A #journorequest is a public post — usually on X, increasingly on Bluesky — where a journalist asks for sources, case studies or expert comment for a story they are writing. Answer one well and you can be quoted in a national title by the end of the week. This guide explains where they come from, which hashtags are still alive in 2026, and how to respond so you actually get picked.
We monitor these requests around the clock, so rather than repeat what everyone else says, we have published what 270 real requests captured between 15 and 30 July 2026 actually look like. Some of it contradicts the advice still circulating.
What is a #journorequest?
Journalists have a recurring problem: they need a real human to quote. A dermatologist for a piece on scalp health. A founder who moved a business abroad. Someone who dated their best friend’s ex. Rather than work the phones, they post the request publicly and tag it, so the people who can help can find it.
A typical request contains four things: what the journalist needs, who they need it from, the outlet, and a deadline. Contact is usually by reply, DM or an email address dropped into the post.
“Looking to speak to an expert on crime in #Majorca for a piece in The Sun. #journorequest”
They are free to read, free to answer, and open to anyone. There is no gatekeeper — which is the appeal, and also the problem, because everyone else can see them too.
Where the hashtag came from
The #journorequest hashtag was started in 2008 by Scottish journalist Sarah Ewing. It was never owned or operated by anyone — it spread because it was useful, and it has been used freely by journalists worldwide ever since. That open, generic character is why you will see it used across X, Bluesky, LinkedIn and Mastodon without any central service behind it.
It predates every commercial tool built around it by the better part of a decade.
What 270 real requests look like (2026 data)
Published research on this topic is mostly several years old. Here is what we recorded across 270 genuine requests between 15 and 30 July 2026.
Which hashtags are actually still used
| Hashtag | Share of requests | Status |
|---|---|---|
| #journorequest | 94% | Dominant — this is the one that matters |
| #prrequest | 26% | Healthy, usually alongside #journorequest |
| #editorialrequest | 7% | Niche but alive |
| #sourcerequest | <1% | Nearly extinct |
| #mediarequest | <1% | Nearly extinct |
| #bloggerrequest | 0% | Dead |
| #callforexperts | 0% | Dead |
Percentages exceed 100% because most posts carry more than one tag.
This matters because widely-cited guidance still tells people to follow #bloggerrequest and #callforexperts. We ran dedicated searches for both across a full week and found nothing. If you are monitoring those tags, you are watching an empty room. We tested each one individually — see which PR request hashtags still work in 2026.
Which platforms they appear on
- X — 85% of requests. Still the centre of gravity, despite everything.
- Bluesky — 15% and climbing. A genuine migration is underway; several UK PR accounts now post to both.
- Mastodon — 0%. We have monitored the public hashtag timeline continuously and ingested nothing. Ignore it.
When journalists post — the single most useful finding
Requests are not spread evenly. They cluster hard.
| Day | Share of requests |
|---|---|
| Wednesday | 36% |
| Tuesday | 22% |
| Friday | 15% |
| Thursday | 12% |
| Monday | 11% |
| Saturday + Sunday | 4% combined |
Over a third of all requests land on a Wednesday. Weekends are effectively dead. The busiest hours are 08:00–15:00 UTC, peaking at 14:00 — UK office hours, which reflects the hashtag’s British origins.
The practical takeaway: if you check once a day, check on a Wednesday morning. If you check once a week, Wednesday is the only day worth your time.
How to find journorequests
- Search X directly. Search
#journorequestand sort by Latest, not Top. Top will show you popular posts, and popular is not the same as recent — and recency is everything here. - Watch Bluesky too. Roughly one request in seven now appears there first.
- Check LinkedIn. Increasingly journalists post requests as ordinary LinkedIn posts. There is no reliable way to search these, which is exactly why they are less competitive.
- Subscribe to the newsletter services. Featured (which acquired HARO), Source of Sources, Help a B2B Writer and SourceBottle all send free daily digests of journalist requests.
- Use a monitoring tool if the manual version is eating your mornings — we have compared the main journalist request services, free and paid.
How to respond so you actually get picked
Short version below; the full guide to replying to a journorequest covers the templates and the mistakes in detail.
Most responses are ignored. The ones that work share a pattern.
Be fast
Journalists work to same-day deadlines and usually take the first usable answer. A reply four hours later is generally a reply too late. This is the single biggest differentiator, and it is why real-time monitoring beats a daily digest.
Answer the question that was asked
If they asked for a dermatologist and you are a nutritionist, do not pitch. Irrelevant replies are why journalists mute the hashtag, and they remember the names.
Give them copy they can paste
Provide two or three usable quotes in the body of the reply. Not a link to your website, not an offer to “jump on a call” — the finished sentences they can drop straight into the piece. You are trying to make their job easier, not add to it.
Include your credentials in one line
Name, job title, company. That is what appears in print next to your quote, so hand it over already formatted.
Follow the contact instruction exactly
If the request says email, email. Do not DM. Do not reply publicly with “DM’d you!”. Journalists filter on the channel they chose.
Common mistakes
- Pitching your product. They want a source, not a sponsor. The coverage is the reward.
- Answering days later. The story has been filed.
- Sending a press release. Nobody has ever been quoted from one.
- Spraying every request. It is visible, and it gets you blocked.
- Watching dead hashtags. See the table above.
Read next
- Real journorequest examples — anonymised requests from July 2026, and how to spot a genuine one
- How to respond and actually get picked — the reply template that works
- Which hashtags still work — two of the seven are dead
- Journalist request services compared — free and paid options
Frequently asked questions
Is #journorequest free to use?
Yes. It is a public hashtag with no owner. Anyone can read the requests and anyone can answer them. Tools exist to monitor it more efficiently, but the hashtag itself costs nothing.
Do journorequests still work in 2026?
Yes — we recorded 270 genuine requests in a fortnight, from national newspapers, magazines and broadcasters. Volume on X has thinned since its peak, and some of it has moved to Bluesky, LinkedIn and email newsletters, but the mechanism is alive.
What happened to HARO?
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) was acquired by Featured and retired under its old name. Its free daily digest continues under the new brand, alongside Source of Sources, Help a B2B Writer and SourceBottle.
Are journorequests only UK-based?
The hashtag began in the UK and remains British-dominated — which is why the posting peak sits in UK office hours. US and international requests do appear, and the newsletter services skew more American.
How fast do I need to reply?
Within the hour where possible. Same day at the latest. Requests with a stated deadline are frequently answered and closed within a few hours of posting.
#journorequest is a public hashtag created by journalist Sarah Ewing in 2008 and used freely by journalists worldwide. It is not operated by any single company. This site is an independent monitoring service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to ResponseSource Ltd or its JournoRequests service.
Data: 270 requests captured 15–30 July 2026 across X, Bluesky and Mastodon. A fortnight is a short window and volumes vary seasonally — we will refresh these figures as the dataset grows.