AI-Driven Media Engagement Platform for a Leading Journalism and PR Marketplace

Synapse, a new marketplace for journalists and PRs, faced the challenge of outdated technology that couldn’t effectively handle the massive flow of data and pitches, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. SmartDev addressed these challenges by implementing an AI-driven solution within Synapse’s platform. This solution upgraded the user interface and enhanced API functionalities, enabling AI-generated content suggestions and personalized journalist-PR matches based on profiles and expertise. This strategic update provided a scalable and precise platform to meet the evolving demands of the media and PR industry.
Headcount

5 headcounts (1 AI Architect, 1 AI engineer, 1 Full Stack PHP developer, 1 QA, 1 Project Manager)

Industries

Journalism and Media

Products and Services

AI-Driven PR Platform

Timescales

2 months

Country

United Kingdom

The Challenge

Synapse faced significant challenges in overhauling its platform to enhance service delivery for journalists and PR professionals. The platform struggled with legacy technology not equipped to handle the vast data generated by countless PR pitches. This resulted in journalists being overwhelmed with irrelevant pitches, obstructing effective communication and diminishing opportunities for impactful storytelling.

Moreover, Synapse needed to incorporate advanced AI capabilities into its existing PHP-based platform to enable personalized recommendations and content suggestions that align with journalists’ profiles, expertise, and writing preferences. This required a sophisticated update of the user interface and API enhancements, demanding careful planning to ensure robustness and user-friendliness. Managing these technical enhancements while maintaining a seamless user experience presented a complex challenge for Synapse in its quest to redefine interactions within the PR and media sectors.

The Solution

SmartDev tackled Synapse’s challenges with a focused development of AI-driven functionalities. This targeted initiative allowed the team to define and adjust the project’s requirements clearly. Prioritizing user experience, SmartDev dedicated substantial efforts to redesigning the platform’s interface, ensuring it was intuitive and visually engaging to support enhanced user interaction.

To address the integration challenges with the existing PHP framework and multiple third-party systems, SmartDev crafted a flexible and scalable codebase. This foundation enabled the seamless integration of advanced AI capabilities and existing functionalities, enhancing the platform’s ability to efficiently handle and analyze large volumes of data. 

Technology Stacks

Python
Open AI
MySQL
PHP
ChromeDB
Docker

Application Core Functions

AI-Powered Pitch Tracking

This feature enables PR professionals to track the performance of their pitches in real-time. AI analytics provide insights into the acceptance, relevancy, and engagement of pitches, such as click-through rates and the likelihood of securing coverage. Automatic alerts also inform users if a pitch has been declined, creating transparency and reducing uncertainty.

AI-Driven Journalist Discovery

Synapse employs AI-driven filtering mechanisms to help PR professionals find the most relevant journalists based on factors like sector, region, and media type. This feature tailors search results to match client expertise and story focus, making it easier to build a niche list of journalists and increase the likelihood of successful outreach.

AI-Enabled Media Requests Monitoring

With AI-powered media request monitoring, PRs can receive real-time updates about journalists’ requests for expert insights, allowing for timely and targeted responses. The platform streamlines the process of reacting to media inquiries, potentially increasing PR coverage opportunities by giving PR professionals a competitive edge in securing relevant stories.

Client Achievements

Enhanced User Experience Through AI-Driven Redesign

SmartDev's focused development of AI-driven functionalities and the redesign of the platform's interface resulted in a more intuitive and visually engaging user experience. This improved interaction fostered greater user satisfaction and engagement.

Scalable and Flexible Codebase

The development of a robust and scalable codebase addressed the integration challenges with the existing PHP framework and third-party systems. This foundation enabled the seamless integration of advanced AI capabilities, empowering the platform to efficiently handle and analyze large volumes of data.

Strategic Approach to Project Development

SmartDev's strategy of starting with a narrowly defined scope and strategically expanding allowed for a focused and effective solution. This approach addressed the immediate technological gaps and positioned Synapse for future growth and innovation in the competitive media and PR landscape.

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