PR News: It’s out-of-office season (some call it silly season)

Hey there,

This is the perfect time for fresh angles that can run all season. That means case studies, data insights or real-life stories. Pitch yours to the right journalists now, or email pitches@synapse.media, and we’ll get it in the marketplace for you.

Welcome back to The Loop, your weekly scroll of live journo requests, savvy PR tips and the top media trends you need to know.

Here’s what’s trending this week…

🔥 MUST READ

…advice we’ve spotted from the experts

“Failing to nail your regional angles can seriously limit your campaign results.”

Head of Client Strategy with a background in Digital PR, Laura Smith breaks down how bespoke local stories, unique data, and deep regional outreach drove 29 pieces of coverage and a 126% traffic uplift. 👉Read the full LinkedIn post

🗞️ PR-Y STUFF

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

• Astronomer’s PR masterclass debate – A high-profile campaign covered by the BBC has split opinion. Mark Borkowski calls it a “crisis comms masterclass” in his LinkedIn post, but check out the comment section or even Ronke Lawal’s view for a slightly different take on the same story.
• LADbible launches Betches UK to talk with, not to, young women – LADbible’s UK-launched Betches hub invites millennial and Gen Z women to co-create content, as proof that engaging your audience means talking with them, not to them. read more
• When bots write, PR must prove its human value – Generative AI is spawning automated bylines and reshaping newsroom workflows, meaning PR pros need to deliver original data, expert access and real context to stand out. read more
• PR’s AI goldmine sits on a fault line – AI offers PR teams a treasure trove of insights and scale, but missteps on ethics, data bias and privacy could spark a major credibility crisis. read more
• Digital Frontier pauses, 16 staff redundant – Announced it will no longer be publishing content as it takes a “step back” to “reassess” its next steps. read more
• Community leaders can help curb misinformation – New research finds that after recent UK terrorist attacks, local community leaders can help prevent misinformation on social media. read more

🔎 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.

MailOnline:

• Looking for a consumer expert or lawyer for a brief chat on holiday money – around whether it’s ok for prices to be listed in one currency, but charged in another. 

Stylist:

• Looking for someone for a Stylist feature on the mistake of lending a friend or family member money.

The i Paper:

• Keen to speak to people who have 5+ year mortgage fixes ending in the next year and are worried about the higher costs.
• Looking to speak to financial advisers who have seen an increase in the number of enquiries about the pension commencement.
• Looking for someone who is less likely to use a cash ISA if Reeves cut the annual allowance.
• Looking to speak to people who aren’t saving for retirement because they are gonna get an inheritance from their family.
• Looking to speak to self-employed people/youngsters/a woman or someone who is worried about not having enough for retirement
• Looking to speak to people who started paying into their pension at 18

Freelance:

• Looking for expert comments on whether you should be storing cash at home.

Metro:

• Looking for What I own/rent property column – case studies
• Looking to chat with couples of all ages about how they split their money.
• Looking to speak to parents who are in debt about how they talk about money around their kids.
• Looking for expert comments on what British customs leave other Europeans scratching their heads? (queuing, stag dos, the cuisine, etc.)

Triangle News:

• Looking to speak to young people who have very successful businesses, talking about how they managed it.
• Looking for parents who pay their own parents a salary to look after their preschoolers because it’s cheaper than sending them to nursery. 

Daily Mirror / Express / Reach titles: 

• Looking for real-life true crime stories.

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

📆 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.
• 15 August: ‘Materialists’ movie release date for the UK – starring Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans
• 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 great but no time?

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