While half the industry is on annual leave and holiday, journalists are still looking for stories to fill the diary throughout the summer.
Do you have something worth sharing? Whether an expert comment, a case study, data, or just a fresh angle, they’re all still in demand, so you can send them to pitches@synapse.media and we’ll help get them in front of the right journalists.
Now, onto The Loop, live journo requests, PR tips and the news worth knowing this week.
🔥 MUST READ
…because we want you to hear it from the experts themselves
PR and communications manager Richard Woodall shared a reminder that every PR should keep in their back pocket:
“The press release is usually the smallest part of the job.”
The real work happens long before you hit send: questioning whether something is genuinely newsworthy, finding the right angle, understanding what a journalist’s audience cares about and pressure-testing the story from a reporter’s perspective. The takeaway is that coverage doesn’t happen because you have an announcement. It happens because you’ve shaped that announcement into a story people actually want to read.
👉 Read the full LinkedIn article here
🗞️ PR-Y STUFF
Here’s what we think you should see this week:
- PR is officially a £7.1bn industry – A new independent report from the PRCA has, for the first time, put a number on the UK public relations sector: £7.1 billion in economic contribution and more than 95,000 jobs supported across the country. The research also found that PR professionals generate around 55% more value per worker than the creative industries average, putting the sector alongside other high-value professional services. read more
- Should PRs still pick up the phone? – PRWeek’s latest Beyond the Noise podcast tackles a surprisingly divisive question: are pitch phone calls still part of modern media relations, or have they become a thing of the past? The episode also explores how Gen Z communicators are navigating LinkedIn, AI, networking and the changing expectations of the industry. listen to the episode
- Media relationships aren’t dead, they’re just different – Long lunches and little black books might be fading, but a new PRmoment feature argues that relationships between PRs and journalists matter more than ever, they’ve simply changed shape. In a world of smaller newsrooms and AI-clogged inboxes, the new currency is trust, relevance and reliability. read more
- 10 top journalists share their best pitching advice – In the latest edition of her Get Featured newsletter, Rosie Taylor pulled together pitching advice from ten editors and reporters across titles including The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Sun, ITV News and the Daily Mail. read more
- A magazine is replacing some fiction commissions with AI – Bauer Media’s monthly Take a Break-branded fiction magazine has told writers it is pausing commissions as it introduces the use of AI tools to help produce more content in house. According to AI-checking service Pangram, short stories appearing in the title credited to the in-house team are 100% AI generated. read more
🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS
Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:
Metro:
- Looking for airline comment on luggage hack feature – Metro
- Looking to speak with a scientist for a Metro travel piece about whether a luggage hack would work. – Metro
- Looking for an Italian travel expert! – Metro
Newsweek:
- Looking for a doctor to discuss Lyme Disease – Newsweek
- Looking for comments from an oncologist #journorequest T.I.A
Freelance:
- Looking to hear from UK customers and businesses who still prefer and rely on physical money and why. – BBC Radio 4
- Looking for expert comments on mistakes affecting your home’s curb appeal are likely to upset or annoy your neighbours, and why? – Livingetc
- Looking for someone struggling to sell their flat who want to upgrade to a bigger family home! – The i Paper
- Seeking startups with experience hiring talent overseas – Freelance
- Looking for UK people changing their relationship with technology for BBC Radio 4 feature – BBC Radio 4
- Looking for parents who turned down promotions or pay rises to keep childcare benefits – The i Paper
- On the hunt for family-friendly hotels and holiday parks in the north of England – Freelance
- Looking for language experts to discuss multilingualism and brain age for a piece in the i newspaper! – The i Paper
- Looking for finance experts to offer advice for grandparents who want to set their grandchildren up financially! – Apple News Site
- On the hunt for kids travel products (suncream, mosquito spray and toiletries) ideally plastic free or eco-friendly. Thanks! – Freelance
- Seeking British expat in Paris to discuss France’s current heatwave – The i Paper
- Looking for homeowners struggling to sell a one bed or studio flat – The i Paper
NationalWorld:
- Looking for bean to coffee drinks machines for review for NationalWorld! – NationalWorld
- Looking for mattresses for review for NationalWorld please. DM if you can help. Thanks! – NationalWorld
Reach plc:
- Anything people going on holiday in the 6 weeks need to be aware of – Daily Mirror/Daily Express
- Looking for expert opinion on what foods footballers eat / World Cup diet – Daily Mirror
Mail on Sunday:
- Do you have a cool job and don’t mind being filmed for a few hours? – Daily Mail Social Video
- ‘Boots on the Ground’, quirky news stories, which need a rumour to be dispelled – Daily Mail Social Video
Or head to the marketplace now to look at the full list of requests yourself.
📆 NEXT MONTH’S HOOKS
…because we don’t want you missing out on stuff in August.
🏢 1 Aug: Black Business Month begins – A month dedicated to celebrating and supporting Black-owned businesses across the US.
🍁 3 Aug: British Columbia Day – Public holiday celebrated across British Columbia, Canada.
🎬 5 Aug: Ted Lasso Season 4 premieres – The 10-episode season will kick off with a single episode, followed by new episodes dropping every Wednesday until October 7.
🏈 6 Aug: NFL Preseason begins – The countdown to the new NFL season starts with preseason fixtures across the US.
💻 6 Aug: DEF CON 34 begins – One of the world’s largest cybersecurity conferences, bringing together hackers, researchers and security professionals.
🎈 7 Aug: Bristol International Balloon Fiesta begins – The official event runs until 9 August 2026 at Ashton Court Estate.
🎬 7 Aug: One Night Only (2026) – Distributed by Universal Pictures, the movie’s ensemble cast also features Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Molly Ringwald and LeVar Burton.
🌍 9 Aug: International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – A UN observance recognising Indigenous communities, cultures and rights.
🔍 10 Aug: Searches for ‘last-minute holiday’ peak – According to Google Trends, last-minute travel interest reaches its highest point.
👥 12 Aug: International Youth Day – A UN observance highlighting the role of young people in shaping the future.
🌘 12 Aug: Total Solar Eclipse – It will sweep across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, with partial phases visible across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, Canada and parts of the United States.
📈 13 Aug: GDP first quarterly estimate, UK (April to June 2026) – The first estimate of UK economic growth for Q2 2026.
📊 13 Aug: GDP monthly estimate, UK (June 2026) – Measures the value of goods and services produced in the UK.
🎬 14 Aug: Flowervale Street (2026) – UK cinema release from Warner Bros. This 1980s-set film follows a family whose suburban neighbourhood is mysteriously transported to an unknown, prehistoric world.
📊 18 Aug: UK Labour Market: August 2026 – Covers employment, unemployment, earnings, vacancies and wider labour market trends.
📉 19 Aug: Consumer price inflation, UK (July 2026) – The latest UK inflation figures, including CPI and related measures.
🎾 23 Aug: US Open Tennis begins – The final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis calendar gets underway at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.
🎮 26 Aug: gamescom 2026 begins – The main exhibition kicks off in Cologne, Germany. It’s the world’s largest gaming festival, featuring hands-on previews of upcoming titles, indie showcases, hardware reveals, and the Tencent Worlds of Play art.
🎬 28 Aug: One Night Only (2026) – UK cinema release.
🎬 28 Aug: Cliffhanger (2026) – UK cinema release, starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan.
🏦 31 Aug: Summer Bank Holiday – Public holiday across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Have something great?
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.
