SWNS Now Becomes the Leading Online Press Agency

SWNS, Britain’s biggest news agency group, has acquired the leading ‘sell my story’ story selling website and internet press agency, Talk to the Press – Sell My Story (http://www.talktothepress.co.uk).

Founded by Natasha Courtenay-Smith in 2008, the site acts as a story broker for members of the public wishing to publicise or sell stories to the media, and advises individuals who need help handling press attention. The business has now become part of the Bristol-based SWNS Group, which includes several news agencies across the country.
SWNS also runs the website Sell Us Your Story (https://www.sellusyourstory.com) and the purchase of Talk to the Press will make it the biggest operator in the sector.
Martin Winter, director and news editor at SWNS, said: “This is a great acquisition for us and a perfect fit for our business. Our existing website has become an increasingly valuable way of generating exclusive stories and to acquire the market leader is a real coup for us. Natasha has done a fantastic job in setting up the business from scratch and leading the field from the start. We look forward to helping Talk to the Press continue to grow with the resources, distribution network and geographical spread of the SWNS Group.”

Natasha, who formerly worked as a writer at the Daily Mail, set up the business in 2008. It quickly won a number of business awards and saw her listed on Management Today’s 35 under 35 list of female high fliers. Talk to the Press has been responsible for numerous front page stories and has sold thousands of exclusive stories into national newspapers and women’s magazines. Natasha will leave the business after a short handover to concentrate on other business interests.

She said: “I can’t think of anyone better than SWNS to take over Talk to the Press. The directors have created a hugely inspirational and innovative business and I know they will add huge value to Talk to the Press, whilst maintaining its good reputation and growing it further.”

All Talk to the Press staff have been retained and former deputy editor Georgette Culley has taken over as editor. The business has moved into the London office of SWNS’s PR and market research operations – 72Point and OnePoll – in Clerkenwell. This is the latest of several acquisitions in recent years by SWNS, which is owned by Andrew Young, Paul Walters and Martin Winter.

The SWNS Group also includes Newsteam in Birmingham, Ross Parry in Leeds, Masons News in Cambridge, and Centre Press and Northscot in Scotland.

SWNS is also partnered with Famous Features Press Agency, SellMyStoryNow.co.uk, and SellMyStoryToday.co.uk. For more information about Talk to the Press, visit www.talktothepress.co.uk