Synapse - The Stories Marketplace

We know you’re still at your desk, squeezing in pitches before the holidays hit properly. And guess what? Journalists are too. They are still planning and still looking for stories to run while the festive season is in full swing!

If you’ve got something thoughtful, timely, or just really useful, this is your festive reminder to post it in the Synapse marketplace or send it over to pitches@synapse.media, and we’ll post it for you.

Now scroll on for live journo requests, media moves, and the PR wins we think are worth your time this week.

🔥 MUST READ

…as the festive season approaches, it’s a good time to sharpen your pitching game

Steph Spyro, Deputy Political and Environment Editor at the Daily Express spoke to Vicky Spratt to breakdown how PRs can land stronger stories in the housing and property space (but the advice works well beyond that too).

The key takeaway?

“Quotes from experts must read as if they’re coming from a human, not a bot. This matters more than ever in a sector where trust and clarity are everything.”

From how to use data properly to what not to say in a quote, Steph and Vicky’s tips are a helpful reminder that quality, human-led pitching is what wins, especially during quieter news periods.

👉 Read the full LinkedIn post here

🗞️ PR-Y STUFF

Here’s what we think you should see this week:

How to build authority as a Freelance PR – In this episode of The PR Hotline, freelance PR consultant Saskia Fryer gets candid about the realities of going solo in the industry, especially as a younger woman in PR. From setting boundaries and pricing with confidence to using platforms like LinkedIn, Saskia shares honest, practical advice for freelancers trying to earn respect without changing who they are. Listen to the episode
London news website publishes misleading ‘AI-generated fiction’ – A new apparently AI-generated local news website has appeared in North London, raising fears of the public being misled. The North London News website is publishing articles about areas including Barnet, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Islington and Brent. read more
Daily Mail owner secures funding for £500m takeover of Telegraph – The owner of the Daily Mail has secured funding for a £500m takeover of the Telegraph, in a crucial development that paves the way for the group to announce the terms of its acquisition on Monday. read more
What does the budget mean for the media sector? – In this webinar, Moore Kingston Smith experts unpack the key takeaways from the 2025 budget and what they mean for media companies. In this webinar recording, media tax experts Leigh Collins and Chris Buckden discussed the implications of the Budget announcements from the perspective of both media businesses and individuals. watch the webinar
Scotland leads UK on gender equity in PR – New analysis from the CIPR, using UK-wide census data for the first time, reveals that Scotland has the highest proportion of senior women working in PR. The findings shine a light on regional differences in gender balance and call for further progress to ensure equal representation across all parts of the UK. read the report
4.4 million people in the UK now live in ‘news deserts’ – A new report warns that millions are without access to reliable local journalism, as newsroom closures and cuts leave large areas of the UK with little to no news coverage. It’s a growing issue for democracy, and a wake-up call for PRs relying on regional reach. read more

🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS

Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:

Reach plc:

Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Irish Star, Birmingham Live, Manchester Evening News:

Looking for case studies/comments on anything to do with Belfast, Ireland or Northern Ireland

Newsquest:

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 January.

📅 1 Jan: According to MailMetroMedia, 9 in 10 people set goals for the year ahead. Top goals: improve wellbeing (43%), exercise more (40%), spend more time with family and friends (33%).

🎦 1 Jan: ‘SOULM8TE’ movie release date – an AI horror picture, for the genre enthusiasts, starring Lily Sullivan

🔍 2 Jan: United Kingdom economic announcements: Consumer credit, M4 Money supply and mortgage approvals announced.

📈 4 Jan: According to Google Trends’ 5-year time range, ‘New Year Resolution’ searches peak

🌟 4 Jan: Golden Globe Awards – Last year, MailMetro‘s Golden Globes targetable segment reached 1.3M unique browsers the day before the event.

🎒 5 Jan: Back to school

🎬 6 Jan: ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ movie release date

🎂 9 Jan: Catherine Princess of Wales’s birthday

🎾 12 Jan: The Australian Open 2026 will unfold at Melbourne Park, and it will continue until February 1

🎓 14 Jan: UCAS deadline – Key exceptions include an October 15, 2025 deadline for Oxford, Cambridge, and medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine courses.

🔍15 Jan: GDP monthly estimate: Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of goods and services produced in the UK. It estimates the size of and growth in the economy.

📹 16 Jan: ‘Rental Family’ – UK movie release date

😔 19 Jan: Blue Monday – Created as a PR stunt, Blue Monday was originally set up to sell holiday packages, but over the years, the name and its negative connotations have stuck around.

🏢 21 Jan: Bett UK, ExCeL London – The world’s biggest celebration of education, 35,000+ trailblazers from across the globe, from visionary educators and EdTech pioneers to policy powerhouses, charities and over 3,000 bright young minds.

📈 22 Jan: Searches for “self-assessment tax” begin to rise

🎥 23 Jan: ‘Mercy’ movie release date

🎞️ 23 Jan: London Short Film Festival 2026 – ending on Feb 1st, with screenings and events held at iconic cinemas and arts spaces across London, including BFI Southbank, ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), Curzon Soho, Rio Cinema, and Rich Mix

🕯️ 24 Jan: Burns Night

💽 28 Jan: Data Privacy Day – encourages you to become aware of the importance of safeguarding your privacy and learn how to protect your data.

💼 29 Jan: Lloyds Banking Group plc financial results announced

🎭 30 Jan: ‘Is This Thing On?’ starring Bradley Cooper is being released

📅 31 Jan: Self-assessment tax deadline – plus the first payment on account for 2025/2026

*(in case you still want to see December key dates, check out our past newsletters on our website.)

We hope you had a brilliant festive break and managed some proper time offline (and away from your inbox). We’re thrilled to pick up where we left off – helping you get your best stories in front of the right journalists.

To kick things off, we’ve pulled together a 2025 report on what worked best last year – what landed, what journalists loved, and what PRs nailed. It’s short, sharp, and downloadable.

📥 Grab the Synapse Yearly Report here

We’ve got plenty coming your way very soon, but for now if you’ve got something thoughtful, relevant, or worth shouting about, don’t wait.

👉 Post it in the Synapse marketplace or send it to pitches@synapse.media, and we’ll help get it seen.

Now, welcome back to The Loop: scroll on for fresh journo requests, media updates, and the PR trends we’re watching this month.

🔥 MUST READ

…new year, new reminders from the experts themselves

Steph Spyro, Deputy Political and Environment Editor at the Daily Express, asked five journalists what they want more of in 2026 as part of her newsletter Off The Record, and what they’re hoping PRs leave behind in 2025.

Her key takeaway?

“The same rules still apply: be helpful, clear, relevant – and don’t overpromise.”

From cutting down waffle to dropping generic comment offers, the message is clear: journalists want sharper, more useful PR. This post is full of simple truths to start the year right.

👉 Read the full post here

🗞️ PR-Y STUFF

Here’s what we think you should see this week:

News leaders sum up 2025 (and predict 2026)… in emojis – Editors from The Telegraph, The Independent, MailMetro and more reflect on a turbulent year in media and share what’s coming next, using just emojis. Fun format, serious insight. For PRs, it’s a quick read on where newsroom heads are at heading into 2026. read more
Get Featured: Press deadlines, the 2026 guide – In her Get Featured newsletter, journalist Rosie Taylor breaks down how long different types of stories need to land ahead of time. For you lovely PRs, it’s a great cheat sheet to avoid missing your moment, or sending it way too late. read more
What did PR care about most in 2025? – From AI and measurement to mental health and media consolidation, PRmoment rounds up the themes that dominated PR conversations last year. A useful pulse check before you dive into 2026. read more
Why critical thinking is your top professional skill? – Stephen Waddington makes the case that in a noisy, AI-saturated world, the ability to think clearly, challenge assumptions, and ask better questions is what sets great PRs apart. read more
Media journalists’ top stories of the year and what it means for you in 2026 – Journalism.co.uk asked fellow top brains and experts on what’s stood out in their coverage in 2025 and what lessons news professionals can take into 2026. read more
2025 Review: The best thought leadership of the past year – Original research remains the most prominent form of marketing for most professional service firms, and particularly the PR industry, which continues to produces a wealth of surveys and studies covering a wide array of topics related to reputation. read more

🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS

Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:

Reach plc:

Newsquest:

Looking for expert comments on how often should you change your bedding

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 February.

🗓️ 1 Feb: GRAMMYs – Taking place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with two new categories added: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover

🏉 5 Feb: Six Nations Begins: France and Ireland will kick off the 2026 Six Nations Championship under the lights in Paris on Thursday 5th February. The opening round continues on Saturday 7th February, with Italy hosting Scotland in Rome, followed by England facing Wales at Twickenham.

🎬 6 Feb: The Strangers: Chapter 3 movie release – Starring Madelaine Petsch

🏔️ 6 Feb: Olympic Winter Games: takes place in Milano Cortina, ending on February 22nd.

🏏 7 Feb: Men’s Cricket World Cup – The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

🏈 8 Feb: Super Bowl LX – Held in the San Francisco Bay Area with Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show

🔍 10 Feb: Searches for Valentine’s Day gifts peak, according to Google Trends

📊 12 Feb: UK GDP Report Announcement: Monthly GDP estimate for December 2025 and First quarterly estimate for Q4 2025

📦 13 Feb: Searches for ‘next day delivery’ peak

🎬 13 Feb: Wuthering Heights (2026) – starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi

❤️ 14 Feb: Valentine’s Day – According to MailMetro, 47% of people said Valentine’s Day should celebrate all kinds of love

🔍 15 Feb: Searches for ‘late Valentine’s Day gifts’ begin to rise

📚 16 Feb: Half Term Begins

📈 18 Feb: Lloyds Banking Group plc Annual Report published
✝️ 18 Feb: Ash Wednesday (Lent Begins)

🎬 20 Feb: Splitsville (2025) movie release – Comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Michael Angelo Covino, Adria Arjona, and Kyle Marvin

🎞️ 22 Feb: BAFTAs – 10% of MetroMedia’s audience say a BAFTA win makes them more likely to watch a film

🐲 24 Feb: Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse – People born in a Year of the Horse are said to be energetic, independent and charismatic

🍿 26 Feb: Scream 7, UK movie release date – Horror/Mystery starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown

Synapse Expert Database lets journalists browse experts by topic, so your spokespeople can get found without you doing the same pitch on repeat.

How would that work?

Add specific topics so your expert matches the right stories
Add a source link (website/LinkedIn/X) so journalists can quickly verify
Keep the bio short and useful (save the fluff for awards season)

👉Get your expert listed

Now, welcome back to The Loop: scroll on for fresh journo requests, media updates, and the PR trends we’re watching this month.

🔥 MUST READ

…because we want you to hear it from the experts themselves

Saskia Fryer, freelance digital PR consultant, dropped some no-fluff advice for PRs looking to get their experts looking to get noticed by the media this year.

Her key takeaway?

“Be clear on your expertise. If a journalist has to work out what you do, then they’re less likely to work with you. Specialists get noticed.”

From showing up online as a real human to having your commentary ready to go, this one’s a solid reminder that visibility is built before the pitch.

👉 Read the full post here

🗞️ PR-Y STUFF

Here’s what we think you should see this week:

50 ‘experts’ flagged for misleading or unverifiable claims – Press Gazette has published a list of individuals and linked brands that UK publishers are being warned to treat with caution. A must-read for PRs pushing expert commentary, now that the bar for credibility is higher than ever. read more
Google traffic is down, and it’s reshaping newsrooms – PG’s 2025 trends report reveals a major drop in Google referral traffic, pushing publishers to rethink distribution and audience strategies. For PRs, it’s a sign to double down on relevance and owned visibility in 2026. read more
What communications management really means – Stephen Waddington breaks down the difference between doing comms and managing comms. It’s a sharp reminder that leadership in PR isn’t about delivering outputs, but it’s about enabling others to communicate effectively. read more
Google removes multiple AI health summaries as experts warn ‘misleading’ results put people at risk – The Independent reports that Google’s AI-generated search summaries have been giving inaccurate or even dangerous health guidance, raising fresh concerns about reliability and misinformation. read more

🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS

Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:

Reach plc:

Triangle News:

Looking for case study stories on any topic but especially money, property and health

Newspage Media:

Looking for views from investment and gold experts on whether they think gold will surpass $5000 in 2026 and silver $100