PR News: Can AI restore the trust that media relations needs?

Hey there,

Can AI restore the trust that media relations needs?

Welcome to The Loop – your weekly scroll of sharp tips, journo requests and media news we know you don’t want to miss.

Before we dive in, here’s a reminder of what’s up and coming:

Join Synapse and Freelancing for Journalists for AI, Public Relations & Building Trust, a live virtual event where the experts will share practical tips on rebuilding trust and using AI responsibly. There’ll be plenty of time for your questions too!

When? On July 2nd, at 12 pm on Zoom.

📌Secure your free spot now

Here’s what’s landing this week…

🔥 MUST READ

…advice we’ve spotted from the experts

“PR knows the media has changed, but are we moving fast enough to keep up? (Spoiler: probably not)”

Lauren Phillipou calls out how even as journalists branch into podcasts, newsletters, and video, many PR teams still pitch like it’s 2018, saying it’s time to evolve approaches for today’s formats.
👉 Read the LinkedIn post

🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS

Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:

Insider Media:

• Looking for all dealmaking-related announcements from B2B press teams in the West Midlands area – legal, accountancy, and corporate finance advisers
• Seeking dealmaking news from Dorset-based professional services – legal, accountancy, and corporate finance firms.

Real Home/Future:

• Looking for gardening pros to comment on why mushroom water can help plants survive in a heatwave.

Metro:

• Looking to hear from couples who bought a house together about their deposit.

Express:

• Looking for exclusive new UK showbiz and celeb stories/interviews/screenings/events.

LADbible:

• Looking to speak with a health expert who can comment on the health implications of unregulated, illegal vape use.
• Looking for urgent doctor commentary on the reality of what rubber bullets can actually do to your body.
• Looking for a mental health expert for a comment on dealing with panic attacks

The Sun:

• Looking for a money expert to talk about Bulgaria joining the Eurozone and the impact this could have on Brits going on holiday.

Daily Mirror / Express / Reach titles: 

• Looking for real-life true crime stories.

The i Paper:

• Looking to speak to someone who has moved away from the UK for financial reasons and doesn’t regret it.
• Looking to speak to someone who wouldn’t put their money in stocks and shares over a cash ISA.
• Looking for expert comments/case study of someone in one of the vulnerable groups that have lost out on the winter fuel payment u-turn for
• Looking to speak to someone who keeps physical cash at home, hidden away safely, for emergencies. 
• Looking to speak to someone who received a higher inheritance tax bill because they disputed the value of their property.

Or head to the marketplace now to look at requests yourself.

🗞️ PR-Y STUFF

Here’s what we’ve read this week so that you don’t have to:

• If you’re not earning a reaction, you can’t win – Weber Shandwick’s president on why real impact means earning attention, not just buying it – and why the best ideas don’t chase headlines, they create them. read more
• JIN’s Edouard Fillias on replacing himself with AI – In this episode of ‘The Agency Leader’ Podcast, Edouard Fillias talks AI, efficiency, and why comms leaders need to rethink their own roles before tech does it for them. read more
• PR agency’s lottery winner pitches raise eyebrows – Press Gazette digs into a PR agency’s campaign pitching “lottery winners” to publishers—only to find many of those winners mysteriously vanish, sparking questions about transparency and ethics. read more
• Just Curious: Reimagining PR’s future with David Gallagher – PR veteran David Gallagher maps out how decentralised models, AI and geopolitical shifts are reshaping the industry and why community, flexibility and purpose will define its next chapter. listen on Spotify

📆 NEXT MONTH’S HOOKS

…just because we don’t want you missing out on stuff.

• 1 August: Edinburgh Fringe Festival begins
• 1 August: ‘The Bad Guys 2’ movie release date for the UK
• 7 August: Bank of England MPC Base Rate decision – It will be reviewed to determine interest rates set by lenders and savings providers
• 8 August: ‘The Naked Gun’ release date – A reboot starring Liam Neeson, directed by Akiva Schaffer. 
• 9 August: Edinburgh International Book Festival begins – featuring everyone from the rising stars of fiction to Nobel Prize-winners
• 14 August: University Clearing search peak – Searches for ‘Clearing’ spike here. Smart PR timing for universities, fintechs, student accommodation and retail brands aimed at young adults.
• 14 August: UK economic announcements – Balance of Trade, Gross Domestic Product, Index of Services and Industrial Production announced.
• 21 August: GCSE Results Day – MailOnline’s social platforms reach 2 in 5 school leavers. BBC’s informed that students will receive their results via the Education Record app this year.
• 21 August: Reading & Leeds Festival begins
• 22 August: Women’s Rugby World Cup starts – London, Bristol, Sunderland, Brighton, Northampton, Exeter, Manchester and York are the host cities.
• 24 August: Notting Hill Carnival
• 27 August: ‘School shoes’ searches peak – According to MailMetro Media, 46% of parents use payment schemes for back-to-school items.
  

✨ BEFORE YOU GO

Got something brilliant but in a rush?

Send it over to pitches@synapse.media and we’ll get it in our marketplace for you.