The Folk Group

Synapse has been used by Folk since launch, with Senior Account Executive, Bethan Williams, leading the charge and helping her team get the most out of the platform. Rebecca Carey, Deputy Head of Editorial SEO, Newsquest, joined a few weeks after Synapse launched, had a training session and had been using Synapse to regularly connect with PRs and find useful content.

Creating new UK wide media relationships for a Welsh based PR agency, Folk

Becca and Bethan helped us shape the platform. Sharing their honest opinions, feedback and experiences, allowing us to fix issues they encountered (such as file sharing), so read on for our Q&A with them both.

Q & A

Q: Please tell us about your first impressions of Synapse, having used it for a couple of weeks.
RC: Generally, my first impression is that the marketplace is easy to navigate. I’ve been able to filter the releases I’ve received much more efficiently than I have done with emails. The callout for experts is probably the most useful feature to me since it allows us to add value to the content we’re working on already. The requests feature is my favourite feature on the platform.
BW: The platform has been simple to use and easy for the wider agency to get to grips with. It’s an interesting, developing tool that complements traditional pitching and media outreach, as another way of building connections with journalists.

Q: Rebecca, how easy was it to find relevant pitches? Did you use pitches in the ‘sent to me’ tab, the marketplace, or both?
RC: The filters are very useful. We’ve been experimenting with specific topics like property, household and personal finance a lot more on our national content, so it’s been great for that. I almost exclusively use the sent to me tab because the marketplace as a whole is busy and this has been a useful method for focusing my efforts.

Q: Bethan, how were you made aware that Rebecca was looking for a pitch?
BW: I received an email that a relevant request for my selected sectors had been published in the Request Marketplace.

Q: Talk us through the process of finding the request and accepting it, was it obvious and straightforward?
BW: Locating the request and accepting it was simple, as was beginning a conversation with Rebecca.

Q: What happened after that and how did the platform help you both communicate?
RC: After accepting the request, Bethan followed up with me in the messenger function which has been good for back and forth. I would say, I had to move to email in order to send over a word document and supporting images which was not ideal.
BW: The platform allowed me to have a simple conversation with Rebecca to determine how we could best support the feature she was planning and the deadline, replacing the need for half a dozen emails. As the format is relatively straight forward, our conversation was quick and concise.

Q: Bethan, how long did it take to get your coverage? What were the results for you and the client?
BW: When we submitted the content requested, Rebecca confirmed the publishing date that wasn’t too far away. It’s worth noting that it was trickier to transfer files using the platform, as we had to follow up on email for these. We achieved 48 pieces of regional coverage from working with Newsquest, a great result for a relevant story, suited to a regional audience.

Q: Rebecca, how many pieces of coverage has Synapse helped you produce and do you have more in the pipeline?
RC: I’ve had at least three pieces including one through the expert call out and I have a few more in the pipeline.

Q: How did Bethan add value to the story?
RC: She helped with the story around napping and connected me to a GP – and sleep expert – which added some key expertise to the article. I will also be following up with them in future since the health content and expertise was so relevant to us.

Q: How did using Synapse feel compared to using email, for pitches and to correspond with each other? Do you feel Synapse will help build better relationships?
RC: I’ve continued to use email but I’ve found a few PRs that I wouldn’t have worked with otherwise. It’s been useful since the instant messaging means you can have more direct communication. PRs still seem a little unsure but it’s generally been positive.
BW: Synapse was a quick and easy platform to use, that helped us to quickly identify if our offering was suited to what the journalist had in mind.

Q: Do you feel Synapse is something you’ll use in the future and what does it add to the PR/journalist dynamic? Would you recommended using Synapse to colleagues in PR and journalism?

RC: Yes, it helps to put everything in one place. I often will put callouts on social media for experts or look around in 1000s of emails so this is more efficient. I would definitely recommend.

Newsquest

Synapse is well used by the SEO team at Newsquest. They’ve been putting the pitch marketplace and request services to great use since we launched back in September 2023.

Making sure the best stories actually make the paper for Newsquest

Emilia Kettle had told us many times that good ideas get lost easily in her inbox; so in stepped Synapse. We made it easier for her to find useful content and work directly with PRs, turning around articles in as little as ten minutes

Q & A

Q: Emilia, please tell us about your first impressions of Synapse.
On first impression I found Synapse really simple to use, including finding pitches that were relevant to me, getting comments or making requests to PRs.

Q: Which parts of the product have you been using?
The pitch marketplace is great for quickly seeing if there is anything that is of interest to me. Good pieces don’t get lost; unlike when I am sent emails by PRs and they can get lost.

Q: How easy was it to use the request service?
The request service is great; I’ve used it three times so far and each time I have had a really quick reply, mostly in under an hour, with the piece sometimes being written in under ten minutes, making it perfect for stories based on trending topics.

Q: How has the platform helped you communicate with PRs?
Typically, PRs have reached out with comments in the messaging system on Synapse, whilst others have sent comments via email. Either way works great and helps get information in no time with very little fuss.

Q: How many pieces of coverage has Synapse helped you produce and do you have more in the pipeline?
Synapse has helped me create three pieces so far. The first two articles were written through requests for expert comment and the last was a request asking for beauty advent calendars for a review piece.

Q: How did using Synapse feel compared to using email, for pitches and to correspond with each other? Do you feel Synapse will help build better relationships?
We’ve been focusing on more evergreen/explainer pieces recently and Synapse has been great for finding original comments on trending topics which in turn helps us with Google’s ranking. I’ve found that using Synapse to communicate with PRs is much easier compared with using email, simply because messages tend to get lost in my inbox. As journalists, we can get hundreds of emails in the space of a couple of hours and it can become hard to find what you need.

Q: Do you feel Synapse is something you’ll use in the future? What does it add to the PR/journalist dynamic?

I will be using Synapse in the future, especially when looking for comments as it just takes away the pain of finding emails and the correct person. Even then, reaching PRs via email still doesn’t guarantee a response. When I make a request using Synapse, I know that it should reach someone in the field or someone who can help me find an answer.