This year, over 50 countries face or have faced elections – and with tense leadership battles and policy debates in full swing, the media has kicked itself into fifth gear. The news agenda is hectic.
If you’re a member of the C-suite looking to generate coverage, these 24/7 news streams might put you off.
After all, among all the updates and speeches, the thought of even pitching the media could get too intimidating.
You might even be tempted to sack off a round of media engagement until the newsroom gets, or at least seems to get, less hectic.
But, actually, you should do quite the opposite.
While busy news agendas are challenging and hyper competitive, they give CEOs the opportunity to weigh in on important industry matters and contribute to sector-wide conversation.
These slots, whether an interview, quote or guest opinion piece, can really help build your profile in your industry and beyond.
At its core, CEO PR refers to the process of raising the profile of a company’s leadership.
While a thought-out social media and multimedia strategy are equally important to the creation of a visible leader, CEO PR is all about giving leadership a voice in the media.
There are many ways you can do this.
You could partake in interviews.
You might write guest opinion articles.
You could chose to speak on or chair industry panel events.
Each quote you give, each sentence you write has the potential to reach target stakeholders – and set the building blocks to boost your image in your sector and beyond.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all on the CEO.
While PR campaigns can certainly be led by the Chief Exec, other members of the C-suite can also be put forward.
In practice, CFOs usually make fantastic commentators on economic issues – and COOs on broad-scope organisational issues.
In fact, it’s incredibly beneficial if all the C-suite get involved.
There are many internal benefits of pitching your execs to the media.
When the thoughts and opinions of a company’s leadership land in a national or trade, the credibility of these individuals – and the business they represent – is boosted tenfold.
On a search of your company or in their skim through the dailies, media slots give top talent, potential customers, influential peers and past clients full visibility to your leadership.
This increases your brand awareness – and can supercharge your marketing wins.
But, in the busy news agendas of election season, landing media slots can have a much larger effect.
If your leadership can weigh into the political world and discuss ongoing campaigns, your C-suite can play a part in influencing the policy landscape.
They could help shape the policies that will dictate the future of industry until the next election – and, of course, the ideas that affect everyday people in real time.
This impact, especially when recognised by leading politicians and policymakers, is second to none.
But how can you secure these opportunities – and generate cut through? Well… let me help.
Firstly, as a business leader, you’ll know your sector like the back of your hand.
You’ll undoubtedly have ideas as to how your industry could function better, how the government could better support your sector, and what the near future of your industry could look like. This knowledge is key to securing coverage.
Comprehensive, detailed and experienced opinions resonate extremely well with the media, and leveraging your credentials as a member of the C-suite can really drive them home.
That’s why it’s essential you ensure the journalist understands why they should interview you – and why they should take all your thoughts as gospel. Your position and influence in your industry really matters.
Secondly, as political debates rage on, business leaders can capitalise on the promises made by these politicians – and weigh into public policy on behalf of their sector.
After all, when party leaders spar and publish their manifestos to the world, it’s these policies that provide all the ammo to secure coverage.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should stick to the status quo: for example, in finance, you can’t just lament the economy’s performance, or – in property – you can’t just throw your arms up about planning restrictions.
I’ve written previously about the importance of having a punchy, practical angle. And in busy news agendas, especially during election season, this is even more critical.
That leads me onto my final point. To succeed against your industry peers and secure coverage, you must say something different – or at least provide a solution, hot take, or prediction.
This could take several forms.
In health, offering ways to boost public spending on the sector could land you a quote in a national.
In the energy sector, providing a reasonable roadmap towards net-zero could spark media interest.
You get the point.
With busy news agendas, much of the media is focussed on popular topics of public interest – whether that’s economic growth, healthcare, education, net zero, interest rates, and so on.
It’s not often CEOs can address these topics at full force – so it’s vital you take the steps to give it your best chances of coverage.
But, to secure these pieces of coverage, CEOs have something even more important to do. Be understanding.
Place yourself in the shoes of a journalist. In a busy newsroom, you’re under tight deadlines and you’re probably overworked.
As a CEO, you have to recognise this – and you need to ensure you give journalists what they want and the breathing space to deal with your pitch or submission in their own time.
It’s all about etiquette.
While other businesses are sending out rapid fire press releases and chasing journalists relentlessly, you have to take the measures to standout.
Before the embargo on a story ends, you should be proactive and offer comment there and then – even if it doesn’t lead to coverage.
In an interview, ensure you keep your answers tight, punchy and to the point. Get your message across in the most efficient, impactful way possible in the time you have.
When writing opinion pieces, however obvious it might seem, follow the publication’s editorial guidelines and execute as quick of a turnaround as possible.
That will build up a rapport between you and the journalist, and help build the relationship that places you in good stead towards coverage.
If you flick on your television onto any news programme or open the Financial Times on any given day, chances are you’ll see a business leader feature.
But, among all the one-off commentators and corporate narrative, there are definitely a few that stand out.
And none more – in my mind, at least – than Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
Dimon is well-known for courting the public world, and often weighs into policy debates and global issues.
Given how eager he is to share his opinions, he has extended himself beyond the image of the standard finance chief exec and, among his peers on Wall Street, he definitely stands out as the most established and indeed visible corporate figurehead.
Across the pond, in the UK, there are definitely a few standout business leaders that spring to mind.
Ben Francis, founder of Gymshark, has certainly engaged the media enough to cement him as Britain’s young business whiz.
Meanwhile, Greg Jackson, the CEO of Octopus Energy, has benefitted from standing up and addressing key issues for energy customers in what has been a tumultuous time for the sector.
In the Middle East, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airlines, is another fantastic example.
Al Maktoum again is no stranger to a media appearance and, amid recent controversies across the aviation industry, he’s been happy to make his thoughts known, whether on TV, in the nationals, the regionals or the trades.
Look, I completely understand the hesitation CEOs might have when the news agenda is hectic. But in the stampede, you have the golden chance to generate cut through – and, contrary to what you might think, build stronger relationships than ever before.
Busy news agendas offer up the opportunity to commentate on your industry’s, let alone the world’s, most pressing issues. And it’s these topics that have the potential to really boost your profile.