Did you know you can add your experts to our Expert Database? In case you missed the memo, it’s where journalists browse verified experts and find the right people to speak to for their stories.
It’s also very simple! Create a profile for each of your clients or spokespeople, add their areas of expertise, and give journalists another way to find them when they need a source.
There are already plenty of experts on Synapse, and it’s your turn to make sure yours are among them.
Right, onto “The Loop” 👇
👀 WHAT JOURNALISTS WANT
Your weekly look at what journalists are asking for on Synapse
TRENDING SECTORS THIS WEEK
- Home & Garden – 32%
- Beauty – 16%
- Health – 16%
- Food & Drink – 12%
- Travel – 12%
Something we spotted:
Home & Garden is yet again on top, appearing in almost a third of this week’s requests. Gardening came up again and again, while journalists were also after stories around heating, energy bills and getting homes ready for the colder months.
Based on journalist requests posted on Synapse from 14-21 September.
🔥 MUST READ PR TIP
…because the best PR advice comes straight from the people who know
Daily Express journalist Steph Spyro deals with around one op-ed a day, and one of her biggest tips for PRs is simple: give journalists a reason to publish it now.
“An opinion piece shouldn’t just be ‘here is what I think about X topic’. Give journalists a timely reason to run the piece.”
A strong opinion alone isn’t enough. Tie your op-ed to something already happening in the news, new research or a timely issue, and think carefully about who you’re putting forward. As Steph points out, the biggest job title doesn’t always make the best author, someone with first-hand experience and an actual point of view can make a much stronger pitch.
🗞️ PR-Y STUFF
The PR and media bits worth knowing this week
- Fake ‘expert’ quoted by major media titles exposed – Press Gazette has found that a supposed art therapist quoted by Vice, Forbes, Glamour and other publications appears to be AI-generated and could not be verified as a real person. The case is another reminder of the growing headache around source verification, particularly when experts are supplied through journalist request platforms. read more
- Is AI actually creating more work for senior PRs? – New research highlighted by Stephen Waddington suggests AI is pushing some tactical work up the chain rather than removing it. Senior practitioners are increasingly having to fact-check and edit AI output, raising questions around efficiency, governance and how junior PRs learn the basics when AI does more of the first draft. read more
- Google tests paying publishers for content used in AI results – Google is trialling an ‘AI contribution’ scheme that pays participating websites when their content significantly contributes to AI-generated answers in products including AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini. The early pilot involves dozens of publishers and could mark a shift in how publishers are compensated as AI search sends fewer people directly to their sites. read more
- Junior PRs are feeling the pressure of ‘always-on’ news monitoring – New research shared by PRWeek found 72% of junior PR professionals feel overwhelmed by news monitoring, while 64% of all respondents find something they can actually use for a client just once a week or less. read more
🔎 LIVE JOURNO REQUESTS
Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:
Mirror Online:
- Looking to speak to a psychic/astrologer about the Harvest moon. I want predictions for each star sign, if possible. – Mirror Online
- Currently planning my exciting bookish gift guide with out of the box ideas for book lovers. Got something in mind? – Reach PLC Titles
Reach PLC:
- PIP review final recommendations – All Reach plc titles
- Saving on heating bills / smart meters / condensation on windows – All Reach plc titles
Freelance:
- Looking for people for a jobs and salaries feature – The Telegraph
- Seeking experts on buying a second hand kitchen, from cabinetry to appliances – The Telegraph
- Looking for Shropshire locals to recommend artisan food, makers and local spots – Freelance
- Looking for fragrances inspired by destinations around the world – Freelance
- Looking for people who sold their car to save money by using public transport – The i Paper
- Looking for women with ADHD whose symptoms worsen during their menstrual cycle – Living360
- Looking for small businesses with AI examples uncovering fraudulent employee expenses – National
- Looking for European tungsten mining experts, projects and technology providers – MINE Magazine
- Looking for AI startups tackling workplace fraud and employee theft – Freelance
- Living 360 is looking to partner with a brand for ADHD-related competition prizes. Please contact me if interested. Thanks! – Living360
Want to dive deeper? Have a nose through all the live requests on the marketplace
📆 NEXT MONTH’S HOOKS
…a little head start on what’s coming up in October.
💻 7 Oct: Open Source Summit Europe 2026 – It’s where maintainers, technologists, and community leaders come together to share knowledge, collaborate on solutions, and push open source projects forward.
🎬 7 Oct: BFI London Film Festival – The 70th edition brings 12 days of premieres, international films, Screen Talks and events to London and cinemas across the UK. It opens with Elsinore and closes with The Debut.
🎬 9 Oct: “Other Mommy” (Universal) – It adapts Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl.
🎬 9 Oct: “The Social Reckoning” (Sony) – A companion piece to the 2010 film The Social Network, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.
💻 13 Oct: TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 – At Moscone West in San Francisco, California. The three-day event gathers over 10,000 founders, VCs, and operators.
📈 15 Oct: GDP monthly estimate, UK: August 2026.
🎬 16 Oct: “Street Fighter” (Paramount) – Directed by Kitao Sakurai, the film is set in 1993, starring Jason Momoa.
🎬 16 Oct: “Whalefall” (Disney) – Directed by Brian Duffield, the film stars Austin Abrams as a scuba diver who is swallowed by a sperm whale, leaving him with just one hour of oxygen to escape.
📊 20 Oct: UK Labour Market: October 2026.
📊 21 Oct: Consumer price inflation, UK: September 2026.
💰 22 Oct: LSE Group Q3 Trading Statement
💡 23 Oct: River of Light – Liverpool’s free outdoor light festival returns to the waterfront with large-scale illuminated installations.
🕐 25 Oct: Clocks go back – British Summer Time ends, with the clocks going back one hour at 2am.
🎬 30 Oct: 4K cinema restorations – Pan’s Labyrinth celebrates its 20th anniversary with a 4K restoration from StudioCanal, while Donnie Darko gets a 25th anniversary 4K release from Arrow Films.
🎃 31 Oct: Halloween
…and if October isn’t far enough ahead for you… 👇
📆 PR CALENDAR 2026
…for the PRs who like to be three pitches ahead.
Your next PR hook might already be in here…
September might already be flying by, but there’s still plenty to plan for. Our free PR Calendar has all the key dates through to December, ready for when you need a timely reason to get a story out there.
Got something worth pitching?
Got a story, expert, case study or bit of data journalists should know about?
Head to the marketplace now or simply send it to pitches@synapse.media (or add us to your media list) and we’ll make sure it reaches the right journalists.
