Your market strategists and rockstar portfolio managers frequently get to New York where many in the financial media live and work. Taking advantage of their travel to make introductions to key reporters can be a great use of time. While getting busy investment pros to meet with journalists or do in-studio broadcast interviews can be a heavy lift, we think it is a smart investment that can build relationships and generate meaningful coverage immediately and in the months to come. 

For a few years during and after the pandemic, fewer reporters were in the city or willing to meet in person. While a number of our friends in the media have left the city and now work remotely, a critical mass of journalists continue to live and work in Gotham. It remains a media hub, especially for investment professionals. 

Speaking from years of experience taking numerous investment pros on the road, we know that the logistics of media trips can be hard, and the prep work is time–consuming. Here are a few insights to help smooth the way and get the most out of a New York media tour. 

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Advance prep 

If you plan to invest the time and money in a trip, make sure to prepare to get the most out of every meeting:

  • Start by reviewing your core messaging (see this post on the message triangle).
  • Assemble detailed background on the reporters you will be meeting with.   
  • Plan to bring something fresh to each meeting.
  • Identify topics to focus on that are unique or actionable. You want to make sure your spokesperson stands out among the crowd trying to get reporters’ attention. 

Logistics 

Think strategically about the location of each meeting to bunch together interviews and reduce travel time. If you are visiting with the Wall Street Journal, schedule time before or after with Barron’s or MarketWatch in the same building.  If you are on Bloomberg TV, call on Bloomberg wire or Bloomberg BusinessWeek reporters while you are in the building.  If you have meetings downtown in the financial district, schedule them early or late in the day. To be safe, allow at least 45 minutes for a taxi or rideshare—or better yet, take the subway, which New Yorkers know is the fastest way to get around during business hours. 

If you are scheduling multiple interviews, allow enough time between meetings. In fact, plan for meetings to run long. While it is often possible to walk between meetings in Manhattan, a little bit of snow or rain will make it tough to schlep around, so dress accordingly and build in extra time if you are braving the elements. 

Spokespeople are busy and often schedule interviews over the course of a day or two while around other meetings. We’d urge caution on this. If you begin with an early morning broadcast session and schedule additional interviews throughout the day between client or prospect meetings, at some point it becomes ineffective—or worse—counterproductive.  

It’s important to build in breaks and be realistic about the number of meetings and interviews an investment pro can take and still stay sharp. Alternatively, encourage them to tack on an extra day reserved just for media meetings. 

Be realistic about the number of meetings and interviews an investment pro can take and still stay sharp.

Many of the highly watched or listened to broadcast opportunities are either early in the day or at market close. Schedule your other meetings for late morning or early afternoon to protect the beginning of the day, midday or market close for broadcast interviews. 

While you may have several weeks to plan, invariably schedules won’t come together until the last minute. TV interviews, in particular, are hard to schedule more than a week out given the breaking news nature of broadcast media. And it isn’t uncommon for interviews to be bumped when the Treasury Secretary makes an unexpected announcement or a major corporation defaults. Don’t take it personally.  

If your spokesperson gives you short notice about a trip, that can sometimes work to your advantage. Check in with a few key contacts or broadcast venues and you may be able to slot in a last minute meeting or two. 

Day-of details 

Early morning TV producers often send a car to pick up guests on CNBC or Bloomberg TV. That said, scheduling a hotel close to CNBC’s Times Square or New Jersey studios or near 57th and Park for Bloomberg TV can save precious morning time. 6ET in studios is hard enough for easterners but can be particularly hard for those accustomed to Mountain or Pacific Time.

Early morning TV guests should also try to get a good night’s sleep to wake up sharp. Studios often have food available in their green rooms, so grab a light snack and coffee to keep energy high and focused.

If you’ve scheduled broadcast interviews later in the day, think carefully about walking between meetings if it is very hot, raining or even snowing. Arriving weather-beaten is not a good look.   

Show up 20-30 minutes early for broadcast interviews to get mic-ed up. It’s best not to be in a rush. Extra time allows interview subjects to collect their thoughts; rushing in at the last minute can make it harder to think clearly.

If you secure a live TV interview, be sure to notify the team back home of the expected date and time of the broadcast. In addition to watching themselves, the sales team may want to notify key prospects to tune in. The digital marketing team will want to monitor for an uptick in activity on the website or heightened searches for the firm or relevant products/tickers.  

Be sure to notify the team back home of the expected date and time of the broadcast.

Many of the highly watched or listened to broadcast opportunities are either early in the day or at market close. Schedule your other meetings for late morning or early afternoon to protect the beginning of the day, midday or market close for broadcast interviews. 

While you may have several weeks to plan, invariably schedules won’t come together until the last minute. TV interviews, in particular, are hard to schedule more than a week out given the breaking news nature of broadcast media. And it isn’t uncommon for interviews to be bumped when the Treasury Secretary makes an unexpected announcement or a major corporation defaults. Don’t take it personally.  

If your spokesperson gives you short notice about a trip, that can sometimes work to your advantage. Check in with a few key contacts or broadcast venues and you may be able to slot in a last minute meeting or two. 

Day-of details 

Early morning TV producers often send a car to pick up guests on CNBC or Bloomberg TV. That said, scheduling a hotel close to CNBC’s Times Square or New Jersey studios or near 57th and Park for Bloomberg TV can save precious morning time. 6ET in studios is hard enough for easterners but can be particularly hard for those accustomed to Mountain or Pacific Time.

Early morning TV guests should also try to get a good night’s sleep to wake up sharp. Studios often have food available in their green rooms, so grab a light snack and coffee to keep energy high and focused.

If you’ve scheduled broadcast interviews later in the day, think carefully about walking between meetings if it is very hot, raining or even snowing. Arriving weather-beaten is not a good look.   

Show up 20-30 minutes early for broadcast interviews to get mic-ed up. It’s best not to be in a rush. Extra time allows interview subjects to collect their thoughts; rushing in at the last minute can make it harder to think clearly.

If you secure a live TV interview, be sure to notify the team back home of the expected date and time of the broadcast. In addition to watching themselves, the sales team may want to notify key prospects to tune in. The digital marketing team will want to monitor for an uptick in activity on the website or heightened searches for the firm or relevant products/tickers.  

Turn off phones before any interview. And leave them in a briefcase. 

Most media organizations require you to register. Bring photo identification and allow a few extra minutes. Don’t forget your business cards, if you use them, and bring along a recent report or background information to leave behind.

After your trip 

Do a recap of your media meetings once you return home for both your spokesperson and the full marketing team to show what was accomplished. Some meetings result in immediate coverage, but others are more introductory in nature. It may take a few days or even months for a reporter to circle back to write about a subject your expert discussed.  

Follow up and thank everyone who made time to meet. Share copies of any additional reports or content that was discussed in the meeting. Make note of reporters’ specific areas of interest. Be sure to follow up on those topics when relevant information becomes available.   

While it feels like a lot, in our experience making the time for a road trip for in-person meetings and interviews is one of the most productive ways to generate exposure for key spokespeople at major financial news organizations. These meetings are worth the time as they will help you build media relationships that should lead to future stories.