How to Get a Backlink from HuffPost

Why a HuffPost backlink matters (and what it typically costs)

A link from HuffPost provides brand visibility and referral potential because the site reaches a large audience; HuffPost has been reported to “reach 60 million monthly readers.” See MediaPost for audience context: MediaPost.

Publishers with high domain authority are treated as premium placements by PR teams and marketers. Industry metrics place HuffPost around a high domain authority score; for a representative domain overview consult Moz: Moz — huffpost.com domain analysis.

There are three realistic paid or managed channels to obtain placement:

• Native or sponsored programs managed by the publisher or its partner studio. HuffPost’s Partner Studio information is available here: HuffPost Partner Studio.
• Agency-driven digital PR or paid introductions; costs vary by market and relationship and commonly run into the low thousands for firms that can secure features.
• Paid distribution (ads, newsletters) that drive traffic but do not guarantee editorial links; pricing is sold through ad networks and media kits. See HuffPost press resources: HuffPost Press.

Expect high cash and time costs for official placement: branded campaigns require creative production, editorial coordination, and contractual terms that can reach five- or six-figure budgets.

Editorial links versus paid links: a compliance note

Google’s guidance is explicit that “buying or selling links that pass PageRank violates our webmaster guidelines.” See Google’s documentation on link schemes: Google — Link Schemes. Publishers commonly annotate paid links with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” to comply with disclosure and search-engine guidance.

We do not recommend attempts to buy editorial follow links that attempt to bypass disclosure. Any paid placement should be disclosed and, if required, marked with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” per publisher and search-engine guidance.

Expired-domain + 301 redirect: what it is and why it can be used

The technical approach we use is:

1. Identify expired domains that previously received links from high-authority sites, including potential HuffPost citations.
2. Vet the domain for a clean history, topical relevance, and acceptable backlink attributes.
3. Acquire the domain and implement a server-side 301 redirect to a target URL on your property.
4. Monitor crawl and index behavior and measure referral and link-signal changes.

Google engineering guidance on redirects emphasizes correct replacement of content and intent; see Google’s redirect guidance: Google — Redirects. Search practitioners document that properly configured 301 redirects, when implemented without long chains or spam signals, can help preserve indexing signals and consolidate link value. See primer material such as: Search Engine Journal — 301 Redirects and PageRank, and practical advice: Practical Ecommerce — The Right Way to Pass PageRank.

Risks, controls, and audit steps

• Check the referring HuffPost link HTML before purchase: if it used rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored", the original link did not pass PageRank and a redirect will not retroactively create follow equity. See resources on nofollow and sponsored links: Semrush — Nofollow Links and Backlinko — What Is a Nofollow Link?.
• Run backlink audits (Ahrefs, Majestic, Moz) and Internet Archive snapshots to confirm the domain’s prior content and link context.
• Avoid domains with spam “bad neighborhood” signals; such histories can trigger manual or algorithmic devaluation. Review Google’s spam policies: Google — Search Spam Policies.
• Keep redirects 1:1 where possible and maintain the redirect long enough for reprocessing; Google crawls redirects multiple times over months.

Cost comparison: realistic numbers

• HuffPost Partner Studio and branded programs: reported program-level pricing can reach from tens of thousands into higher enterprise ranges. See HuffPost Partner Studio details: HuffPost Partner Studio.
• PR or agency placements: commonly thousands to tens of thousands depending on relationship and scope.
• Expired-domain acquisition plus 301 setup (the alternative described): an affordable, lower-entry way to test redirected signals when a qualifying domain exists; our service price is stated in the final section.

How we operate (brief)

• Research: historical backlink checks and capture of referring link attributes.
• Vetting: spam checks, archive lookups, backlink profile review, and topical-fit assessment.
• Acquisition: purchase of the domain when it meets criteria.
• 301 setup: server-side permanent redirect to your chosen destination; validation of redirect and crawlability.

We provide the technical acquisition and redirect setup; we do not produce editorial content or guarantee editorial link behavior on third-party sites.

Actionable checklist (what we run before purchase)

• Verify the HuffPost referrer URL and link attribute.
• Audit linking root domains and anchor-text distribution.
• Check Internet Archive snapshots for prior content relevance.
• Run spam and Google-penalty neighborhood checks.
• Confirm WHOIS and historical ownership patterns.
• Configure server-side 301s with immediate validation and monitoring.

Final Considerations

A HuffPost backlink via official channels is often costly and requires editorial cooperation or large media budgets. An expired domain with a clean HuffPost-origin backlink can be an economical alternative when the original referral was a follow-style link, the domain history is clean, and redirects are implemented as 1:1 topical matches. For transparency, Google states that buying or selling links that pass PageRank violates webmaster guidelines, so any paid strategy must respect disclosure and policy: Google — Link Schemes.

This is where we come in: we provide domain research, backlink vetting, acquisition and server-side 301 setup for $150 per domain. Our deliverable is an auditable acquisition plus redirect implementation—no editorial promises, no content work—so you can test redirected link signals at scale while keeping costs predictable. If you want our standard vetting checklist or a sample domain report, we will provide one and show the exact data we use to reduce risk.