Opinion Formers

We recently worked with a senior executive in the financial services sector. His company regularly sent out press releases and it had achieved extensive, positive media coverage for its products. However, he wished to deepen and develop the coverage that the company was getting and to set it apart from its competitors. He and his Comms Team wanted to establish him as a thought leader and someone with interesting perspectives on the industry who would be appropriate for opinion editorials and panels. One of our experienced editors helped him and his colleagues to identify key areas of the sector on which he could comment. Working as a group they developed interesting messages which our editor knew would appeal to other editors on target publications and websites. They drafted outline articles and blogs which were engaging, newsworthy and would appeal to commissioning editors and readers alike. We then worked together to identify outlets and opportunities for opinion editorial and thought leadership articles. Our editor/trainer then put him through a series of media interviews, coaching him so that he could develop his thought leadership ideas and key messages in a dynamic, interview environment. We looked at making his ideas extra topical and at the use of examples and case studies to illustrate them and to bring them to life. We also helped him to stay on message, putting across his thought provoking and sometimes controversial ideas without getting drawn into attacking other organisations or damaging the reputation of his own company.