PR News: Your stories are landing where it matters…
Industry Trends & News, PR
Loads of journalists are on Synapse and using our marketplace more and more to find features, case studies expert commentary and more.
And now we’re expanding our work with Reach plc, working with more of their journalists to find relevant stories than ever before.
So why wait? If you’ve got something newsworthy from a campaign, a data story, or a strong opinion, send it our way. Literally everything!
Drop your stories, press releases, or ideas to pitches@synapse.media and we’ll make sure they reach the right journalists across Reach Plc and beyond.
This is The Loop – your weekly scroll of live journo requests, PR tips and media updates we care about..
🔥 MUST READ
…advice we’ve spotted from the experts
Lottie West, Global Head of PR at Fox Agency, shared a sharp reminder that while AI can help speed things up, it should never replace the parts of PR that actually matter: the human insight, creativity, and connection that build trust with journalists.
Her key takeaway?
“By all means delegate the low-value tasks, but don’t just take the worst PR practices and make them worse with AI.”
AI shouldn’t be used for industry research, and should be used really cautiously for data analysis and grammar checks if you are going to use it.
🗞️ PR-Y STUFF
Here’s what we think you should see this week:
- Only 4% of PR firms are ‘very optimistic’ about 2026 – A new PRovoke study shows confidence in the industry is cooling, with agency leaders citing AI disruption, squeezed budgets, and client uncertainty as top challenges heading into next year. read more
- Thinking about going freelance? Read this first. – PRmoment breaks down what it really takes to go solo in PR: from setting realistic rates to building a client base that lasts. The key theme? Treat freelancing like running a business, not just doing PR on your own. Networking, niche expertise, and financial planning make all the difference. read more
- Inside the BBC’s culture crisis – PRWeek spoke to former BBC journalists about the ongoing internal issues and what it means for the broadcaster’s comms strategy. Many point to deeper cultural and leadership challenges, not just individual missteps, suggesting the crisis is now one of trust and tone rather than pure PR. read more
- New tool alert for data-led stories – Press Gazette reports on the launch of Newsworthy Data, a new platform built to help PRs and publishers uncover and visualise story-worthy datasets. It promises to cut through the noise by surfacing data that’s genuinely relevant to journalists, and not just stats for the sake of it. read more
- The BBC’s influence under the spotlight – The Reuters Institute takes a deep dive into what the research actually says about the BBC’s role in UK media, and why, despite criticism, it remains the most trusted and widely used news source in the country. For PRs, it’s a timely reminder of just how central the broadcaster still is when it comes to shaping public opinion and setting the news agenda. read more
- PR needs to change, and fast – New research from De Montfort University highlights key industry shifts PR must make to stay relevant. The findings? The sector still struggles with transparency, diversity, and fair pay. read more
🔎 JOURNO REQUESTS
Here’s what journalists are currently looking for on Synapse:
Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Irish Star, Birmingham Live, Manchester Evening News:
Reach plc:
Insider Digital:
Newsquest:
- Looking for some brief comment about the costs drivers could face if their paint work is damaged by falling leaves
- Seeking expert comments on how to dissolve limescale in a kettle within minutes by using one item
- Looking for expert commentary from a bathroom/home/cleaning expert on people urged to use 1 natural item to remove limescale (and it’s not vinegar)
- Looking for a kitchen/appliance expert to comment on people urged to use one household item to save hours on defrosting the freezer
- Looking for some expert commentary from a bathroom/home/cleaning expert on people urged to make one change to help stop yellow stains and mould appearing in the shower
- Looking for some energy/appliance experts discussing how avoiding using major appliances such as a washing machine, dishwasher and oven between 6pm and 8pm can help you save money on your bills
- Looking for some expert comments on shopping around for a conveyancing solicitor and surveyor
- Looking for expert comment on the budget for 2025, predicting changes and how it might see changes for readers
- Looking for multiple sources to contribute to a personal finance piece on advice for people contending with an unexpected bill
- Looking for expert comments on people urged to pack tennis ball in carry-on luggage for one reason
- Looking for expert comment on the ways you can make a radiator heat up faster
Freelance:
- Looking to speak to decluttering experts for a piece on The English Home website.
- Looking to speak to an electrical safety expert who can briefly explain how to use an electric blanket safely
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 in December.
🛍️ 2 Dec: 1 in 3 Brits are interested in Christmas gift guides and tapping into high-intent seasonal search interest.
♿ 3 Dec: International Day for Disability – According to MailMetroMedia, 1 in 2 of the disabled community say they rarely see people like themselves in adverts.
🍿 5 Dec: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ – UK release date
🎄 6 Dec: Searches for ‘Christmas Trees’ peak – On average, Brits finish their gift shopping on this day.
🛍️ 8 Dec: Green Monday – One of the busiest online shopping days of the year.
🧑🎄 10 Dec: Christmas jumper interest peaks – According to Google Trends, the week between the 10th to the 14th of Dec is when interest onthis topic peaks online.
🎅 11 Dec: Christmas Jumper Day – M&S saw the highest traffic from ‘Christmas jumper’ searches.
💝 12 Dec: 1 in 5 people buy Christmas gifts for themselves – According to PMW, almost a third of Brits spend more on themselves at Christmas than others.
🎥 12 Dec: ‘The Tale of Sylian’ – UK release date
🛒 15 Dec: On average, Brits finish buying food and drink for Christmas on this day
🎁 16 Dec: 179 million article views on Christmas content last year, according to DailyMail – Great time for Festive PR and pitching Christmas content.
🎬 17 Dec: Searches for ‘Christmas movies’ peak, according to Google Trends
🏦 18 Dec: Bank of England final interest rate meeting
🍻 19 Dec: ‘Mad Friday’ – final Friday before Christmas
🎥 19 Dec: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ UK release date – the first two Avatar films were UK blockbusters.
🛍️ 20 Dec: ‘Super Saturday’ – busiest retail Saturday
❄️ 21 Dec: Winter Solstice – Shortest day of the year — mood-based hooks or content ideas.
🛍️ 26 Dec: Boxing Day – Google Trends indicate searches spike for John Lewis, Dunelm, DFS and IKEA.
🎬 26 Dec: ‘Anaconda’ – UK release date
📈 27 Dec: Searches for ‘holiday sales’ peak
FAQs
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If you have any questions or problems, get in touch with support@synapse.media
Our team hand-verify every single one of our users. Synapse is designed for journalists, reporters, 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 support@synapse.media
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 support@synapse.media
Depending on whether you have a journalist profile or a PR profile, you’ll have access to slightly different AI tools.
For PRs, you can save time by exploring our intelligent recommendations of which journalists to pitch to. Our AI will make recommendations based on proprietary data, saving you hours of research time.
For journalists, our secure AI assistant is there to help you as you write your stories. You’re in control of whether you use the tool and to what extent with options of a bulleted summary through to a full generative article.
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