Maximise your reach: Using Synapse to reach journalists

PR
October 9, 2024
By Synapse Media
The question on many PR's lips (from seasoned professionals to industry newbies), is how do I get noticed by a journalist?

Email has traditionally been the go-to tool for PR outreach, but it comes with its challenges. Emails can easily get lost in crowded inboxes, overlooked amidst the deluge of daily messages, or even marked as spam with the new feature for the users of Gmail (or by the journalists themselves).

This is where Synapse - The Stories Marketplace comes in, offering a new solution to streamline connections and make interactions between both sides more meaningful.

So here are our quick tips for using Synapse to connect with journalists.

 

1. Write a relevant headline

A catchy and relevant headline is crucial.  It serves as the first impression and the gateway to your content. It’s the first thing journalists see and what makes them eager to click on “read more”. 

What makes a headline irresistible? Is it the promise of valuable insights, a compelling question, or a hint of something new? The answer lies simply in its ability to make it clear in a concise way what your story is about, why it’s relevant and why a journalist’s audience would be interested. 

Just as Karen Cross, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Reach PLC Magazines & Supplements said when we spoke to her; “We’re looking for precise information on the content of the pitch, rather than a vague headline that’s designed just to catch attention.”

Make your pitch headline stand out and journalists will start to engage!

2. Journalists prefer exclusives 

Every time we meet with a journalist, they tell us that they want more exclusives.

Journalists want exclusives because they provide unique story angles that haven’t been covered elsewhere, allowing them to write about it from fresh perspectives.

It’s also a chance for you to take a story from a small mention in the back pages to a full feature in the front. Surely one standout piece is worth more than two small mentions. 

On Synapse you can send exclusive content. You pitch, for example, 3 journalists and if 1 of them accepts the exclusive, it disappears for the other 2. 

3. Watch for requests

Journalists can send out requests for content on Synapse. Accepting a request when you have something relevant to provide, lets you message that journalist so that you can share more information. This also provides an opportunity to start building a proper relationship.

If you connect with and help a journalist who often writes about sectors you work in, chances are they’ll come back to you for content in the future.

 

How Can Synapse Help? 

Synapse is changing the way PRs connect with journalists. By implementing new technologies, PRs can increase visibility, build better relationships, and drive more efficient media relations.

Interested in better connecting with journalists? Register today and discover how Synapse can transform your media relations approach. 

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Our sources say...

Our sources say...

"Synapse will help us hugely by making it easier for the right people to connect on the right topics."

Ben Rankin

National Audience Director, Reach Plc

"Synapse creates better connections between journalists and PR professionals, helping our trusted brands to deliver quality and highly relevant news to our readers."

John Rowe

Executive Director, National World

"The idea of only receiving targeted pitches and avoiding those with no relevance to me is appealing and would save me a lot of time on a daily basis."

Alice Grahns

Deputy Consumer Editor, The Sun

"We see how a marketplace of PR pitches helps deliver relevant ideas to journalists in a more manageable way, compared with email, which regularly overloads our writing staff."

Toby Granville

Editorial Development Director, Newsquest

"Synapse helps to put everything in one place. I often will put call outs on social media for experts or look around in 1000s of emails so this is more efficient. I would definitely recommend."

Rebecca Carey

Deputy Head of Editoral SEO, Newsquest

"Synapse has been really helpful the last few days. I've had a few PRs come forward with comments and extra info which has meant I've managed to publish stories that I wouldn't have been able to do without the expert insight."

Katie Collier

SEO Reporter, Newsquest

"The idea of being able to visit one site to get a look at all the stories relevant to me and avoid distracting and unwanted contact with PR offices really appeals to me. Synapse will put me in charge of the process."

Anil Dawar

Ex-news editor The Express, AQA

"It's not easy to maintain those vital media relationships. Synapse is a great way of connecting and building mutually beneficial partnerships between PRs and journalists."

Victoria Morton

Head of PR, Journey Further

“So far I haven’t yet quite found what I am looking for in a database and outreach platform, but Synapse looks set to do everything I need.”

Holly Pither

MD and Founder, Tribe PR

"The answer to all of my prayers!"

Sophie Godfrey-Phaure

Account Director, Ketchum

“Synapse strives to strengthen the relationship between PR professionals and journalists by providing a seamless platform to share stories and pitches.”

Hayley Bromfield

Director of Sales and Marketing, PHA Group

“Synapse will help us to communicate high-quality, relevant content whilst enabling journalists to easily engage with us in order to ensure they have the correct information they need for their stories.”

Charlotte Cavanagh

Senior Account Manager, Fleet Street Comms

“We’re really excited to see what Synapse can do for us and our clients. A platform that can help us create more meaningful connections with journalists and help create efficiencies in how we work together holds real potential.”

Imogen Sackey

Associate Director, Fleishman Hillard

“Media excellence means meeting journalists where they are, and tools which help that happen are a good thing. If Synapse can help mitigate ‘death by email’, it’ll be a value-add to hacks and flacks alike.”

Sandy Downs

Senior Account Director, Teamspirit

“We’re interested to see how the Synapse platform develops. We invest significant time tailoring our pitches and content, so it reaches the right journalists. But we can see the potential for this platform to make that process easier, deliver faster feedback and increase our impact.”

Nicola Long, Director (Brand)

Ketchum

“Synapse offers a new and effective way for PRs and journalists to connect; spelling the end to outdated mass pitching. It’ll mean both groups can find the content and contacts they need, at the time they need it – building focused connections, which are still so important, whilst saving time.”

Bethan Williams

Senior Account Manager, Folk

"We are really looking forward to the launch of Synapse. Seeing what journalists are writing about in real time will be invaluable and will help us tailor our pitches to the relevant media at the right time."

Amanda Moorhouse

Founder and Owner of MPR Communications

"At the heart of Synapse lies an unprecedented innovation - the world’s inaugural ‘Stories Marketplace’. Journalists will discover a cornucopia of relevant stories, sources, captivating content, and stimulating discussions within its digital realm."

Mark Borkowski

Founder, Borkowski

“It’s exciting to see a professional marketplace being established which allows PRs to pitch stories and establish new relationships with media. Journalists often refer to their out-of-control inboxes so it’s good to see someone addressing this issue, as well as potentially opening up lots of opportunities.”

Kate McWilliams

MD, Lotus

FAQs

Registration is simple! Click here to register and then fill out your information. Our team hand verify all of our users within 24 hours. Once your account has been approved, you’ll receive an email inviting you to log in.

If you have any questions or problems, get in touch with [email protected].

Our team hand-verify every single one of our users. Synapse is designed for journalists, reports, editors and those in the media sourcing stories. It’s also designed for PR professionals. We have our own verification process, but if required, we’ll always get in touch with you directly to get some more information on your day-to-day role and to make sure Synapse is right for you.

There are over 3000 amazing people on Synapse; all of whom want to revolutionise the media relations industry. Our PR user base is from across the UK and covers a mix of agency, freelance and in-house professionals. Our journalist user base is similarly broad. There are national publications, trades, regionals and freelancers all using the platform.

No! At the moment, Synapse is completely free to use for all users, so register today and try it out.

We’d love to. But we’re not quite there yet.

Synapse believes that journalists have the right to their own data, and that by giving journalists control over their data, PRs will receive more accurate and timely information that isn’t currently available on any other database.

This means that we need to work with journalists to register them on the platform, rather than adding every UK journalist without permission. This is something our team is working on every single day.

Have a journalist or publication you’d like to see on Synapse? Get in touch and let us know at [email protected].

We launched on 21st September 2023 with over 1800 users already pre-registered. Since then we’ve grown to over 3000 users, onboarded national publications and have more news to come. Watch this space!

Our users are so important to us. You literally keep us going each and every day so we’re always here to help. From solving tech issues, demoing the platform to posting pitches and requests on your behalf when you’re just having one of those weeks, we put our users at the heart of everything we do.

If you want to read more about our users’ experiences, you can check out their stories here or get in touch with [email protected].

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