Newsquest joins Synapse PR Pitching Platform, Strengthening Collaboration Between Journalists and PR Professionals

Synapse News
September 24, 2023
By Synapse Media

Synapse, the innovative PR pitching platform designed to streamline communications between journalists and PR professionals, is proud to announce that Newsquest Media Group has joined its growing network. This marks a significant step in bridging the gap between journalism and PR, as over 10% of Newsquest’s journalists are now utilising the platform.

Synapse was created by former Gorkana and Dow Jones executive Charles Russell, with the backing of PR veteran Mark Borkowski, in response to the overwhelming number of email pitches received by journalists. The platform empowers journalists to filter pitches by topic and format—whether for print or online—ensuring they only receive the most relevant content. Additionally, journalists can flag irrelevant pitches, allowing PR professionals to tailor their outreach better.

Newsquest joins an impressive roster of over 900 journalists from leading publications such as The Mirror, The Express, and The Scotsman, all of whom have embraced Synapse to improve the efficiency of pitch management. The platform has also seen a strong uptake from in-house PR teams and agencies including Ketchum, FleishmanHillard, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and many others.

Toby Granville, Editorial Development Director at Newsquest Media Group, commented on the collaboration:

“Since Synapse’s launch, we have encouraged our journalists to sign up, and more than 10% are now reaping the benefits of the platform. Synapse offers a streamlined way to manage PR pitches, delivering relevant ideas directly to our journalists without the clutter of email. We are excited to continue working with Synapse to onboard more of our journalists and make this new avenue of content generation a core part of our editorial process.”

Charles Russell, founder of Synapse, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership:

“We are thrilled to welcome Newsquest and its talented journalists to our platform. The feedback has been fantastic, and PR professionals are already seeing coverage generated through Synapse’s marketplace. With nearly 1,700 PRs now registered, Synapse has experienced rapid growth, and we’re proud of the early success we’ve achieved in just three weeks.”

The partnership between Newsquest and Synapse reflects a growing trend in media, where technology is playing a crucial role in fostering better collaboration and communication between journalists and PR professionals. As Synapse continues to expand, it aims to provide an efficient, accessible, and data-driven solution to the longstanding challenges of media pitching.

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"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

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