In the world of financial services, the old adage "You can’t unring a bell" rings especially true when it comes to media interviews. Your words carry weight—potentially impacting your firm’s credibility, regulatory standing, and marketing opportunities.
Leverage your press
Have you ever had a stellar interview with a media outlet, only to realize later that you couldn’t leverage it effectively because of compliance concerns? Media interviews can be powerful tools, but their value increases exponentially when you can secure reprint rights and repurpose them strategically.
Reprints are invaluable for highlighting your firm’s investment expertise, strategy, and performance. The implied endorsement from a third-party source can lend greater credibility than traditional marketing materials like brochures, fact sheets, or commentaries. When reprints are featured on your website, shared at conferences, or integrated into email campaigns, they can attract investor interest and, ultimately, drive new business.
To maximize the value of your media engagements, it’s critical to use compliant, precise language from the start. Here are our top 10 tips to help you ace your next interview while staying within compliance boundaries:
- Be truthful and avoid hyperbole – Stick to facts and realistic language. Overpromising can lead to both reputational and regulatory risks.
- Avoid promissory language – Use phrases like “we believe” or “may” to express potential without guaranteeing outcomes.
- Don’t predict the future – Frame forward-looking statements with qualifiers like “in our opinion” or “we feel.”
- Avoid absolutes – Replace “certain” or “definite” with phrases such as “has the potential to” or “we see potential opportunities for.”
- Steer clear of non-fund performance comparisons – When discussing benchmark or peer comparisons, always qualify with “historically.”
- Substantiate rankings or claims – Avoid claiming to be #1 or the best unless you have current, verifiable data to support it.
- Don’t quote yields without full disclosure – Yield quotes are complex and often require extensive compliance approval.
- Skip calling yourself an ‘expert’ – Highlight your team’s tenure, market cycle experience, and insights instead.
- Avoid discussing stocks you plan to trade – Focus on your current top holdings to maintain compliance and avoid conflicts of interest.
- Avoid terms like ‘unique’ or ‘first’ – Unless unequivocally provable, opt for “one of the few” or “among the first.”
Compliance is your friend
Compliance isn’t your adversary—it’s your ally in creating content you can confidently repurpose. Whenever possible, collaborate with your compliance team for language adjustments and suggestions. In some cases, publications may even accommodate edits to align your quotes with compliance standards. However, the best approach is to use compliant language from the outset.
By following these tips, you’ll not only safeguard your firm’s reputation but also maximize the shelf-life of your media engagements. Your 15 minutes of fame could have a lasting impact on your business - make it a good one.