PR News: Summer’s winding down, the rush is on, and we’ve got something exciting.
PR, Synapse News
We’ve spent the silly season thinking about what would actually help your PR stories get seen.
And we think we’ve cracked it. Not a DM. Not an email. But it gets noticed. More on that soon 👀
For now, welcome back to The Loop – your weekly scroll of live journo requests, smart PR tips, and media news worth your time..
🔥 MUST READ
…advice we’ve spotted from the experts
“It didn’t matter exactly what the release said. What really mattered was the strength of the story, exclusivity, responsiveness, and some kind of prior relationship.”
Rosie Taylor breaks down why the best pitches she’s received this year all turned into national coverage, and it had little to do with the wording of the release and everything to do with story fit and relationships.
🗞️ PR-Y STUFF
Here’s what we think you should see this week:
- Refinery29 shuts UK office – Lifestyle brand Refinery29 has closed its UK arm and laid off staff, marking another blow to lifestyle journalism and tightening the landscape for PRs pitching into the sector. read more
- Should you move into a PR specialism? – PR experts weigh in on whether going niche is the smartest career move in 2025 – specialisms can sharpen your value, but broad skills still matter. read more
- UK PR firms hit pause on hiring – Amid economic uncertainty, many UK agencies are freezing recruitment, raising questions about workloads, retention, and how teams can stay agile under pressure. read more
- Newsquest’s digital growth strategy – Newsquest credits record digital growth to prioritising community stories over chasing trending news, a reminder that hyperlocal relevance still beats click-chasing. read more
- Reach to cut 186 editorial roles in major shake-up – Reach plc will cut 186 editorial jobs as part of its latest restructure – its most significant to date, raising fresh concerns about newsroom resources and the future of local journalism. read more
- AI bots drain publisher websites without giving back – Publishers warn that bots scraping their content for AI models are undermining the economics of digital journalism, fueling calls for tougher protections and fairer deals. read more
🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS
Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:
Reach plc:
- Looking for a chef’s opinion on fast food burgers
- Looking for an expert in travel to name their favourite UK beach
- Looking for an expert in the relevant laws to explain the laws/rules on whether you can cut/trim a neighbour’s tree
- Looking for farmers from the Penrith and Solway constituency who are or will be affected by inheritance tax
- Looking for the worst things restaurant customers can do
The i Paper:
- Looking for an inheritance tax expert to speak to about what they’re doing to reduce the bill for their own family
- Looking to speak to a student today whose university maintenance loan isn’t enough to cover their costs.
Metro:
Freelance:
- I need some specific and little-known tips on how to save money as a single person
- Still good to go? Why employees are less eager than ever to take that business trip and how employers can tackle the issue
Stylist:
Triangle News:
Daily Express/Daily Mirror:
Newsquest:
- Looking for beauty advent calendars to sample and review
- Looking for comments on whether or not motorists should pay a “parking fine” via text message and what they should do if they receive one.
Or head to the marketplace now to look our requests yourself.
📆 NEXT MONTH’S HOOKS
…because we don’t want you missing out on stuff.
🏰 (TBC): The Traitors UK is back with their new celebrity version – Official launch date TBC
💡 1st: New energy price cap comes into force
🚛 1st: PMI Manufacturing data released
🎬 3rd: ‘The Smashing Machine’ UK release date – the latest A24 film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt
✨ 3rd: Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift’s new album, scheduled for release
🎤 4th: Katy Perrry kicks off the UK leg of her Lifetimes Tour
🪐 4th: Start of World Space Week
💼 5th: Deadline to register for self-assessment
🏘️ 6th: World Habitat Day – Last year, UK-focused articles by charities like Amnesty International UK and BRITA UK discussed its implications for housing and urban development within the country
🏠 7th: Halifax House Price Index
🎃 14th: Searches for ‘Pumpkin Patches’ typically peak – According to Google Trends, last year the peak was 13–19th of October
🧥 15th: Searches for ‘Winter Fashion’ peak – For five years in a row, this has been a trending topic on Google, according to reports, with the peak occurring between 15-24 October. Content covers winter wardrobes, knitwear, and layering
🎄16th: 3 in 10 Brits start Christmas shopping – According to MailMetro stats, the end of October has officially marked the start of decoration shopping.
💸 16th: Latest UK GDP figures released
👻 17th: ‘Black Phone 2’ horror UK release date – starring Ethan Hawke.
🏎️ 17th: Formula 1 USA Austin Grand Prix kicks off
🍿 17th: ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ UK release date – featuring Jack Nicholson
🧙♀️ 22nd: Searches for ‘Halloween Costume’ peak – According to Google Trends, most people in the UK watched ‘YouTube’ videos for costume inspiration, followed by ‘Image Search’
💸 22nd: UK inflation data released
🦸 24th: MCM Comic Con London starts – The biggest Pop Culture celebration in the UK will take place at ExCel, London.
⏳ 26th: End of British Summer Time
🍂 27th: Autumn Half Term begins
🟢 29th: Deadline for the Government’s new Carbon Budget Delivery Plan
📝 31st: Paper Self-Assessment Deadline (HMRC) – Last day to file a paper return. If missed, switch to online to avoid penalties.
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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.
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We’d love to. But we’re not quite there yet.
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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.
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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!
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