All businesses occupy a perch. By that I mean the manner in which their business operates throws off data that sheds light on their industry, competitors, suppliers or customers. Here’s some examples:
- The number of times men click the profiles of fair-haired women on match.com answers the question whether or not gentleman do prefer blonds. Similarly knowing how beards fare in the digital romance ecosystem might offer a clue about how long the current trend in facial hair is going to last.
- The average cash balances of a wealth manager’s clients over time sheds light on whether investors are growing more conservative or more speculative.
- The ratio of top-offs for premium versus regular gasoline offers insights about how confident consumers are feeling and how sensitive they are to price changes.
If you want more coverage, your success probably lies in feature, not spot news coverage, which focuses on what is happening at that moment.
Feature news tends to step back and take a more strategic look how companies, economies and countries are rising and falling in response to changing trends or events. This is where having a perch works. Because if you have a point of view and some evidence to back up your thoughts on prevailing trends, reporters want to talk to you.
As an aside, there are opportunities for ‘expose’ type coverage, where the article focuses on individuals or companies simply because of who they are or what they are doing. These opportunities exist, but as a percent of the total news hole, they’re much rarer, and the ‘yield’ that can be earned from them may not be worth the effort.
If you want more consistent coverage by the vetted media use your perch, start counting your data and start talking.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Other Topics
Entrepreneurs
David Evanson
David R. Evanson has more than 30 years working in the media, on Wall Street and in media relations. He has worked with investment banks, asset managers, private equity investors and institutional brokers on a variety of marketing and communications challenges. David is also a recognized financial writer, having authored five books on finance and economics, and articles in Barron’s, Forbes, Investment Dealers’ Digest, On Wall Street, Financial Planning and Entrepreneur, among others. David brings to the table a well-developed understanding of the capital markets, investments and corporate finance, and a talent for creating targeted media communications programs for financial services providers.
Read David's Bio