We asked Charlotte Smith, Money and Lifestyle Senior Content Editor at Reach PLC to share her experience using Synapse to optimise her articles, find verified sources and manage her inbox.
Q: Can you tell us about a specific story where Synapse helped, and what made it work?
A: This story, that I did today, which I think is likely to do well on Google Discover. I put out a post on Synapse this morning to get some expert advice/comments on ways people can stay cool at home during the hot weather and received a myriad of responses. I sieved through each to find one with an interesting angle / sell and went for it.
Q: What difference has Synapse made compared to how you found expert commentary or sources before?
A: I can get expert advice to add into stories, or create a story based off the advice itself, by reaching out to PRs on Synapse. People respond quickly. And as long as the ‘expert’ has been verified/I can check they are legit and truly do have expertise in the subject matter, then I can push out stories quicker with information that is helpful to readers – that I may have struggled to find so fast myself.
Q: Why would you recommend Synapse to other journalists, what would you want them to know?
A: I would recommend it when trying to find content based on a topic that is performing well for a publication. I would want them to know that putting posts out requesting comments/expertise is fast to do and responses come through equally fast. I can usually get at least one or two stories from responses to my post.
Q: What difference has Synapse made to how you speak to PRs? Whether that’s speed, confidence in who you’re talking to, or just less inbox noise to deal with?
A: Much easier to keep track of all the PRs sent to me as it is all in one place, rather than filling up my inbox.
Q: Given everyone on Synapse is hand-verified (unlike your inbox), how does using Synapse affect your confidence in the sources you’re speaking with?
A: It is helpful to know the PRs are verified. The experts however that they quote I still go out of my way to verify myself. I would be more likely to use content a PR has sent if they also include the expert’s official qualifications/credentials in their response, as well as evidence of their legitimacy/existence etc.
