Thoughts on Thought Leadership
Becoming a Credible Source for the Media
Public relations can be an extremely effective vehicle for generating demand for a firm’s services. However, we’re often struck by how many firms don’t take advantage of PR opportunities, which essentially amount to free exposure among their target markets.
Although there are several reasons why many firms don’t capitalize on PR, a particularly pervasive one is that they don’t make the time and effort necessary to build the relationship with key media contacts. Just as customers and clients prefer the “personal touch,” reporters and editors recoil at the “spray and pray” PR efforts of many companies that do little but litter their desks with glitzy media kits and over-designed marketing pieces that contain no news value whatsoever.
To truly leverage PR as part of an overall marketing communications strategy, professional services firms must establish themselves and their professionals as credible sources of valuable information—information that, if germane to a reporter’s “beat,” will be eagerly passed on to an audience hungry for new ideas and insights into the meaning of complex business issues. However, such credibility with the media is not established immediately; it builds over time. Three important steps can help firms build such credibility, and maintain it for years to come:
- Immediately set expectations with reporters for the type of expertise they can find in you or your firm. The last thing you want is for reporters to waste their time (and yours) calling you for comment on issues in which you have little or no expertise. Firms should provide media members with in-depth profiles of key professionals (including a listing of their areas of expertise), as well as copies of recent studies, articles, and research reports the firm has produced. This will help build an image of the firm and its professionals as thoughtful and content-rich, and will help the media understand on which industries or business topics the firm can provide expert commentary.
- Quickly respond to a request for comment or interview. Simply providing a list of experts is only a start. Being responsive to the media’s needs also is a key element of credibility. Reporters typically call when they are on deadline, and need input on a topic quickly to complete the story. Someone at the firm—be it a PR professional or the subject matter expert himself— should always return a reporter’s call, even if the deadline has passed by the time the call can be made, or if the reporter has called about a topic that is not within the firm’s purview. The reporter will appreciate knowing whether he or she should continuing calling in the future on certain issues. If you can’t knowledgeably comment on the issue the reporter is calling about—or can’t connect the reporter with someone who can—say as much so the reporter can move on quickly to another source. He will appreciate your honesty and not being strung along.
- Provide useful, newsworthy information in all interactions. Reporters have hectic schedules. Therefore, they appreciate sources that don’t waste their time. The quickest way to sour reporters on your or your firm is to send them “fluff ” pieces with no news value or arrange an interview with a person who has little to say or refuses to provide real examples to support key assertions (even if he or she is a high-level partner who craves the spotlight). Do send reporters informative white papers, research studies, survey reports, or by-lined articles that address their area of focus. Don’t send them brochures or sales pieces that are more appropriate for a trade show booth. When conducting an interview, avoid jargon and overtly promotional statements. Answer questions concisely and informatively, drawing on real-life examples whenever possible and offering to make calls on their behalf to other consultants or clients who may provide additional information. And if you don’t know the answer to a question, say so. Don’t try to bluff your way through it. Most reporters will be able to see through it pretty quickly and likely will cross you off the list for future calls.
Public relations can be an extremely cost-effective way to create awareness of your firm’s expertise among influential executives. Messages carried by the media as “news” are afforded a higher level of credibility among your prospects than messages in other marketing vehicles (e.g., advertisements, brochures, trade shows, etc.). An effective PR function is a necessity for every professional services firm in today’s competitive climate.