positive media coverage helps build your brand a scenario we’ve seen play out time and again throughout our nationwide network of rias it works because it establishes credibility around your financial advisory business while providing a ready supply of talking points for engagement with clients prospects and potential ma partners media coverage also has real staying power thanks to social media outlets like linkedin and twitter—in addition to your website newsletters and hardcopy brochures—its effects last well past initial publication meanwhile we are seeing more national business press trade publications and regional business journals telling more wealth management stories than ever before reflecting a burgeoning awareness among consumers of the need for sound investing strategies and dynamic financial planning although it can take several attempts to get a reporter to write a story about your practice the return on investment is much better than an ad buy that said there’s risk involved in having contact with the media for example one wealth management executive we know bragged to a reporter about how much money an investor paid for an equity position in his firm when these quotes were included in an industry article the executive ended up doing damage control when the investment firm got wind of his inappropriate victory lap we also know of a breakaway broker who badmouthed his former firm in a media interview changing the focus of the article from the prospects for his new firm to complaints about his old one—a real missed opportunity to forestall such blunders some firms engage a public relations agency which pitches stories to appropriate outlets and coaches advisors and executives on interview dos and don’ts for firms that don’t go this route the following tips are meant to mitigate the challenges of courting media attention while maximizing favorable attention from editors and readers alike deliver a “newsy” angle one advisor we know wanted to talk about financial planning for his firm’s businessowner clients this angle while valid lacked the appeal needed to engage the broader audience the article was aimed at it was a remark he dropped in passing—about how his businessowner clients were neglecting succession planning during the coronavirus pandemic—that ended up taking center stage in the writeup and that elevated the quality of the coverage for the featured ria it let the reporter inject a note of genuine topicality into the article while casting the advisor’s original topic in a more urgent light have a news hook this is a specific peg on which to hang the interest of the publication’s readers suitable hooks include inhouse or industry milestones holidays current news tieins and compelling trends that provide the kind of “news you can use” journalists love one advisor described to a reporter how he worked with his clients on charitable donations to local families wrestling with getting access to wifi for their children during remote learning—a topic that was in the local news that provided the link to a related charity as the news hook sometimes also with newsy angles the hook can end up being offtopic to the agreedupon topic of the interview share your expertise give the reporter your views on financial and economic trends provided you don’t betray confidentiality discuss what your clients are interested in or worried about journalists generally perceive highnetworth investors—especially those advised by boutique rias—as smartmoney players a heartland advisor in our network who works with frontline healthcare executives was asked how these clients were coping with the pandemic the advisor replied that many wanted to explore downsizing strategies since they planned to secure less stressful positions once the pandemic was over the resulting article underlined her expertise in positive ways emphasize “color” in interviews brighten your story by sharing anecdotes industry statistics and telling details a san francisco advisor garnered a positive mention in an article after telling a reporter in passing about working with vineyard owners in california’s napa region a northeast advisor generated new leads after he told a journalist that he specialized in helping fastfood franchisees and could discuss pl statements and inventory guidelines for individual stores avoid platitudes and blatant selfpromotion most firms say they do “holistic wealth management” and the like so it’s not really a point of differentiation likewise promotional or sales material is of little interest to a reporter save that for the publication’s advertising department not the news section you can still tell your story but sometimes you’re better off backing into it for instance incidental to the agreedupon topic of the interview one advisor took a reporter through his painstaking efforts to make sure his office was disinfected before his staff returned after a lockdown this covid news hook gave the resulting article a topical spin and put the advisor in a favorable light advisors with media experience know the value of understanding what reporters want the better to showcase their strengths and at least by implication their differences from competitors the result is mutual benefit—the reporter gets a good story and the advisor gets positive mention interactions like this can also lead to subsequent coverage as an increasingly respected advisor becomes a “goto” source sally cates is a managing director and is responsible for public relations and communications for dynasty financial partners and the dynasty network of advisors she has designed and managed worldwide public relations programs previously she led global communications at citi private bank and smith barney