Investor Relations - A Practical Guide - Investis

Media Matrix: UK & International
Print
• Financial newspapers
• National newspapers
• Regional newspapers
• Financial/investment magazines
• Sector trade press
• Newsletters
Broadcast
• Financial television stations
• Television and radio stations
with financial news
On-line/New media
• Newswires
• Financial websites
• Blogs
On some occasions, journalists will call companies
outside normal ‘working hours’ if they believe they
have unearthed an exclusive and want to pre-empt
any planned press activity. In this situation, IR and
PR advisers should be working with a company’s
management with pre-agreed responses ready.
It pays to treat journalists as important and very
demanding customers, and that way a company is
more likely to get a favourable result.
Relationship-building with the media
Relationship-building should be at the heart of any
media strategy. A positive relationship should
smooth lines of communication and generate
goodwill between a company and media, and should
go a long way to ensuring that a company has its
fair share of voice in the media.
Companies should try to engage with media in a
variety of ways including 1:1 meetings throughout
the corporate calendar and not just at results.
Different news will require different approaches to
the media. Key to any meeting or engagement is
preparation and companies should expect a briefing
with their IR or PR advisers ahead of each journalist
meeting so they know what to expect. A PR
professional will have a good relationship with
relevant journalists and if a meeting is taking place,
will understand the basis on which the meeting is
happening, the information required by the journalist
and how to handle any potential problem areas. If
this process is not adhered to, companies may well
find themselves in a difficult situation; ill-prepared
for an interview, handling an inquisitive journalist’s
questions awkwardly and potentially giving away
confidential information and the wrong impression of
the company.
All key announcements by public companies need to
be released to the market. Annual and interim results
are major opportunities for quoted companies to
engage with the media and this can mean several
interviews with relevant journalists from the financial
pages, newswires and online. Outside the normal
reporting periods, companies may need to update
shareholders, with trading statements. Other events
that might spark communication include
announcements of key contracts or new business
and Board appointments. These are opportunities
that can encourage media relationships and develop
understanding of the company.
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What Investor Relations is and who it is aimed at