How to Combine the Skyscraper Technique for Link Building with HARO

Discover how to supercharge your SEO strategy by combining the skyscraper technique for link building with HARO (Help A Reporter Out). This blog post provides a step-by-step guide on creating high-value content and leveraging journalist requests to earn high-authority backlinks, build credibility, and boost your search engine rankings. Perfect for marketers, bloggers, and SEO professionals looking to get real results.

Introduction

Link building isn’t dead—it just evolved. In a world where everyone’s fighting for that coveted first-page position on Google, you need more than just traditional backlink strategies. This is where HARO (Help A Reporter Out) in conjunction with the Skyscraper Technique changes everything. This hybrid approach can supercharge your visibility, build genuine authority, and get you links from high-authority domains—all without spammy tactics.

Understanding the Skyscraper Technique

What Is the Skyscraper Technique?

Coined by Brian Dean from Backlinko, the Skyscraper Technique is about taking great existing content—and building something even better. Imagine walking through a city of buildings; the tallest skyscraper gets all the attention. That’s the idea here: outdo the competition with higher, better, and stronger content.

Core Principles

Find link-worthy content
Create something more valuable
Speak with the people who provided the initial link.

Why It Still Works in 2025
In a time of AI-generated fluff, Google loves authoritative, well-researched, and comprehensive content. If your content solves a problem better than others, it gets noticed and linked to.

Breaking Down HARO

What Is HARO?
HARO connects journalists with sources. Reporters post questions, and experts (that’s you!) reply with insights. If your pitch is picked, you might land a backlink from media giants like Forbes, Entrepreneur, or Business Insider.

Why HARO Rocks for Link Building

High Domain Authority (DA) links
Editorial mentions (hard to earn, harder to beat)
Builds your credibility as a thought leader

Types of Links You Can Earn

Dofollow backlinks (rare but golden)
No-follow links (still valuable for brand visibility)
Author bios and citations

Why Combine the Skyscraper Technique with HARO?

Because two powerful strategies are better than one.

1. Authority + Relevance
HARO gets you high-quality media links, and Skyscraper content gives those links something worthy to point to.

2. Efficient Outreach
You’re no longer cold-emailing strangers—you’re responding to people already looking for content.

3. Boosted Credibility
Once you get featured through HARO, it’s easier to win trust from other site owners when doing outreach for your Skyscraper content.

Step-by-Step Guide to Skyscraper + HARO Link Building

Step 1: Research High-Performing Content
Use tools like:

Ahrefs
BuzzSumo
SEMRush

Look for:

Pages with 100+ backlinks
Evergreen topics
Poorly structured but popular content

Step 2: Create a Superior Resource

Now build your content skyscraper:

Add fresh statistics
Make it visually appealing
Include expert commentary
Write in an engaging, conversational tone

Step 3: Set Up Google Alerts & HARO Queries
Google Alerts helps you track trending topics. HARO delivers daily emails categorized by industry (Business, Tech, Health, etc.)

Subscribe to:

Master HARO
Qwoted
Terkel

Step 4: Pitch with Purpose

Here’s how to nail your HARO pitch:

Keep it brief and relevant
Include a short bio with a backlink to your Skyscraper article
Provide real insights, not fluff
Add credibility (experience, stats, results)

Pro tip: Journalists love original data. If your Skyscraper piece includes a study or poll—link to it in your pitch!

Step 5: Outreach to Existing Backlink Sources
Reach out to those who linked to the original content you improved.

Mention:

“We were just featured in [publication name]…”
Your fresh take on the topic
Why it’s valuable to their audience

Step 6: Amplify Your Success
Share your HARO wins on:

LinkedIn
Twitter/X
Niche communities (Reddit, Slack, Discord)

This may result in a cascade of backlinks and engagement.

Tools You’ll Need

Content Research: Ahrefs, BuzzSumo

Link Monitoring: Monitor Backlinks, Linkody

Email Outreach: GMass, Hunter.io, Mailshake

HARO Tracking: Feedly, HARO Alerts, Google Alerts

Pro Tips to Make This Combo Strategy Work

Timing Matters: Respond to HARO queries within 30 minutes of release.

Customize Everything: Journalists can smell templates from a mile away.

Follow-Up Smartly: Don’t nag—remind.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Sending HARO pitches with generic answers
Asking for backlinks directly (unless it fits organically)
Forgetting to maintain a relationship with journalists
Ignoring smaller publications—they add up!

Also Read
How to Find the Right Websites for Guest Posting Outreach
Top Strategies for Broken Link Building for Local SEO Success
Using Guest Posts for Building Niche Relevant Backlinks

Tracking Results & Measuring Success

Backlinks earned per month
Domain Rating (DR) growth
Referral traffic from placements
Social engagement spikes

Use tools like:

Google Analytics
Moz Link Explorer
Ahrefs Site Explorer

Real-Life Examples of Success

A SaaS startup increased DR from 25 to 63 in 6 months using this combo strategy.

A health blogger landed backlinks from Men’s Health, WebMD, and HuffPost.

A legal firm created a legal FAQ skyscraper and got featured by Inc Magazine via HARO.

Conclusion

Combining the Skyscraper Technique with HARO isn’t just a smart move—it’s a power play. One gives you something truly worth linking to, and the other opens the doors to the top websites and publications in your niche. Together, they form a content and link-building strategy that’s hard to beat. So start creating, start pitching, and watch your SEO skyrocket.