How to get good coverage in newspapers, magazines.

• Position: Marketing News

What is the number-one mistake that banks make when seeking news coverage? The answer, according to Marsha Friedman, the head of a public relations agency, EMS Inc., Clearwater, Fla., doesn't concern the quality of the press release, the timing of the story or the skill of the spokesperson being interviewed.

"It concerns recognizing the needs of the editors, who are the gatekeepers between you and your stow and the millions of readers they reach," she observes.

From the standpoint of editors, their newspaper or magazine does not exist to "give you coverage." It does not exist so that your bank you can get its name in the newspaper or to generate new customers for your bank. Their publication exists to inform and entertain their readership enough to keep readers subscribing. In so doing, they provide enough readership to justify selling display advertisements that appear next to their articles. "In other words," says Friedman, "the newspaper cannot make money by serving you or your bank in its editorial space. It can only survive by serving its readership."

So, the primary part of the equation is your approach to these editors. "It's not about bending them to your will, but rather tailoring a story and angle about your bank that will appeal to their readership," Friedman observes. Moreover, it can't sound like an infomercial. Anything that is too commercial, she says, will earn the response, "buy an ad."

Friedman offers four tips on how to find the angle on a news story that editors are interested in:

* If you want your bank to get mentioned in the newspaper, then start by reading the newspaper.

If you want a newspaper or magazine to feature your bank, then first you'd better see what they are featuring in their pages. Once you understand what they write about in their pages, it will be easier for you to see how your bank could fit in.

* Analyze if you are actually newsworthy.

If the financial services industry is getting a lot of press, (and it is lately), chances are you could piggyback on the headlines. Most people think that banks are having financial problems and it's hard to get...