Wealth Management Marketing's Blog: Presented by Kristen Luke

This is a guest post from Amy E. Buttell, a freelance writer in Erie, Pennsylvania. In this second post following her article Six Tips to Work Better with Reporters, Amy provides further insight into the mind of a reporter and shares tips on how advisors can improve their chances of being quoted in a story.

I’m a reporter. I’ve got a story. You’re a potential source – emphasis on potential. Somehow, I found you. Or you found me. For me, the objective is to find the most informed, articulate sources who can add value to said article for my readers and my editor. For you, the objective is to win the appear-in-my-story sweepstakes. I’m here to tell you how to boost the odds.

1. Have expertise. First of all, you’ve got to bring significant expertise to the table. Honestly, if your new book on How To Make $1 Million Today! just hit the New York Times bestseller list, I don’t care, unless my story deals with tips about how to make a million dollars. You need knowledge of and experience with the topic of my story and it helps if you tell me where it comes from. On your website, specifically list your areas of expertise and where you’ve been published or spoken and link to your blog, if you have one. If I’m writing about, say, Roth IRA conversions, and you tell me – or make it easy for me to find out – that you’re a CPA and CFP who has helped X number of clients navigate the conversion process and who has published an article in Roth IRA Weekly about it, I’m listening.

2. Be specific. Okay, you’ve got my attention. Now tell me what sets you apart from the 500 other experts on the topic. Spend five minutes of your valuable time thinking about the topic of my story and what you know that you haven’t seen published about it 5,000 times already. Or what an expert such as you would likely know that could help my readers that I likely don’t know. Or, how your experience makes you more credible than everyone else. Hint – this is where having a book, published articles or speaking experience specifically related to my story topic helps. Then write it down in an e-mail to me and hit send.

3. Skip the puff. Yeah, you’ve been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Warren Buffett calls you every week to chat. Doesn’t matter and won’t make a difference. Oh, and you graduated top in your class from Harvard Business School and Fortune Magazine picked you as one of the top 100 Financial Advisors in the Universe. Are you still talking? Because I’m not listening anymore.

4. Make it easy to find you. Number one, have a website. That’s so basic, I shouldn’t even have to say it, but it happens. If I go to said website and find a generic “Contact Us” form to fill out, I am not going to be happy. What, you want to make it as hard as possible for potential clients, reporters like me and the Nobel Prize Committee to reach you? Think about it! So drop the form, and while you’re at it, plaster your phone number and e-mail address all over your site. Yes, your actual, real e-mail address – one that you check regularly – not info@genericcfp.com. I’m more likely to get in touch if I think my e-mail will reach you instead of going into some cyber black hole. And if I call you, please don’t have your receptionist give me the third degree like I’m a vacuum cleaner sales person who is trying to swindle you out of your last dime.

5. Act interested. When I e-mail or call you, or your PR person, at least pretend to be interested. Especially if it was you, or your PR guy or gal, who found me. If I have to have to repeatedly follow up to get said interview set up, I’m not going to be in a good mood. It makes me think that you don’t really want to talk to me or I’m low on your priority list, which more than likely means I move onto someone else. And don’t get back to me two weeks after I got in touch, because at that point the story is already written and the interview ship has sailed. Unless you’re Warren Buffett. But you’re not – and we both know that.

6. Be there when I call. But you already know that, because we already talked about it in Six Tips to Work Better with Reporters.

About Amy E. Buttell

Amy E. Buttell is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Journal of Financial Planning, FPA’s Practice Management Solutions, Better Investing Magazine, SavingforCollege.com and many other publications and websites. Her book, Personal Investing: The Missing Manual, co-authored with Bonnie Biafore and Carol Fabbri, will be published in May. She lives in Erie, PA. Her online home is at www.amybuttell.com and you can find her on Twitter at twitter.com/lecreative.

About Kristen Luke

Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for Registered Investment Advisors. Kristen works with individual advisors and firms to develop effective marketing plans and provides the back office support required to implement the strategies. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.