It is always exciting when a plan
comes together and no more so, than when the press pick-up on a press release,
which you despatched in hope, rather than expectation!
Talking to the press is always
fraught with apprehension. There is a natural tendency for the interviewee to
focus on his or her message without paying sufficient attention to the needs
and aspirations of the interviewer, whereas the interviewer will always have
their own objectives which may not always align with the aspirations of the
interviewee.
Where the interview is
strategically important, it would always be good advice to seek support from a
Public Relations professional and your Finance Director from FD eXcel will be able to introduce you to a PR consultancy,
from our vast network of associates. Where the interview is less strategic, the
interviewee should approach the event like they would an important
presentation, where the more that you have prepared, the more successful the
event. The most successful presentations address the interests of the audience
whilst allowing the presenter to make the points that he/she is endeavouring to
project.
In November, 2013 we launched FD
eXcel and engaged the services of Hayley, from
Nao Communications, a boutique PR agency with a background in both new and
established businesses. Not only did Hayley draft the press release, she
targeted a bespoke list of financial journalists as the first step in a
campaign designed to raise our profile and over a period of time attract some
editorial interest. Much to our surprise the press release was picked up by the
publication FT Adviser which is a Financial Times publication aimed at the IFA
marketplace.
Daniel Liberto, the reporter from
FT Adviser, was interested in what we were doing and was keen to understand how
our services fitted into the IFA market. He completed the interview, checked a
couple of details with Hayley and we held our breath as to whether it would be
published.
If you would like to read the
article it can be accessed at http://goo.gl/M0j4hK
and we will see where our next press release goes in January, when we announce
a new high profile recruit to FD eXcel.
