financial pr

7/31/2019 Financial PR

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Financial PRThat Works


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As consumers become increasinglyinterested in money matters, Americas

10,000 newspapers are responding by

carrying more financial stories than

ever before.

Whether its buying a home, starting a

business or planning for retirement,

consumers want to know how to get the

most out of their money. They are also

beginning to understand that financial

decisions they make can affect nearly

every other aspect of their livesfrom

health to education to shelter. They are

hungry for advice from experts who

can show them how to grow theirwealth and protect their assets. Thats

why newspaper editors are hungry for

feature articles that do just that.

For example, as the number of investors

continues to increasenearly half of

American workers are now employed

by companies that offer 401(k)s andover half of all households own mutual

fundsthe competition for this growing

market remains fierce. Even with the

proliferation of advertising and financial

news outlets, it has become increasingly

difficult for financial services firms to dis-

tinguish themselves from their competitors.

As a result, the top firms have found

they can gain added recognition, begin

building credibility with potential

investors and attract new clients withfeature articles that reach this audience

where it lives.

A proven way to create more media

coverage and stand out from the

crowd is with a feature releaseor

series of releasesto target the topU.S. dailies and weeklies that serve the

wealthiest communities. These news-

papersalong with television and

radio stationsare hungry for finan-

cial features that discuss the challenges

faced by investors and offer solutions

for their problems.

For over 40 years NAPS has helped the

top financial services firms gain the vis-

ibility they want. Here are several

examples of proven strategies.

Financial features that work


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While they have a well-deserved reputation for keeping an eye onthe bottom line, financial services firms are often among the staunchest

supporters of community programs, education and the arts.Releasing a story about this kind of

community involvement can give a

broader picture of the companys cor-

porate vision. It can also influence

investors who want to do business with

a firm that is involved in social issues.

For example, when American Express

wanted to promote parental involve-

ment in schools, it asked NAPS to prepare a release describing the kinds

of things parents could do to support their childs educationfrom meet-ing with teachers to reviewing homework.

It also used a NAPS feature to tell the story of its support for economic

literacy and the creation of the American Express Foundations Economic

Independence Fund. The fund supports the delivery of financial literacy

education to under-served segments of society, including newly employed

people, young workers, individuals moving from welfare to work, immi-

grants and refugees. Projects supported through the Economic

Independence Fund range from initiatives created to assist low-income

women in starting small businesses, to the translation of financial educa-

tion curriculum into several languages.

Spreading the news of this kind of involvement is the kind of good willinvestment that really can show up in a companys bottom line.

Stories about good deedscan mean good business


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A bylined article attributed to an executive is a way to builda personal connection with consumers who may become

clientsparticularly if the article offers practical advice. For

example, in a bylined article titled Six Steps To Building

Personal Wealth, John Addison, Co-CEO and President of

Primericaa subsidiary of Citigrouppresents steps nearly

anyone can take to begin building wealth, such as the time-

honored method of paying yourself first as a way of creating

a nest egg.

The Addison articlewhich was one of a series of sixcloses

with an offer for a free guide to financial decisions prepared

by the experts at Primerica.

Bylined articles can also be an excellent way for financial firms

to demonstrate their intellectual and political firepower, while

distributing material previously released in another format.Thats the tack investment firm American Skandia took when it

used NAPS to distribute a series of articles by political econo-

mist Lawrence Kudlow under the customized logo American

Abundance.

In the articles, which were based on information on Kudlows

Web site, the former White House advisor and television com-

mentator championed the potential of what he referred to as

the new economy. This enabled American Skandia to position

itself to readers as a firm that understood the changing face of

the global economy.

Build credibility with a bylined article


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Personal Finance

Everyone likes to read about moneyparticularly whenexperts are offering advice on how to manage it. One of the

most popular financial topics, according to editors, is person-

al finance.

Whether its a matter of getting a mortgage, using a home

equity loan, saving for college, handling credit card debt or

paying for long-term health care, consumers are facing

increasingly complex financial responsibilitiesoften more

than one of these responsibilities at the same time.

Increasingly, consumers look for advice from professionals.

Articles that show them how to reach their financial goals can

go a long way toward establishing a companys credibility

and raise its public profile.

Financial services firms, professional associations and govern-

ment departments concerned with personal finance issueshave all turned to NAPS to

help them reach consumers,

educate them and keep them

informed of ways to deal

more effectively with person-

al finance issues.

The financial savants at the

the Federal Reserve Bank

used NAPS to prepare and

distribute articles that describe how credit card interest rates

are calculated and how to decide which credit card is best foryou. A second release offered consumers tips on managing

credit card debt, a brochure and directions to a Web site with

more information.

The differences between using a credit card and a debit card

from a community bank was the focus of a release prepared

by NAPS for the consumer-friendly bankers at the Independent

Community Bankers of America. Touting the fact that debit

cards can often eliminate the need to carry large amounts of

cash, it also promoted the tendency of community banks to

charge lower fees than their larger counterparts.

Helping homeowners tap the economic potential of their

home with a home equity loan was the PR goal of Wells

Fargo National Home Equity Group. They approached

NAPS about crafting a release featuring Doreen Woo Ho,

president of Wells Fargos National Home Equity Group.

Recognizing many homeowners still dont see their home as

a financial asset, Ho offered useful advice on consulting

bankers or mortgage experts to examine their home asset

management options. She then told readers how visiting

www.wellsfargo.com can help visitors learn more about

home equity loans and lines of credit.


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Using the logo WORD FROM WASHING-

TON, the insightful strategists at the federal

Department of Housing and Urban Develop-

ment (HUD) asked NAPS to release a feature

that presented a series of questions home-

buyers should ask before getting a mortgage

loan. Included in this Homebuyers Bill Of

Rights was the right to be informed about the

total cost of a loan including the interest rate,points and the right to know what fees are

not refundable if you decide to cancel the

loan agreement.

Is It Time To Refinance Your Mortgage?was the title of a

bylined article by Robin Korn, VP, Membership Banking,

American Express prepared and distributed by NAPS. The

release showed consumers how they can benefit by refi-

nancing a mortgage. It also described ways refinancing a

mortgage can help consumers gain control of their money,

either by changing the terms of the mortgage or changing

the payment schedule. The feature closed with an offer

from American Express to help consumers find a mortgage

on the Internet.

Another kind of financial challengethe need for consumers

to cover the costs of long-term care (LTC)was the focus of

two separate releases. The first was commissioned by the

Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA). These con-cerned professionals wanted to encourage consumers to use

LTC insurance to protect retirement savings. The release

closed with a call to action that included a toll-free number and

Web site that consumers can visit to find out how to shop for

an LTC insurance provider.

In the second, the GE Center for Financial Learning, togeth-

er with a coalition of leading academic and advocacy

groups, such as the Alzheimer's Association, American

Parkinson's Disease Association, American Society on

Aging, Citizens for Long Term Care, Long Term Care

Insurance Educational Foundation, Rebuilding Together,Visiting Nurse Associations of America, Womens Institute for

a Secure Retirement (WISER), and the Womens Institute for

Financial Education (WIFE), used a NAPS feature to promote

the first National Long Term Care Awareness Day. This was

part of a campaign to promote a nationwide

discussion about the need to properly plan

for long term care. The feature closed by

instructing consumers that resources and addi-

tional information could be found online at

www.financiallearning.com.


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Paying off college loans is a responsibility faced by many

consumers. How they handle these loans can often help or

hinder their credit rating for years to come. To trumpet the

benefits of a government initiative giving recent graduates

the chance to lock in a lower interest rate, Collegiate

Funding Services (CFS)a company that specializes in

student loan consolidationturned to NAPS to prepare a

feature. The article included a quote from the companys

president Barry Morrow, describing the benefits of the pro-gram and closed with a call to action that included a toll-

free number and a Web site.

Understanding the personal and financial risks posed

when individuals struggle with these kinds of issues on

their own, the Certified Financial Planner Board of

Standards, the International Association for Financial

Planning (IAFP) and the Financial Planning Association all

turned to NAPS to prepare releases showing how turning

to a professional can help a consumer faced with a per-

sonal finance dilemma make the right decision.


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Promote the benefits of your products

Often, NAPS feature stories appear in publications all over the country.What better way to communicate how different types of financial products can

meet the needs of different investors?

For example, when Federated Investors wanted the public to know it had

acquired the $3.2 billion Kaufman Fund, it released a story that detailed the

workings of a growth fund and the strategies the funds managers had

employed over the previous fifteen years. The story also profiled the kind of

investors who might be interested in growth funds and finished with a call to

action that offered both a toll free number and a Web site.

Federated Investors used a similar approach when it wanted to position its

Ultrashort Bond Fund as a suitable alternative to CDs or money market funds.

It had NAPS create a feature that explainedin plain Englishthe arcane

world of bonds and how a market that many investors might have once found

boring was now offering new opportunities. The feature closed with a succinct

description of the potential benefitsa blend of liquidity and stabilitythefund offered investors.


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Another investment houseEaton Vanceused an article prepared by NAPS to

explain to investors how balancing a portfolio can help manage the liabilities

posed by the capital gains tax. In this way, it was able to promote its various bond

funds as a solution to that problem.

Investors who are planning for retirement are often faced with other financial chal-

lenges as well, such as paying for a college education. TIAA-CREF released a fea-

ture that discussed college costs and compared college savings plans. It then used

this as an opportunity to describe in detail the specific benefits of the Qualified

State Tuition Program offered by its Tuition Financing division. This product makes

it possible for an investor to build wealth for college, while deferring tax liabilities.

Money managers at The Enterprise Group of Funds saw a way to promote their

family of mutual fundsand develop a relationship with potential investorsby

releasing a feature that explained the differences between the Traditional IRA and

the Roth IRA. By using a NAPS release to position themselves as financial educa-

tors, they were able to describe the unique approach to fund management offeredby their products.


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Small businessesthose with fewer than 500 employeesplay a key role in theU.S. economy. They account for over 50 percent of the private sector output and

are responsible for the creation of most new jobseither through new firms or the

expansion of existing ones. The good news for vendors who serve them is that

home-based businesses and those with fewer than ten employees represent a mar-

ket of over 35 million offices in need of everything from computers to telephones

to paper.

As a result, Business-to-Business articles find a home in many newspapers, partic-

ularly when the articles offer small business owners tips on saving money and stay-

ing competitive. Thats why companies that want to capture a share of the small

business market often turn to NAPS to prepare a feature or series of features.

For example, the master marketers at the United States Postal Service asked NAPS

to prepare an article publicizing the Postal Services Web site. The site is designed

to help small business owners attract and retain customers and fill orders. From

showing them where to obtain lists of prospective customers, to helping them cre-ate and mail professional direct mail pieces, the Post Offices online services are

designed to provide services that are described as cost-effective and efficient. The

article closed with tips on how a small business can use direct mail and the address

for the Web site.

Showing small businesses how to develop a comprehensive advertising strategy

was the focus of a release by the corporate communicators at GTE. The feature

showed how a small business could use a directory, such as GTEs yellow pages,

as a step toward developing an advertising presence online.

Business-to-Business Features


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Helping small businesses distinguish among the Internet, intranet and the

extranetand the benefits and limitations of eachwas the topic of a release from

computer and Internet giant Microsoft. The feature also gave Microsoft an oppor-

tunity to discuss the features found on technology it has developed specifically to

help small businesses integrate all three online systems.

Managing cash flow is essential for any small business. So the financial experts at

Commercial Credit Counseling Services, an organization that works with commer-

cial debtors and creditors, used a NAPS feature to offer credit management tips tosmall businessesand introduce its services at the same time.

Realizing that many small businesses are turning to the Internet to expand their

operations, the small business wizardswith big ideasat IBM used a feature to

introduce themselves to this growing market. They offered a number of dos and

donts to consider when designing a Web site. The tips from IBMs Small Office

Solutions Tool Kit included Do a Web site if your business

can handle expansion and Don't do a site if you're a

local business and will have trouble servicing far-reach-

ing customers. The article closed with a call to action that

offered further information, or a free copy of a how-to kit

to help small business owners use technology and theInternet to grow their companies.

A second release from IBM on the same topic offered a

series of tips on how to make a Web site more appealing

to visitors by using graphics and creating an interactive

site to make it possible for a company to capture informa-

tion about its prospects.


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Increasingly, consumers who wouldnot feel comfortable working on their

own car or cooking without a recipe,

are being asked to make complex deci-

sions that concern their financial future.

Employer-sponsored 401(k)s and vari-

ous kinds of IRAs have created both a

challenging kind of alphabet soup for

the uninitiated and an unprecedented

demand for financial education for the

average investor.

Recognizing that consumer education

must often precede marketing, several

firms have called on NAPS to create fea-

ture articles that offer insights on how todeal with common financial challenges

and the benefits that may result from var-

ious investment strategies.

For instance, an article from American

Express offered advice from its vice

president for wealth strategies on how

to minimize tax liabilities when cashing

out an IRA. The article closed with a

phone number and Web site consumers

could contact for more information on

financial planning.The Glenmede Trust chose NAPS to

present an article that showed con-

sumers how to calculate their net worth

as an essential step in developing a

financial plan. By showing consumers

in plain Englishhow questions of cash

flow and taxes affect retirement plan-

ning, the Trust is able to present itself as

a consumer-friendly firm poised to bring

clarity in a time of confusion.

Recognizing that A growing number of

people are taking stock of the investment

opportunities available to them,

Diversified Investment Advisors released

a feature that described the difference

among growth stocks, value stocks and

large-, small-, and mid-cap stocks. It also

detailed the differences between bal-

anced mutual funds and index funds

useful information for a new investor try-

ing to decide what to add to a 401(k).

By reviewing finances regularly, deal-

ing with financial problem areas first

and protecting their credit rating con-

sumers can get into financial shape.

Thats the message from a feature that

was also used to position the Internet

finance portal, Yahoo!Finance, as a

resource for investors in need of infor-

mation and financial tools.

Where will you live? How will you pay

for it? How will you live? These are

questions faced by many baby

boomers as they near retire-

ment age. To let them know

they have a resource they cancount on, the seasoned pros at

the MetLife Mature Market

Institute used a feature to reach

out to baby boomers to

promote a series of booklets

called Retirement Planning

Reimagined. The booklets dis-

cuss the concept of retirement

and planning for old age from

what MetLife describes as a

new perspective. The featureclosed with an offer for a free

copy of the booklet.

Educate potential investors


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Let NAPS prepare and distribute your two column print releasewithartto 10,000 newspapers. Your return on that investment will be any-

where from 100 to over 400 placements in newspapers all across the coun-

try. The articleor articles in the case of a seriesare easy for editors to

use. Releases are distributed as camera-ready copy as well

as on CD and disk.

The same or similar material prepared as a NAPS radio

feature will be distributed to 6,500 radio stations, creating

200 to over 300 placements.

NAPS can also prepare and distribute your material to the TV

talk-show market as a video feature release. Why not supply

your material directly to the market where there is a constant

demand for financial features? Preparing your video as a fea-

ture will extend its shelf-life and increase its chance for pick-

up by anywhere from 100 to 150 television stations.Its also possible to compound the publics interest in your

company by ordering a multi-media package. Using a combination of print,

radio and television, it is possible to have your feature sent to 10,000 news-

papers, 6,500 radio stations and 1,000 TV stations, resulting in anywhere

from 600 to over 1,000 placements.

In addition to placements, companies that use NAPS receive clips, usage

maps and charts that show, in meeting-ready detail, the markets where the

feature appeared and the audiences it reached.

If only all investments could post these kinds of returns.

Post major returns on a modest investment


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Send us a release so we can suggest changes that will add topick-up, or send us information so we can write a proposed

release that will get the results you are looking for.

Our proposal comes with no cost and no obligation. See foryourself why so many companies

and agencies use our services. See

how much more you can produce by

covering print, radio and television.

NAPS counts among our clients over

700 accounts, including most

Fortune 500 companies, nearly all

of the 100 largest, all top-12 PR

firms (and 21 of the largest 25), the

U.S. and foreign governments, as

well as 100 of the largest nationalassociations, dozens of prestigious computer firms, high

technology companies and many others.

NAPS provides an easy, cost-effective

method of getting your story to a large per-

centage of the newspapers in the country

whether its about investing, retirement plan-

ning, personal finance or business-to-busi-

ness. Instead of just covering the same 500

newspapers everyone else in America is trying to get into, you give

your top story to practically all of Americas mass media outlets

in a format editors and broadcasters can immediately use.

.North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.

New York Washington ChicagoLos Angeles San Francisco Atlanta

www.napsinfo.com

NorthAmericanPrecisSyndicate,Inc.

415MadisonAvenue

NewYork,NY10017

AddressCorrectionRequested

PRESORTSTANDARD

U.S.POSTAGE

PAID

NORTH

AMERICAN

PRECISSYNDICATE,INC.

415 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017

1819 L St., NW, Washington, DC 20036

303 East Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60601

1801Ave. of the Stars,Los Angeles,CA 90067

235 Montgomery St.,San Francisco,CA 94104

1031 Burton, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329

(212)867-9000

(202)347-5000

(312)856-9000

(310)552-8000

(415)837-0500

(404)888-0400

Turn your financial feature into more business

We cover Americas 10,000 newspapers with over 140 million

in cumulative circulation, about 80 million of which is in weekly

community newspapers. Our media list consists of 1,600 dailies

and 8,400 weeklies. Most of these are not on the wires or typi-cal press mailing lists. We cover 6,500 radio

stations and 1,000 TV stations.

You extend the reach of your financial publici-

ty to millions of additional readers, listeners

and viewers when your

information is placed in 100

to 400 newspapers, 40 to

80 TV stations and 200 to

300 radio stations. This cre-

ates greater awareness of

the merits of your story.

The price you pay for distrib-

uting an article to all 10,000

newspapers across the U.S.

covers writing, art, produc-

tion, mailing, postage, clippings, repro proof,

tracking and a computerized usage report show-

ing the circulation and major market area of

each clip as well as audience data for broadcast.

OUR GUARANTEE:

Complete satisfaction with the results ofeach release or you get another one free.

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