Simon Binns is a digital communications strategist and award-winning journalist currently serving as Head of Content Development for the UK Government Digital Service. With 15+ years experience across regional news, viral media, and public sector communications, he specializes in:
When approaching Binns with story ideas:
pure technology reviews, partisan politics
Simon Binns has cultivated a multifaceted career spanning traditional journalism, digital content strategy, and public sector communications. His journey began at the Manchester Evening News where he developed foundational skills in cultural reporting and local community storytelling[1][6]. This early stage saw him covering Manchester's arts scene, food culture, and urban development trends.
Transitioning to broadcast media, Binns contributed to BBC News and The Guardian, expanding his repertoire into investigative journalism and multimedia storytelling[6]. His work during this period demonstrated an emerging interest in youth engagement strategies and alternative narrative formats.
"The potential is huge and the new role comes at a transformative time for the Government Digital Service and the way it reaches audiences."Binns on joining GOV.UK[4]
This commerce-focused piece for LADbible demonstrates Binns' ability to blend product journalism with cultural commentary. The 1,200-word analysis compares home beverage technologies while contextualizing shifting consumer habits post-pandemic. By interviewing both industry engineers and mixologists, Binns created an unexpected dialogue between technical specifications and social drinking trends.
Showcasing his investigative public health reporting, this viral article combined FOIA requests with nutritional anthropology. Binns tracked the confection's recipe changes since 1971 while interviewing food historians and NHS dietitians. The piece sparked parliamentary questions about sugar content labeling reforms.
In this Manchester Evening News series, Binns documented the city's culinary renaissance through 12 neighborhood profiles. His immersive reporting style captured both Michelin-starred chefs and street food vendors, mapping gastronomic trends to urban regeneration projects.
Binns consistently covers the intersection of public funding and community arts initiatives. Successful pitches should highlight measurable outcomes like employment figures or footfall increases. For example, his analysis of Manchester's Factory International venue demonstrated particular interest in sustainable cultural ecosystems over one-off events[1][10].
In his GOV.UK role, Binns prioritizes case studies about accessible government communications. Recent work includes optimizing emergency alerts systems and simplifying legal jargon in public consultations[4]. Pitches should focus on user experience metrics rather than purely technological specs.
Having publicly discussed his mental health journey, Binns seeks stories about institutional support systems rather than individual struggles[4][6]. Successful angles examine employer policies, insurance frameworks, or union-led wellness programs in media sectors.
Recognized for redesigning GOV.UK's Brexit guidance portal, which achieved 89% user satisfaction during policy transition periods. The judging panel noted Binns' innovative use of interactive flowcharts to simplify complex regulatory changes.
This accolade from Mind UK honored Binns' leadership in LADbible's #MindYourHead campaign, which increased young men's mental health service usage by 22% through meme-based outreach strategies[6].
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Culture, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
