Also, talk in sound bites. If you can’t say it in a sentence or two, your quote will either not appear, or only part of it will appear, and the part that appears might not be the part you wanted to appear.
Keep in mind that the media are in the entertainment business as much as in the information business. Being smart and correct are great, but being boring isn’t. So make sure you are definitive, animated, dynamic and specific. Don’t be vague or talk in generalities. And don’t be self-promotional, either. Not only won’t such statements be used, but the reporters will never call you again.
Finally, whatever you say to a reporter, make sure you’re right. If you’re not certain about what you’re thinking of saying, don’t say it. Thanks to the internet, anything you say will be out there forever.
Three more points:
1. Be prepared to be misquoted. It’s annoying and frustrating, but it’s bound to happen. Usually, it’s inadvertent, and when you bring it to reporters’ attention, they’re usually willing to correct the error (although corrections rarely get equal play to the original).
2. Understand that you might become a target, especially when you say something provocative. Your competitors will target you, for example, so develop a thick skin. You might also be painting a bull’s-eye on your back, inviting regulators to check you out. After all, if you make public statements that are promissory, contain performance claims that aren’t true, etc., the SEC and Finra will hold you accountable. (No wonder so many advisors choose to say nothing.)
3. Make certain that any message you create and deliver to the media is as professional as you want to be perceived. Disparaging others can hurt you when they counterattack.
Working with the media can take a lot of time and effort, and it might be a long time, if ever, before you see tangible results. Having one quote embedded in a thousand-word story isn’t going to cause people to call you.
But being quoted regularly, with your photo included in the story, and adding social media promotion, can eventually increase your profile, enough so that people will, in the end, get to know you. And that’s what counts.
Ric Edelman, chairman and CEO of Edelman Financial Services LLC, a registered investment advisor, is an investment advisor representative who offers advisory services through EFS and is a registered representative and registered principal of, and offers securities through, EF Legacy Securities, LLC, an affiliated broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. You can connect with him on LinkedIn or on Facebook at facebook.com/RicEdelman. Follow him on Twitter at @RicEdelman.