Engaging with the financial media for the first time can be confusing, the journalists’ drivers and objectives are quite different to other media and they will expect you to be able to give them detailed numbers for the stories.
Handling the financial communications on behalf of your organisation requires a considered approach, and being able to clearly communicate financial knowledge and understanding is paramount. A good communications strategy will help build trust and credibility, as well as boost a company’s reputation to increase potential interest from investors.
We understand how challenging this area of media relations can be, so our financial training team has collated these top tips for communicating effectively with the financial media:
- Know the numbers – unsurprisingly the financial and business media will have more of a focus on this area, so you need to make sure you can answer the questions.
- Remember the audience – with this platform it’s likely that you are communicating to shareholders, clients or similar stakeholders – make sure you tailor your messages accordingly.
- Beware of jargon – the Financial Times journalists and audience are likely to be more used to financial or industry jargon but if in doubt, spell out what you mean in simple terms.
- Packaging – unless it’s well put together with newsworthy messages and evidence to back them up, your story probably won’t make the cut. Remember that you’ll have more time to explain your story in a Financial Times interview, but you might only have 45 seconds on CNBC or Bloomberg.
- Contacts – carry out research (and/or talk to PR advisors) to find out which specific journalists cover your industry or market – a blanket approach rarely works with the media.
- Relationships – they take time to build, but a journalist who knows you is far more likely to pick up the phone when you have a story.
- Be sympathetic – the journalists are under pressure and under-resourced – even a Financial Times journalists might be required to cover a few areas or industries – by helping them, you will be helping yourself.
- Opportunity – the interview is as much yours as it is the journalist’s – don’t just answer their questions, make sure you, and your brand, get something out of it too.
- Learn from others – assess how other spokespeople manage and answer questions in interviews – do they look in control and do they get their message across?
- Competition – don’t forget how many other potential news sources you are up against (e.g. peers, bankers, brokers, regulators), you may have to work hard to get heard but keep assessing your performance and improving your skills and you’ll see progress.
- Practice – make sure you have a dress rehearsal, either in training or with colleagues, before a print or broadcast interview; this will help your argument flow and will give you confidence.
Next Steps:
Now it’s over to you to make sure you are ready to face the financial media by preparing and practicing using our top tips.
If you would like more help and guidance in this area or you have a team who may benefit from this training, we offer financial media training courses which are tailored around you and the specific financial and business media you want to connect with, whether it’s trades, nationals or TV and radio. The training can be run for those who are new to media relations or those who are keen to brush up their skills or even practice new key messages.
If you have any questions, or would like to find out more about our financial media training courses, please get in touch.