Guidelines for ensuring your Press Club continues to prosper.
These notes have been compiled using the experiences that successful Press Clubs have employed over the past 10 years.
Not every Club will operate in precisely the same way but there are certain key points that will be applicable to the majority of Clubs.
- Ensure that the Club is meeting the goals you originally set out to achieve. Remember that the majority of your new business comes via your existing client bank and the Press Club article and photograph is one of the strongest PR tools you have too raise awareness amongst your existing clients. Most Clubs recognise that their articles should promote the panel of IFAs supporting the campaign as opposed to individual company promotion.
- Remember the audience you are writing for, they will be a mix of ABC1 readers and highly technical pieces full of financial jargon will quickly ensure they turn over the page. The Case Study remains one of the most powerful means of getting a point across. Most importantly never tire of telling the reader you are an IFA and what this means. Continue to use the Blue £ sign IFAP logo it is another vital ingredient of your page. Think how the page will appeal to the reader, using a theme for say three articles may be a good idea on occasions but having a series of different topics can give the page broader appeal. The choice of headline is another important area, far better to create your own headline than leave it to the paper to try and interpret your message.
- Do not assume you can leave the paper to set out or change your article and create sub headings where needed. Whilst they are experts in presentation and layout they will not understand the intricacies of Personal Finance and Regulatory requirements. Ensure you have an agreement with the paper that dictates where the regular feature will appear in the publication and on what day. Don’t forget to ensure that the all encompassing Regulatory wording IFAP has developed continues to appear.
- Communication is one of the key factors of running a successful Club. Members need to know what the scheduled dates for publication and copy deadline are, who is writing the articles and what topics have been agreed. Ideally a member coordinator should be appointed each month to ensure the programme is achieved. In addition those members who find it difficult to get to the regular Club meeting must be given opportunities to write and encouraged to indicate those topics they would prefer to write on. A simple e mail communication following the meeting will ensure everyone is in the picture.
- Regular review and planning meetings should be held, successful groups tend to meet every 3 months thus ensuring that errors do not creep in and that the page continues to represent the style you want to create. Ensure that matters agreed at a previous meeting have been carried out, failure to get problems sorted will lead to dissatisfied members who will simply vote with their feet and leave.
- Members should have a clear understanding with their host newspaper what the ground rules of the campaign are. Is it for a fixed period, typically 12 months with an agreement between members that all participants are tied in to the campaign for that period and at the end of this the campaign is renegotiated. Alternatively the campaign may be on going but members wishing to leave must give a minimum of 3 months notice. This allows for recruitment to be carried out if necessary. Take sufficient care in any negotiations re the price to be paid. All clubs enjoy a considerable discount from what is known as the Card Rate. The majority of newspapers appreciate the Club column and regard it as something that benefits their readers and will try hard to retain the campaign. The paper must give an undertaking that copy will not be changed or articles cut without prior discussion with the writer.
- The most successful Clubs have created a simple structure with Chairman, and Secretary, these jobs being passed round members on a yearly basis. This ensures that the paper and members have one point of contact when for instance copy is late arriving or there is a need to change topics due to newsworthy items arising.
- Never underestimate the power of the Snippet, members frequently comment on the number of enquiries they have received following publication of a simple 50 word note.
- In those instances where the Club enjoys a good relationship with the editorial team at the paper try to get the appropriate writer to join members for a few minutes during the regular Press Club meeting. Opportunities to provide comment or even a small article on current financial news stories provide another superb platform to reach potential clients.
- Remember the huge reservoir of Information, Research, Press Releases, Articles, Case Studies and fact sheets that are available on the IFAP website. By browsing the www.unbiased.co.uk website members will be able to have access to a host of invaluable material often specifically dealing with trends within their own region, by scrolling through to the Regional section. This site will be especially useful for those members who are in regular contact with financial journalists or write a regular editorial column. It will also ensure that members are aware of the campaigns that IFAP are currently running.
