How to Land Media Interviews Surrounding Market Volatility (and Other Breaking News)
When Ongoing PR Efforts Pay Off for Advisors
Often times, media opportunities occur because of someone, typically a PR professional, actively working on behalf of a client to secure media interviews. And while this is the case more often than not, at a certain point, there comes a time when consistent PR efforts pay off in a big way.
When breaking news occurs, newsrooms must act quickly. Just like any industry, news outlets are competitive, and one of their top priorities is to deliver the highest quality story—first. When financial news breaks, reporters don’t want to spend the time searching for an expert resource. Spending time searching for a source can ruin their chances of publishing their story first and “beating” their competition. This is why members of the media often keep a Rolodex—or in more modern terms, an electronic contact list—updated with the top go-to experts in various fields. So, how do you establish yourself as one of those go-to experts for financial related topics?
The key is consistent, quality public relations efforts.
This doesn’t mean occasional PR where you reach out to the media only when you have a story to tell about your company. This also doesn’t mean blasting out generic story ideas to every contact at a particular outlet. Consistent PR means contacting the right members of the media month after month to stay top of mind. Additionally, quality PR means providing not just story ideas but also offering your insight on current news topics. This not only shows that you understand what the media is looking for, but it also informs them of the type of insight you can provide. The end result? Over time, the media will not only gain a better understanding of who you are and the type of insight you can cover, but you’ll also position yourself to be top-of-mind so that reporters and producers think of you and actually turn to you in times of breaking news.
To illustrate how this can work, here is a recent success story of a client:
On February 5, the DOW dropped 1175 points, resulting in the worst 1-day sell-off in history. A local CBS network in our client’s hometown contacted us in a frantic to cover this breaking news, not once, but twice for two separate programs. Then, a national network picked up one of the segments and aired it as well. The next day, the client’s local NBC affiliate reached out and interviewed him on the market volatility for a segment on their primetime news program. As the volatility continued throughout the week, he appeared again on the NBC affiliate, and as he was finishing up recording a live segment for their 4 p.m. program, another evening show producer grabbed him and asked him to interview for their 10 pm. show as well. In total, this advisor secured FIVE TV interviews in just four days.
You may be thinking this client was just lucky. Or maybe you’re wondering what exactly he’s been doing to secure himself as a sought-after media resource. The answer, just as I stated before, is consistent, quality PR efforts.
This client not only understands the value PR brings to his business, but he also understands that PR can’t simply be sporadic one-off efforts.
Month after month, we work with him to secure media opportunities in his local market. These five TV opportunities didn’t just happen because we reached out when the market dropped and offered him as a resource. Instead, several of these interviews occurred because he was already established as their go-to financial expert. We’ve worked on his behalf to offer his insight on timely related news events as well as pitch unique story ideas that cater to his expertise. Through these efforts, we’ve helped educate members of the media in his local area on the types of stories they should turn to call him. So, when the DOW dropped, they didn’t think “Who should we call to help explain why this market volatility occurred” but rather, they thought “We need to call him as soon as possible so we can set up an interview and get his expert insight.” This is a great example of how through consistent, quality PR efforts, the media will eventually keep you front of mind and come to you when financial news breaks.
To start building your media relationships and reoccurring public relations opportunities, learn more about our PR programs or contact AdvisorPR or give us a call at (866) 888-5333.
