concrete tips on attracting the media’s attention.
by sandi leyva
the complete guide to marketing for tax & accounting firms
as a marketing channel, public relations is one of my personal favorites. it includes getting mentioned in news or trade media and publications, having an article you wrote published or reprinted, applying for and winning awards, or otherwise being in the public eye for one reason or another.
more small firm growth strategies: make newsletters work for you | technical aspects of video and youtube | social media basics for accounting firms | how to maximize online profile sites
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when i started a photography studio several years ago, i sent sample photos of my work along with a letter explaining my business to several news outlets. it was july, and in august, the sunday magazine supplement to the dallas morning news picked up the story and published my samples. they were portraits of cats and dogs, and my phone rang for days. within a week, i was booked through christmas, and my business broke even a year ahead of time because of that one piece of publicity.
a little more recently, i served on the board of directors of a nonprofit and became their pr chair. that’s how i learned to do news releases. i submitted event notices to local papers and was always able to get my event listed so that our attendance was strong.
today, it’s a little tougher to cut through all the noise of the internet, social media and news outlets. but publicity is still a fabulous way to build trust and develop your reputation as an expert. it can really make a difference in your accounting practice because so few accountants know anything about this channel. the trick is – as with all marketing – to go where your clients and prospects already are hanging out.
are you newsworthy?
start by checking out your local newspaper to see what sections they have to offer. some have:
- a calendar section for when you host or speak at an event
- people in the news for when you hire, win an award, or get elected to a nonprofit or government position
- a photo section where you can send in photos of events you’ve participated in
it’s easy to take advantage of these routine items once you get organized. at the bottom of these sections, there is usually a blurb that tells you where to send your news and by what deadline. just add this to your internal procedures so that it becomes a part of your routine.
for example, on your new hire procedures or employee onboarding, add a checklist item to write a news release mentioning your team’s expansion. or within your event setup procedures, include sending an email with your event information to the news outlets you have collected information on.
you can use social media as a sort of news outlet as well. while it’s a form of social pr, it still works. for example, when we hold complimentary promotional webinars, we create an event on facebook and invite all my facebook friends. we don’t do it very often, and if people get bugged, they can unfriend me if they want to. you can also selectively invite your friends, or choose not to invite anyone if you are uncomfortable with this. because we also give free cpe, i think more people are tolerant than not.
you can also write a news release or send the media a message for the following occasions that occur in your business:
- getting a book published
- giving a speech at a conference
- volunteer work
- april 15th
- winning awards
- tax law changes
- new software release
- becoming an officer, director or committee member of an organization
- making a staffing change
- rolling out a new service or product
news releases are a little old-fashioned, but some news outlets still take them, so here’s a sample. put this on letterhead. use the format below, double-space and keep it to one or two pages maximum. end with a small paragraph about your business.
news release sample
for immediate release
contact: jane jones, 999-999-9999 (your cell phone – you need to be available to respond to reporters’ tight deadlines), youremail@yourdomain.com
title that grabs attention, such as
business owners spend less time on accounting with new system
abc accounting helps homeless
abc accounting announces new staff
a new accounting system called xero is getting the attention of small business owners. it’s an alternative to quickbooks for very small businesses, service businesses and businesses that only need accounting to comply with tax return recordkeeping. the good news is it can cut your accounting time and costs significantly.
xero’s secret is its bank feeds. it eliminates costly data entry (which is boring even to accountants!). xero is part of a growing type of accounting system called cloud accounting, where access is available online anytime, and is great for collaboration. it’s highly secure and uses the same encryption required by health care professionals to keep your data safe.
abc accounting staff jane jones is certified as a xero advisor, which enables her to provide technical expertise as well as discounts to small business owners on the software. anyone interested in xero can register to receive a complimentary report, “10 money-saving secrets about the new xero accounting system.” sign up at www.abcaccounting.com/xero
abc accounting helps small business owners streamline their accounting tasks so they can get back to business faster. we offer bookkeeping, payroll, quickbooks and xero consulting, and tax return preparation to small service-based businesses in the plano, texas area. our website is www.abcaccounting.com.
[editor’s note: we have three clients ready to interview who have just installed xero.]
distributing your news release
first, post the news release on your website and/or blog. it’s really simple to add a web page, and what we do is have a page called press. we list not only news releases, but we also list news clippings, which is where you get your name in the paper or an article published, or something similar. see some samples:
- http://accountantsaccelerator.com/about/press/
- http://accountingvcon.com/press/
then you’ll also want to send it to as many news outlets as you have time to send it to. a good way to get organized is to make a list and add to it when you have a chance. when you send your news release, send it via email and paste it in the email or attach it as a pdf. never attach it as a word file because most reporters will not open them because of the risk of viruses.
you can also get it widely distributed through an actual newswire, however there is a cost. websites like the following provide this service:
- prweb.com
- prnewswire.com
each release will cost from $80 to $200 or more depending on your distribution options.
developing your own media list
in the long term, it makes the most sense to develop your own media list of reporters who write on your topic or business in general. you can begin to develop relationships with those reporters so that you can become a constant source of expert information for them. and initially, you can get the research done by a student majoring in pr.
to get started making your own media list, you’ll want to figure out what papers, blogs, radio stations, magazines and other news outlets your prospects are reading. then look at what reporters are covering stories that cover your expertise. add those reporters to your list. track name, email, topic and news outlet to build your list.
getting the call
interviewing effectively with the media requires a special type of skill. if you need to develop this skill, consider hiring a media consultant who can help you become media-savvy. here are some quick tips:
- memorize some sound bites that you can give to the reporter. they love that.
- each medium requires its own timing. in tv, you have about 10-20 seconds to answer. in radio, you have 1-2 minutes. and so on. if you don’t know, ask before doing your interview.
- think about what’s in it for the viewer and the reporter, and keep everything in that frame.
- be prepared. anticipate questions and be ready with a thoughtful answer.
- understand the rules. you might be “live” on a call or you might be able to be recorded, where they can edit mistakes before they air. know the difference.
- everything you say is on the record. think before you speak. don’t say anything you wouldn’t want etched in stone for the next thousand years or you will regret this whole process.
keeping your business name in the media will help people remember you when they need your services. another way you can do it is by writing and submitting articles.
articles
sometimes when you send a full article or a tips sheet, a reporter will get an idea that it will make a good spot on the news. especially if you tie it to current news, you will likely get attention.
offer articles that give advice, such as five tips to organize your bookkeeping or three tips to save on taxes.
we have agreements with a few editors within the accounting industry. and although intuit pays us to write articles for them, occasionally, we send them an article to publish for free. we also have informal arrangements with:
- 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间, which has republished dozens of our articles from our newsletter
- the sleeter group blog, quickbooks and beyond
i suggest you write three to six articles on spec (which means on your own time and dime), and then offer them to these publications. at the least, you’ll have copy for your own newsletter and blog.
becoming known as an expert
reporters are always looking for an expert’s view. when a plane crashes, they call the pilots they know. when there is a political scandal, they call in the political commentators. and when there is news around accounting, business and taxes, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t call you. all you need to do is get in their rolodex.
at first, you may have to get a little creative to get their attention. i’ve heard of book authors who sent reporters their book along with some doodad gift that helped them stand out from the crowd. i wouldn’t recommend a singing telegram, but i would recommend something unusual that is tied to what you do.
for example, accountants could send a bottle of red ink with a note of 10 tips to avoid losses in this recession. they would look at this as a story idea. then be available for an interview, have some catchy sound bites ready and turn around their questions fast.
better yet, work the leads that come in from reporters who need story help now. subscribe to haro, help a reporter out. although there are packages available, you can also subscribe for free to try it out: http://www.helpareporter.com/
consider advertising in the yearbook of experts, authorities, and spokespersons (www.expertclick.com), used by thousands of media personnel looking for people to interview.
consider also becoming a radio show guest, a teleseminar guest and a guest columnist for a blog or newsletter. all of these add to your news mentions and boost your credibility.
news tie-in
it’s very important that you tie your ideas in with a current news story. you can have fun with it. if a celebrity screwed up on their estate planning or avoided filing taxes, you can make a comment about it. if a large company goes bankrupt, you can give your ideas and tie it to avoiding financial problems.
current events that are hot right now and will be through tax season:
- the affordable care act and what it means for individuals and businesses
- how many days you work for the government each year before you begin to take home money – it’s around april 15th, by coincidence
- sales tax nexus
even though it’s not hot, it’s controversial:
- the ongoing marriage penalty in taxes
- the state of small business borrowing
- is it ok to go paperless?
- privacy of financial information – ties in with nsa controversies
try these ideas as well as your own local stories and ideas to get the attention of the media.