If you have an expert comment, a strong case study, or a data insight that actually says something worthy, we’d love to see it.
Send it over to pitches@synapse.media, and we’ll help get it in front of the right journalists who are looking for stories just like yours.
Right, let’s get into The Loop – your weekly scroll of journo requests, media moves, and PR moments worth knowing about.
🔥 MUST READ
…because we want you to hear it from the experts themselves
Amelia Evans, freelance PR consultant at Amelia India PR, shared a simple reminder: journalists aren’t looking for marketing copy, but something worth covering.
Her key takeaway?
“The best PR doesn’t shout about a brand. It gives people something interesting to talk about.”
Lead with the story, not the product. Cut the brand hype. Make it useful to the reader. And most importantly, write like a human.
👉 Read Amelia’s PR tip on LinkedIn
🗞️ PR-Y STUFF
Here’s what we think you should see this week:
- The Rest is Podcasts: Why comms professionals need to grasp the biggest growing sector of the media – Podcasts are booming – partly because they are unlike anything else in the mainstream media. Conversational, niche and community-based – but a goldmine for PRs. read more
- PRMoment Podcast: The February PR Pitch & MA Review – Ben Smith and Andrew Bloch reviewed the UK PR pitch and M&A market in February, noting that the pitch market was “steadier” with clients taking longer to decide, while agency M&A was “booming” with high demand and competition driving up prices for agencies around the £20 million enterprise value, especially those leveraging AI. listen to the episode
- Why nobody can “wing” a great pitch or presentation – Media trainer and former PR pro Benjamin Thiele-Long says strong speaking comes down to structure and preparation. In pitching, keep decks tight, make every speaker count, and never rely on improvisation. read more
- Axel Springer agrees £575m deal to buy The Telegraph – The German publishing giant has outbid DMGT to acquire The Telegraph, promising fresh investment and aiming to position the title as the leading centre-right publication in the English-speaking world. read more
- One fifth of in-house pros think agency budgets will increase in 2026 – Around one fifth of in-house comms professionals believe their budgets for agency PR and for marketing services will increase in 2026, according to a survey for PRWeek and In.Comms; whereas only around one in 10 expect it to decline. read more
- New AI licensing scheme to help smaller publishers strike deals with platforms – A new collective licensing scheme for the “fair and lawful” use of content in AI products has launched in the UK. read more
🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS
Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:
The Sun:
- Looking to speak to someone who has lost a significant amount of weight via any method and following it has had a promotion, pay rise or been treated better at work
- Looking to speak to someone who left a well-paying office job to learn a trade – and is now earning as much/similar or more in the blue-collar job
- Looking to speak to someone who struggled to get an NHS dentist
Reach plc:
- Looking for expert comments on support for people on disability benefits
- Looking for expert comment/opinion on WASPI decision and improving financial awareness
- Looking for expert comments on triple lock for next year
- Looking for expert comments on how to stay warm / what to do if you are feeling the cold
- Looking for expert comments on how to care for house plants going into the spring
- Why cucumber is wrapped in plastic in the supermarket? Expert commentary needed
- Looking for expert comments on what to do if someone blocks my drive with their car?
- Looking for expert ISA comments
The iPaper:
- Looking to speak to financial advisers about annuities
- Looking to speak to an inheritance tax expert on how to avoid leaving children with large tax bills
- Looking to speak to an expert about student loan interest and/or someone who can look over some figures for me
Huff Post:
Mail on Sunday:
- Looking to speak to someone who is currently in council tax arrears and struggling to repay the debt
Newsquest:
- Looking for expert comment regarding Windows 10 ending its security for users in October this year.
- Looking for additional comment from UK experts – things like how to get rid of asbestos, why it was used in the first place, can it devalue homes if found?
- Looking for an expert opinion on whether hay fever sufferers should start to worry now that there are rising temperatures. Is the pollen count rising too?
Freelance:
- Looking for interior designer/stylists to provide comments on OUTDOOR Easter decorating ideas for an online piece – Chelsea Magazines
- Looking for an expert within the field of AI to talk about the benefits AI can bring to SMEs
- Looking for a fitness expert to discuss all things vibrator plates for an article I’m working on
Or head to the marketplace now to look at requests yourself.
📆 NEXT MONTH’S HOOKS
…because we don’t want you missing out on stuff in April.
🔍 1 Apr: Searches for ‘ISAs’ peak in the first week of the month.
🎬 1 Apr: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) – Animation / Adventure / Comedy, starring Chris Pratt
📊 2 Apr: Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators release date – Early experimental data and analysis on economic activity and social change in the UK, using rapid response surveys, novel data sources and experimental methods.
🎬 3 Apr: The Drama (2026) – Comedy / Drama / Romance, starring Zendaya, Robert Pattinson
💼 6 Apr: Tax Year Begins – Completing tax returns is the #4 financial concern for 18–34s (41%), according to MailMetroMedia.
🏇 9 Apr: Grand National – The 2026 Randox Grand National Festival is one of the UK’s most iconic sporting occasions, with three days of world-class racing from 9 – 11 April 2026, including official hospitality.
🐴 10 Apr: Aintree Ladies Day
🎡 10 Apr: Coachella begins, taking place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, with weekends on April 10-12 and April 17-19
🐾 11 Apr: National Pet Day – 7 in 10 agree that their pet helps with their mental health, according to DailyMail.
📈 16 Apr: GDP monthly estimate released
📊 22 Apr: Consumer price inflation report released
🏴 23 Apr: St George’s Day
👑 24 Apr: Prince Louis’ 8th Birthday
🏃♂️ 26 Apr: London Marathon – starting in Greenwich Park and finishing on The Mall at Buckingham Palace
🏃 26 Apr: London Marathon Events reported that an astonishing and world record-breaking 1,133,813 people from the UK and across the globe applied in the public ballot for an entry to the 2026 TCS London Marathon, which is a 36% increase from 2025.
🏆 30 Apr: Campaign Media Awards Ceremony
