In the financial services context, what sets apart those subject matter experts who succeed in becoming regular resources to the media? In our experience, it isn’t just the size of the firm and the renown of its brand. While those factors may help, our observation is that the reputation for expertise derives from a few key factors: Original content, [...]
I have been lamenting recent changes to the print edition of the Wall Street Journal. In November, the paper eliminated the Personal Journal section, and now the paper is down to just two sections on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This isn’t the first time. I’ve been reading the Wall Street Journal in print daily since joining the financial services [...]
In a previous post, I offered suggestions about headline writing when preparing content for financial advisor audiences. That same content—investment commentary, market research, policy updates, and more—is just as valuable to journalists as they frame stories and identify new sources. Therefore, it’s helpful to keep journalists in mind when crafting content, including headlines—which are critically important to attracting interest. [...]
Some investment firms serve predominantly U.S.-based clients but the actual nature of their business focuses on selecting, researching, or transacting investment opportunities in other countries. It can be helpful to find media opportunities in both the U.S. and overseas. U.S.-based financial media can reach these firms’ clients, while local media overseas can reach their business partners and potential investment [...]
There are more opportunities than ever to get your content onto a wide array of blogs, Web sites and publications. Though there are numerous options, editors are most often the ones who determine what gets posted or published, especially at the most desirable publications. So you’ll need to know what they are looking for and meet their expectations in [...]
In our experience, most journalists prefer e-mail pitches to phone calls. But reporters are inundated with e-mails—making it a challenge to get your e-mail pitch read. Alyson Shontell at Business Insider advises PR professionals to “accept that most of your e-mails get deleted instantly” without ever being opened. Her list of what goes straight to the trash includes unknown [...]
Thoughts on Handling Sensitive News and Information Many in our industry are following recent news that several business wire services including Business Wire, PR Newswire and Marketwired were hacked by an insider trading ring seeking to profit from non-public information. Federal investigators allege the hacking ring pocketed more than $100 million from illicit trades over a five-year period by [...]
The words “no comment” have a bad reputation. For many, the words mean “guilty.” When you say “no comment,” a reporter immediately gets suspicious. “Why can’t she comment? Is there a legal reason? Maybe there is a lawsuit? A pending deal?” Neurons in the reporter’s brain begin to spin. Yet the reality is there are a lot of topics [...]
In the communications field, we regularly “pitch” story topics and experts to journalists. Not every pitch is successful, but we’ve learned a few things that can increase the odds of success. Having the right mindset about that process helps—for both client and journalist. Here are four tips that can help you achieve success: Offer something of genuine value. It’s [...]
As hard as people try to predict performance, it is very difficult to do. For that matter, even looking backward can be tricky. For example, industry experts sometimes disagree on how best to interpret past performance and risk data for the purpose of evaluating future possibilities. In an article late last year, Advisor Perspectives editor Robert Huebscher concluded that [...]
