The Folk Group
Synapse has been used by Folk since launch, with Senior Account Executive, Bethan Williams, leading the charge and helping her team get the most out of the platform.
Rebecca Carey, Deputy Head of Editorial SEO, Newsquest, joined a few weeks after Synapse launched, had a training session and had been using Synapse to regularly connect with PRs and find useful content.
Creating new UK wide media relationships for a Welsh based PR agency, Folk
Becca and Bethan helped us shape the platform. Sharing their honest opinions, feedback and experiences, allowing us to fix issues they encountered (such as file sharing), so read on for our Q&A with them both.
Q & A
Q: Please tell us about your first impressions of Synapse, having used it for a couple of weeks.
RC: Generally, my first impression is that the marketplace is easy to navigate. I’ve been able to filter the releases I’ve received much more efficiently than I have done with emails. The callout for experts is probably the most useful feature to me since it allows us to add value to the content we’re working on already. The requests feature is my favourite feature on the platform.
BW: The platform has been simple to use and easy for the wider agency to get to grips with. It’s an interesting, developing tool that complements traditional pitching and media outreach, as another way of building connections with journalists.
Q: Rebecca, how easy was it to find relevant pitches? Did you use pitches in the ‘sent to me’ tab, the marketplace, or both?
RC: The filters are very useful. We’ve been experimenting with specific topics like property, household and personal finance a lot more on our national content, so it’s been great for that. I almost exclusively use the sent to me tab because the marketplace as a whole is busy and this has been a useful method for focusing my efforts.
Q: Bethan, how were you made aware that Rebecca was looking for a pitch?
BW: I received an email that a relevant request for my selected sectors had been published in the Request Marketplace.
Q: Talk us through the process of finding the request and accepting it, was it obvious and straightforward?
BW: Locating the request and accepting it was simple, as was beginning a conversation with Rebecca.
Q: What happened after that and how did the platform help you both communicate?
RC: After accepting the request, Bethan followed up with me in the messenger function which has been good for back and forth. I would say, I had to move to email in order to send over a word document and supporting images which was not ideal.
BW: The platform allowed me to have a simple conversation with Rebecca to determine how we could best support the feature she was planning and the deadline, replacing the need for half a dozen emails. As the format is relatively straight forward, our conversation was quick and concise.
Q: Bethan, how long did it take to get your coverage? What were the results for you and the client?
BW: When we submitted the content requested, Rebecca confirmed the publishing date that wasn’t too far away. It’s worth noting that it was trickier to transfer files using the platform, as we had to follow up on email for these. We achieved 48 pieces of regional coverage from working with Newsquest, a great result for a relevant story, suited to a regional audience.
Q: Rebecca, how many pieces of coverage has Synapse helped you produce and do you have more in the pipeline?
RC: I’ve had at least three pieces including one through the expert call out and I have a few more in the pipeline.
Q: How did Bethan add value to the story?
RC: She helped with the story around napping and connected me to a GP – and sleep expert – which added some key expertise to the article. I will also be following up with them in future since the health content and expertise was so relevant to us.
Q: How did using Synapse feel compared to using email, for pitches and to correspond with each other? Do you feel Synapse will help build better relationships?
RC: I’ve continued to use email but I’ve found a few PRs that I wouldn’t have worked with otherwise. It’s been useful since the instant messaging means you can have more direct communication. PRs still seem a little unsure but it’s generally been positive.
BW: Synapse was a quick and easy platform to use, that helped us to quickly identify if our offering was suited to what the journalist had in mind.
Q: Do you feel Synapse is something you’ll use in the future and what does it add to the PR/journalist dynamic? Would you recommended using Synapse to colleagues in PR and journalism?
RC: Yes, it helps to put everything in one place. I often will put callouts on social media for experts or look around in 1000s of emails so this is more efficient. I would definitely recommend.
BW: There’s never going to be a one-sized fits all approach for any type of media communications. The way of pitching, whether it’s using traditional means (email/phone), social media or tools such as Synapse all comes down to personal preference. Synapse does seem like a great way to respond to media requests and receive an insight into their focuses, and a tool I’d recommend all PRs explore.
Our sources say...
It’s exciting to see a professional marketplace being established which allows PRs to pitch stories and establish new relationships with media.
Kate McWilliams
MD, Lotus
Journalists will discover a cornucopia of relevant stories, sources, captivating content and stimulating discussions within its digital realm.
Mark Borkowski
Founder, Borkowski
Seeing what journalists are writing about in real time will be invaluable and will help us tailor our pitches.
Amanda Moorhouse
Founder & Owner of MPR Communications
Synapse offers a new and effective way for PRs and journalists to connect; spelling the end to outdated mass pitching.
Bethan Williams
Senior Account Manager, Folk
We invest significant time tailoring our pitches and content…but we can see the potential for this platform to make that process easier.
Nicola Long, Director (Brand)
Ketchum
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
A platform that can help us create more meaningful connections with journalists and help create efficiencies.
Imogen Sackey
Associate Director, Fleishman Hillard
Synapse will help us to communicate high-quality, relevant content whilst enabling journalists to easily engage with us.
Charlotte Cavanagh
Charlotte Cavanagh
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
The answer to all of my prayers!
Sophie Godfrey-Phaure
Account Director, Ketchum
Synapse looks set to do everything I need.
Holly Pither
MD and Founder, Tribe PR
Synapse is a great way of connecting and building mutually beneficial partnerships between PRs and journalists.
Victoria Morton
Head of PR, Journey Further
Being able to visit one site to get a look at all the stories relevant to me really appeals to me.
Anil Dawar
Ex-news editor The Express, AQA
Synapse has been really helpful…I’ve managed to publish stories that I wouldn’t have been able to do without the expert insight.
Katie Collier
SEO Reporter, Newsquest
I often put callouts for experts or look around in 1000s of emails so this is more efficient – definitely recommend.
Rebecca Carey
Deputy Head of Editoral SEO, Newsquest
We see how a marketplace of PR pitches helps deliver relevant ideas to journalists in a more manageable way.
Toby Granville
Editorial Development Director, Newsquest
The idea of only receiving targeted pitches and avoiding those with no relevance to me would save me a lot of time.
Alice Grahns
Deputy Consumer Editor, The Sun
Synapse creates better connections between journalists & PR professionals, helping our trusted brands to deliver quality and highly relevant news.
John Rowe
Executive Director, National World
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
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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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