While Synapse is full of mainstream, lifestyle, health and beauty requests and stories, freelance journalist Rachel Wait who writes for a range of titles including The Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, the Observer and The Sun has had success using Synapse to find niche experts instead.
Q: Can you tell us about a specific story where Synapse helped, and what made it work?
A: I was writing a piece on how to save money during the World Cup and needed comments from an expert about selling memorabilia – Synapse connected me to an auction house which was a huge help and gave me exactly what I was looking for.
Q: What difference has Synapse made compared to how you found expert commentary or sources before?
A: I’ve found it’s helpful when I am looking for support with a niche topic and general comments I get from elsewhere don’t quite cut it. It’s also great if you want to search for stories related to what you’re writing.
Q: Why would you recommend Synapse to other journalists, what would you want them to know?
A: If you’re looking for alternative sources, rather than the standard ones you get through other services, Synapse is a great way to connect to them.
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: Generally, the responses I have had through Synapse have been pretty quick – sometimes it’s a bit of a pain having to log back into your account to read messages, but on the other hand, it keeps everything separate and means my inbox isn’t cluttered.
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?
