To advance their marketing strategy, advisors seek to build visibility. And one of the best ways to raise their profile is to gain media training to boost their look in the press.
On their websites, advisors often list their media appearances. Their presence in local and national outlets reinforces their credibility as financial experts.
Yet just because advisors understand financial matters doesn't make them instantly quotable. There's an art to providing insightful comments in a pithy, informative manner.
To polish their skills, some advisors opt for media training. Consultants around the country — many of whom are former broadcast journalists or news anchors — offer customized instruction to help advisors ace media interviews.
For some advisors, the challenge is beating back the jitters so that they come across as authentic and likable. That's especially true if they feel nervous appearing on live television.
The pandemic has led to more at-home video interviews. While that's easier than arriving at a television studio, having an aide apply "pancake makeup" to the face and wilting under hot lights as cameras swivel nearby, it still requires a toolbox of skills to excel and get invited back.
Advisors who undergo media training find that it can help them refine how they communicate. Using practice exercises, they learn how to listen better, radiate confidence and answer questions succinctly.
"It reduces the intimidation factor when you get the training and they replicate the environment you will be in," said Michael Wagner, a certified financial planner and co-founder of Omnia Family Wealth in Aventura, Fla.
Media Training Tip: Learn To Speak in Clear, Complete Sentences
Unlike authors who embark on media tours to promote their new book, most advisors aren't selling a product. They simply want to promote themselves as thought leaders — and perhaps attract clients as well.
To maximize every media opportunity, advisors learn to rehearse. Trainers may prod them to anticipate questions and prepare answers.
Part of Wagner's media training involved roleplays. He received feedback that helped him sharpen his message and stay on point.
"They put me through mock interviews," he recalled. "It forced me to think in complete sentences instead of winging it."
Advisors learn to make every word count. Media trainers emphasize that television viewers (as well as radio and podcast listeners) want usable information in digestible chunks.
"It's how to encapsulate a thought so that you share the entirety of an idea in a sound bite," Wagner said.
Do Your Homework Prior To Press
In preparing for interviews, advisors also learn to assess their audience and deliver a message that resonates with them. Many TV hosts or journalists will explain in advance who consumes their content. This helps advisors tailor their remarks.
"You've always got to do your homework beforehand," Wagner said. "You need to be mindful of who your audience is."
For Wagner, a key take-away of his media training was preparing a list of bullet points to represent ideas he wanted to convey. He then practiced how to integrate these points into the interview without sounding like he was reading a script.
"I use a list of phrases to trigger the thought," he said. "Each one is about three to seven words," so it's easy to remember without glancing at notes.
Adopt A Positive Attitude To Ace Media Training
A side benefit of media training is it can shift your mindset about press interviews. If you feel nervous or dread how you might come across, your negativity can prove a self-fulfilling prophecy
Media coaches offer encouragement and feedback. As you develop your skills, your confidence grows, and your attitude improves.
"It's important to frame it in a positive way and not focus on the negative," Wagner said. The more you go into interviews thinking, "I dislike this," the more you'll sound anxious or hesitant.
You also gain more mastery over your voice. Trainers might suggest speech exercises that enrich the sound of your voice and increase your vocal variation and inflection.
Advisors often rely on stories to illustrate key points. Media trainers help storytellers craft their narrative to maximize its impact on the audience.
"You learn to create a little tension early in your story and then resolve the tension by providing a solution," Wagner said.
Like many advisors who complete media training, Wagner finds that the principles carry over into his daily life. The same tips that help someone handle a live broadcast interview might apply to one-on-one conversation.
"I use what I learned (in media training) when I'm communicating with clients, my family and in my work with nonprofits," he said. Rather than deliver a detailed technical explanation, for example, he might listen and "relax and let more warmth and personality come through."
