Publicity Tips for Accountants

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

Does this sound like you?

You can’t understand why the business reporter at your local newspaper has quoted your competitor in five separate stories but hasn’t called you once.

Your accounting firm sends out more than two dozen news releases every year about new employees and promotions, but they result in little more than a few lines of type.

The speech your boss wrote when he spoke at the local Rotary Club luncheon would have made an excellent column for the local business magazine. But after you mailed it to the editor, you never heard a word.

If your attempts at media coverage have fallen flat, quit grumbling and start taking a proactive approach to free publicity.

Hundreds of other accountants throughout the country are doing it. They’re being quoted in trade publications, national magazines and newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. They’re writing opinion columns about proposed tax law changes. They’re letting the media know where to find them. And—as a result—they’re getting lots of publicity that can often be more credible than paid advertising.

How do they do it? By being helpful and offering themselves as resources for reporters who need background information, commentary and story ideas.

How to be helpful

Tom Kosler, who owns Kosler & Company, a CPA firm in Pewaukee, Wis., said the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants has been a valuable link with the local media because that’s the first place many reporters go when they’re looking for sources in the accounting industry.

“Getting to know the marketing department at the association and letting them know that I am willing to talk with the various media has been very productive,” Kosler said. “At least once a year I’ve been quoted in an article since I volunteered as a media contact.” One of those articles included a color photo on the front page of The Business Journal in Milwaukee. See How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story.

The publicity, Kosler says, reinforces his relationship with current clients and referral sources.

Here are other ways to be helpful:

• Call reporters and invite them for lunch or coffee. Let them know the areas in which you are an expert and encourage them to call on you.
   

• Fax or mail copies of industry reports, articles from trade publications and tips about trends you are seeing to your media contacts. This helps them understand the accounting industry and it keeps your name in front of them.
   

• Tell the media about the biggest problems your clients are facing and how you help them solve those problems.
   

• Offer your opinions on proposed legislation that deals with changes in tax laws. See How to Use Newspaper and Magazine Editorial Pages.
   

• Give the media news tips and story ideas, even if they don’t relate to the accounting industry. Establish yourself as a valuable resource and reporters will keep coming back to you for more information.

Think creatively

Strategic business alliances are another excellent way to snag publicity.

Take, for example, BDO Seidman, LLP, an accounting firm in Milwaukee, Wis. The firm teamed up with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to sponsor a study on the hot topic of the labor shortage. Students in a communications class called hundreds of companies nationwide to learn how they are attracting and keeping qualified employees. Results of the study received prominent attention in newspapers and trade publications from California to Florida.

It also helped BDO Seidman establish a strong relationship with the university. Professor Bill Lowell, whose class conducted the study, said business professors at the university now view BDO as a great place to refer graduates who are looking for jobs.

“BDO has built a bridge to the university for future employees, they’ve given back to the community and they’ve gotten great publicity for their efforts,” Lowell said.

Howard Sosoff, former office managing director at BDO, said the study was so successful that BDO teamed up with the university for a second study that concentrated on the types of benefits companies can offer employees in different age categories.

“The first study showed that the needs are different between employees in the 20-to-30 age group versus the 45-to-50 age group,” he said. “We wanted to see what people in those age categories are looking for and how it would impact their career decisions.” See Special Report #19: How to Use Polls, Surveys and White Papers That Position You as an Expert

Thinking creatively also means leveraging every publicity opportunity available.

That’s what marketing director PJ Townsend did when her firm, John M. Hanson & Company, P.C. in Denver, Col., sponsored the annual chamber of commerce luncheon several years ago and staged a skit. Just as senior partner Dean Haave pretended to deliver the standard address, Townsend rushed into the room pulling her hair and pretending she was a frazzled client.

“Aaaaaughhhh!!” she wailed in front of an astonished audience. “I’m Ms. Smallbizz and everything’s a mess! I just got an IRS notice. My return is due but my bookkeeeper ran off with my controller. I need help and I need it now.”

Just then, three JMH employees wearing company T-shirts came in yelling “We can help!” in unison. They introduced themselves to Ms. Smallbiz, explained what they could do for her, then said “Call us at 388-1010.” PJ replied, “388-1010. I will!”

For the dramatic closing, the trio recited “John M. Hanson & Company. Not just good accounting (they turned around to show the back of their T-shirts)…great accountants!”

The result? “The crowd roared,” Townsend said. But the best was yet to come. “The keynote speaker, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, kept repeating our phone number during his presentation. At the end, I told him, 'Thanks for the publicity.'

Townsend said she received a few notes from audience members afterward thanking her for the refreshing presentation. “I knew we’d have our 15 seconds of fame,” she said. “We had to make them memorable and fun.”

Write, write write

Establish yourself as an expert by writing for local, regional and national publications, as well as trade publications. If you’re an accountant and cannot write well or don’t have the time, call on your marketing director for help. Or hire a local freelance writer to “ghost write “ under your name. See Special Report #6: How to Write How-to Articles That Position You as an Expert

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Write letters to he editor of your local newspaper. Letters that have the best chance of being published are those that comment on stories the newspaper has printed. Keep your letters as brief as possible. See Special Report #4: How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor.
   

• Submit opinion columns on hot local topics for the opinion page. It’s best to call the editor first and pitch your idea for a column. Ask about specific guidelines such as the word length and deadlines. Don’t forget to include your photo. (What? You don’t have a photo? For less than $75, you can get a good-quality professional business photo. Keep them on hand to give to the media.) See How to Use Newspaper and Magazine Editorial Pages.
   

• Write articles for print newsletters, an often overlooked publicity vehicle. Newsletter editors are hungry for material. A great resource is the Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters which lists more than 18,000 newsletters, by category and industry, and includes contact names and phone numbers. This resource directory is available in most major libraries.
   

• Write for electronic newsletters and magazines that serve your industry.
   

• Write White Papers or special reports on hot topics in the accounting industry, such as succession planning, and offer them free to the public. See Special Report #20: How to Write and Market Profitable Special Reports
   

• Get the editorial calendar for your local business journal and see which special sections are devoted to the accounting industry. Call, write or email the editor of that section and pitch a story idea about your industry. It can be anything from an emerging trend to ways that your firm solves a particular problem. See How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story. 

Speak, speak, speak

Public speaking can pay huge dividends. Not only can you snag free publicity through newspaper stories about your presentation, you can attract the attention of people in the audience who might need your services. Ideas include:

• Hit the “chicken and pea circuit.” Chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs, business groups and even local community groups always need speakers. Pick a topic that no one else is speaking about. Collect business cards from audience members and give away a door prize. Then add the business cards to your database for future marketing campaigns.
   

• Conduct classes through your local college or university.
   

• Join Toastmasters to learn platform skills and become known as someone who loves to speak.
   

• If you want to make money from speaking, join the National Speakers Association. See Special Report #21: 67 Great Publicity Tips for Professional Speakers.
   

• Whenever you write articles, include a paragraph at the end telling readers that you are available for speaking engagements.
   

• Call local radio stations and offer to appear as a guest on talk shows.
   

• Call local TV stations and invite them to call on you for comment when they’re doing stories about the April 15 tax filing deadline. See How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow

 
Need More Help with Publicity?

If you like all those ideas but would rather hire a publicist to help you implement them, see How to Hire the Perfect Publicist, an 85-page ebook that walks you step-by-step through the entire process. Includes 307 tips on where to look, questions to ask during the interview, the advantages and disadvantages of the four types of billing methods, how to help your publicist help you, and a handy chart that will help you rank your final candidates. Read this before you waste thousands of dollars on the Publicist from Hell who will take your money and ruin your reputation.


Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for reprint rights, to:

Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451
JStewart@PublicityHound.com