying on SourceBottle needs a free SourceBottle account. Bluesky and Mastodon requests are answered on those networks.

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Keep requests that mention any of these words, e.g. finance, fintech, nutrition, SaaS, small business. Empty = every request.

## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Drop requests that mention any of these words, e.g. giveaway, sample, product review.

## `sources` (type: `array`):

Where to look.

## `countries` (type: `array`):

SourceBottle lists call-outs per country. Empty = all six. Bluesky and Mastodon posts have no country.

## `maxAgeDays` (type: `integer`):

Skip requests older than this.

## `openOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Drop requests whose deadline has passed (when a deadline is given).

## `includeProductRequests` (type: `boolean`):

SourceBottle also lists requests for samples, prizes and gift-bag fillers. Off = expert and case-study requests only.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many requests, newest first.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "small business",
    "finance",
    "marketing",
    "tech"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "sourcebottle",
    "bluesky",
    "mastodon"
  ],
  "countries": [],
  "maxAgeDays": 7,
  "openOnly": true,
  "includeProductRequests": false,
  "maxResults": 200
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `requests` (type: `string`):

Source, title, summary, outlet, requester, country, industry, posted date, deadline, matched topics and link.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Requests found per source.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "small business",
        "finance",
        "marketing",
        "tech"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapemint/journalist-request-finder").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "keywords": [
        "small business",
        "finance",
        "marketing",
        "tech",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapemint/journalist-request-finder").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "small business",
    "finance",
    "marketing",
    "tech"
  ]
}' |
apify call scrapemint/journalist-request-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapemint/journalist-request-finder"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/tj4ixlgpqwAyzPwkV/builds/Rn2mq0fhK8iDF8O7l/openapi.json