Using The News Media As A Communications Tool

Do you think reporters are human sharks who want to misquote, distort, and sensationalize? When you hear the word 'reporter,' does your instinct tell you to utter 'no comment'? Or instruct your secretary to tell the reporter you won't be in your office for, say, the next 11 years?

The kind of reporters who should be avoided are few and far between. The '60 Minutes' approach is a rarity, and it's usually reserved for big business and big government. Reporters and editors who work for local newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations may not be knowledgeable about insurance, but they're not out to make anyone look bad, other than outright frauds and crooks.

However, the media is always on the lookout for credible sources of information, businesspeople who can explain an issue and provide a lively quote. Instead of being afraid of or ignoring the news media, consider cultivating a relationship. Why? When they're doing a story about insurance, you'll be on their list of experts to call. When you're quoted from time to time in the paper or on the radio as an insurance expert, people take notice. They begin to think of you as the town expert on insurance.

A good starting point is to simply get to know local reporters and editors who cover the business best. You might want to send a letter introducing yourself, listing your areas of expertise, and briefly giving some background about your agency. Follow up with a phone call.

Suggest a lunch or breakfast meeting. Some media types like to have lunch or breakfast with local businesspeople to keep their finger on the pulse of the economy. But don't feel miffed if your invitation is declined. Many reporters don't have the time or inclination for such informal meetings. That doesn't mean that they're not interested in what you have to say.

A perspective on an issue can serve as an entree. Perhaps Workers Comp or Auto insurance is controversial in your state, with proposals before the state legislature. Reporters usually welcome local opinions on such big issues. They're more likely to listen to a resident agent than a national trade association.

Radio talk shows and community cable television shows are good ways to increase visibility. These shows often need articulate businesspeople who can talk about matters that hit consumers in the pocketbook. Let TV producers know you're available.

There are many ways to get your message in the news media, and establishing a personal relationship with a reporter is one of the best. Any successful agent has a formidable range of human relations skills at his or her disposal. Use the skills that have brought business success to sell yourself as a credible source to the media.

'Advertorials' are a fast-growing form of advertising. As the word implies, an advertorial is an advertisement that reads and looks like editorial copy. 'Editorial' is the media's buzzword for the non-advertising content of a publication-all the articles and artwork, not just the editorials.

You've probably seen advertorial sections in major general-interest magazines like Newsweek or business magazines like Fortune. For instance, there might be a special advertising section about winter travel. It could include feature articles about skiing in Colorado, snorkeling in Aruba, and hanging out in Key West. There will be sumptuous photos of spectacular scenery and happy vacationers.

Credibility and readability are the major advantages of this format. People buy magazines for the articles, not the ads. So why not make your ads look like articles? Even though most readers know that the section is a paid ad, the editorial format implies objectivity and credibility. Advertisers have faith in the format because they're willing to spend big dollars on advertorials.

Can the typical independent agent, who doesn't have a big ad budget, use advertorials? Yes. But advertorials for insurance agents aren't big, lavish productions. Instead, they're columns about insurance topics, such as using deductibles, coverage issues, safety, and so on. Instead of calling them advertorials, you might call them column advertising.

You can write and publish your own columns. Or you can subscribe to a service that supplies columns.

Paul Poulos, principal, Poulos Insurance, St. Johnsbury, Vermont, writes his own column under the heading 'Poulos Insurance Says . . . ' He runs the columns as ads in two local newspapers. The columns are fairly long-about 200 words or 20 column inches, including the headline.

Some examples of headlines are 'Earthquake' and 'Is There Coverage Under Homeowner Policy for Back-up of Sewers and Drains?' Poulos also takes on insurance issues. For instance, in a mince-no-words column, he attacks the fraud and waste of the tort system and advocates No-Fault Auto insurance as the solution to the Auto insurance crisis.

Why the columns? 'We think it projects a more professional image than other agencies,' says Poulos. Most local competitors run humdrum block ads that say something like, 'We represent the finest insurance companies.'

Poulos runs a column on the back page of the daily St. Johnsbury paper every Wednesday night. Poulos Insurance also has a branch in Woodsville, New Hampshire, and runs columns in the weekly paper that serves that town.

Poulos doesn't take material for his columns out of thin air. His agency represents Allstate, and its ads and press materials supply much inspiration. The FC&S Bulletins are another fertile source. He also receives materials from the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA) about industry issues. He says he spends about half an hour each week on the column.

Another of Poulos' sources is a familiar one: The Insurance Agency Marketing & Communications Letter Of The Month. For instance, he takes the list of the '10 most dangerous toys' from the Christmas letter and runs it as a column ad. Poulos feels he can reach more people through such advertising than through direct mail.

His agency has one other regular ad campaign. Every Monday, the agency sponsors a listing of community events, such as church suppers and blood drives, in the St. Johnsbury paper. The agency is identified as the sponsor at the bottom.

When the agency received co-op advertising money from Allstate, it tried radio advertising. Poulos didn't think it made much of an impression. The printed word lasts longer.

Poulos Insurance writes about $7 million in premiums, about 60% in Personal Lines. Most ads are about Personal insurance matters.

What if you don't have the time or writing talent to create columns? No problem: You can buy them. Baron Publishing, Lexington, Massachusetts, offers two column services. Each column is camera-ready-ready to run in the newspaper as is. Each includes the heading 'Are You Protected?', a photo of the agent, an insurance question, an answer, and an optional cartoon.

Baron's president, Gene Greenwood, declined to release the number of subscribers, but said he has customers in 50 states.

'Most local advertising is co-op advertising,' Greenwood says. 'It's a product ad. It sells insurance coverage. Column advertising sells the agency.'

Selling the agency is crucial because many agents offer more or less the same product, he adds. A buyer can get a policy from Aetna, CIGNA, or Regional Mutual from any of a number of agencies in town. So there must be some reason for the customer to choose you instead of the competition.

The photo, Greenwood adds, forms a key part of the package because it attracts reader interest. According to one study, 80% of readers will look at a picture and caption, while only 20% will read the text of an article.

Paul Scanlon, president, Harry J. Boardman Insurance Agency, South Attleboro, Massachusetts, has used Baron's columns since 1969. Every Friday night, his column and photo appear in the local daily newspaper. It's the main source of advertising for his agency, which spends about $400 a month on the program.

The columns, he says, have 'significantly increased my recognition in the community. This has worked for us.'

Though some columns are a bit simplistic, most are informative, says Scanlon.

'People get a lot out of them.'

Scanlon has only one reservation. He has to edit many columns because they don't accurately describe Auto insurance in Massachusetts-which has many peculiarities. Agents in other states shouldn't have that problem.

The program, he adds, works well only if you publish it in a local newspaper or shopper that covers your area. Buying columns in a major metropolitan daily would be too expensive and wasteful. 'It's basically a small-town advertising program,' he emphasized. However, some big cities have neighborhood newspapers, so there may be possibilities even if you're located in the central city.

Column advertising may or may not be right for your agency. But it's worth considering because it has a different look from most other ads and offers a creative way to boost your image in the community-cutting through the clutter of advertising.