Tech start-up Synapse is working with National World and Reach to improve communications between journalists and PR sources.
Founder Charlie Russell said: “At the moment, there’s no such tool for PRs and the media to communicate, they’re using email… you can’t find relevant stories as a journalist, and as a PR, you get no feedback on the emails that you’ve sent. So, bringing a professional marketplace into the equation allows people to find what they’re looking for faster, collaborate more and drive relevant stories and content.”
Synapse has created what it calls a “Stories Marketplace” which aims to remove the need for emails between journalists and PRs.
For PRs the Stories Marketplace allows them to post press releases to a page that will be seen by journalists who can then initiate interactions with PR professionals and decide what press releases they want to follow up.
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It is free for both PR companies and journalists to use Synapse.
Russell formerly worked for a company selling data to the PR industry.
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He said: “We were selling data, rather than selling technology. As a PR, you did your research, and you found your target media. And then you were left with an email address or telephone number, or social media links.”
“And there were no tools to then take it one step further and allow you to interact with journalists and allow journalists to interact back with you. And I thought, we’re missing a trick here because actually, what we’re doing is we’re making the situation harder for our clients, because the data is everywhere. And also, we’re making it hard for the media because their information is out there everywhere, too.
Ketchum PR agency director Nicola Long backs the new approach.
She told Press Gazette: “There’s lots more channels to reach journalists, which means they must be bombarded, and we have people desperately trying to speak to journalists on behalf of clients.”
She said Synapse makes communication more efficient between “time-poor” pr agents and journalists.
She added: “It can be quite intimidating trying to get hold of a journalist, particularly when you’re starting out in your career. [Synapse] will help them build those relationships. It will help them hone their pitching skills. It will help them hone what makes a good story.”
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