Financial planners, the first thing to know about reporters is this: they are busy. Often, they are too busy to read a press release, too busy to wait for you to call back, too busy to find the "best" resource. This leads to three tips for marketing-minded financial planners. When a reporter calls move quickly A reporter calls you. Great! Now what? Just remember this tip: media people rate you as a resource on strange criteria, such as how fast you call them back. If you dont call swiftly enough, theyll quote someone else. Media time is not like regular time: for them, three hours is not a quick callback. Its an eternity. And probably for you, its a missed opportunity. As youre following the media, ask yourself new questions Examples of questions to ponder regularly: Why did they quote that expert? Look on their web site to see if they have any publicity materials you can review. Which reporters seem to cover my topics? Start a list of reporters and media that cover your topic regularly. Youre going to become friends with them before long. Dont build your publicity campaign solely around press releases Dont rely on press releases to build your PR campaign. Reporters get 30 of em a day and toss most. (Repeat after me: Most press releases get tossed.) Instead, build relationships and send useful information in other forms. |
