by A media tour can be an effective tool for building credibility, amplifying investment narratives, and creating meaningful relationships with the financial press. For asset managers competing for mindshare in a crowded field, it often distinguishes a fleeting mention from a trusted voice in the investment conversation.
But a media tour isn’t just a string of meetings and handshakes. When done well, it’s a thoughtful communications strategy tailored to the firm’s goals, the spokesperson’s expertise, and the shifting interests of journalists. Whether you’re introducing a new portfolio manager, advancing a point of view, or elevating firm news, success is dependent on the clarity of the tour’s purpose and how precisely that purpose is translated into action.
Define the Purpose
The first step in any strong media tour strategy is understanding what you’re trying to achieve. Media tours typically fall into one of three categories: relationship building, company news, or thought leadership positioning.
In relationship-building tours, the goal is often to introduce a spokesperson to the media, especially if they’re newly appointed, less experienced with the press, or taking on a broader role. These engagements are intentionally context-driven, aiming to establish a foundation of trust. As such, these conversations often dedicate more time to providing essential background, such as the firm’s overarching strategies, recent performance, the spokesperson’s specific expertise, and how it aligns with the reporter’s beat.
In contrast, company news-driven tours are centered around announcements such as the launch of a new strategy, firm rebranding, leadership transitions, or M&A activity. When the goal is to share corporate news effectively, a media tour often serves as a vital element within a broader public relations strategy. While digital channels offer wide reach, meeting journalists in person adds a layer of connection and facilitates more nuanced communication and in-depth exchange of information. This can often result in more thorough and insightful media coverage.
The third type of thought leadership tour typically focuses on market or sector commentary. These work best when a spokesperson has something timely and unique to say about how investors should be thinking about a key issue, sector, or trend.
Build a Focused Narrative
Once the objective is clear, the next step is crafting a strong, focused narrative. This is where many tours can go astray. A spokesperson might have deep expertise, but unless the story they are telling is clear, timely, and specific, it’s unlikely to resonate. Reporters are not looking for talking points—they’re looking for unique insight.
The strongest narratives are anchored in the firm’s core philosophy but also speak directly to current market conditions, market moves, or investor concerns. They showcase a spokesperson’s perspective in a way that’s differentiated but not promotional. And they answer the “why now?” question without needing to be asked.
For example, in a recent media tour we supported, the goal was to elevate a portfolio manager’s profile as a thoughtful voice on artificial intelligence and tech sector investing. The tour took place at a moment of heightened market volatility, with uncertainty around tariffs, closely watched earnings from major tech names, and broader investor anxiety about whether AI enthusiasm was grounded in real fundamentals. Instead of offering general commentary, we helped the spokesperson frame their insights through specific themes—how AI adoption was reshaping earnings potential in cloud computing, where they saw ETF strategies playing a role in portfolio construction, and how long-term investors should be filtering signal from noise. That level of specificity helped turn scheduled meetings into real conversations and real coverage.
Understand the Media Landscape
In essence, this step is about identifying the right media targets by aligning location, format, publication, and reporter with the goals and narrative of the tour.
Understanding the media landscape is just as important as developing the message. Most asset manager media tours take place in New York or London, where the majority of top-tier financial publications and broadcast outlets are headquartered. New York, for example, is home to Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Barron’s, and several other key outlets that reach institutional and retail investor audiences alike. London is similarly concentrated, with other influential titles like The Financial Times. While many journalists today rely on virtual conversations, in-person meetings still carry more weight and often lead to richer interactions.
Each outlet, and even each reporter within that outlet, has a different set of interests and formats. A spokesperson who thrives in long-form print interviews may not feel comfortable in a rapid-fire TV segment, and vice versa. A reporter who focuses on ETF flows will have different questions than one writing about CIO succession. So, it’s important that PR teams map the right voices to the right journalists and prepare accordingly.
Prepare the Spokesperson
Spokesperson preparation is perhaps the most critical step in any media tour. Even the most experienced fund manager benefits from guidance on message discipline and delivery. Before the tour begins, your spokesperson should be briefed not only on their talking points but also on the background, style, and recent work of each journalist they’ll be meeting. If there are on-air interviews or video opportunities involved, media training should be non-negotiable. This is not about scripting responses; it is about helping spokespeople communicate their insights clearly, avoid jargon, and adapt to the medium.
In the AI-focused media tour mentioned earlier, we conducted a comprehensive pre-tour session with the spokesperson to refine messaging and practice on-camera delivery. That investment paid off, as the tour included two live studio segments and multiple print interviews. The coverage generated was high-quality, timely, and most importantly, authentic to the spokesperson’s actual views. Journalists followed up. Relationships deepened. And the firm’s brand as a thoughtful quality growth investor gained momentum in the right circles.
Nail the Logistics
Even the most well-planned media tour can fall apart without smart logistics. Timing is everything. If you are trying to meet with New York reporters during a Fed meeting week or just after a major market event, schedules may get reshuffled. Building the day with intention—grouping meetings by location, leaving room for transitions, and not overloading the schedule—can make a huge difference in both experience and performance. Ideally, there is at least one month to conduct media outreach, with the tour including no more than five meetings per day, with time built in for briefing refreshers, food, and travel.
It also helps to prepare background materials for the spokesperson and the journalists, including an itinerary, bios, firm overviews, and, if needed, embargoed data or thought pieces. The more you can do to help everyone involved arrive prepared, the better the conversation will go.
Sustaining Momentum
A media tour is not complete when the last meeting ends. The days and weeks that follow are a key part of the value. Sending thoughtful thank you notes, following up with any requested data or comments, and monitoring for coverage are all table stakes. But it is equally important to document what was learned—what messages resonated, what journalists found interesting, and where future opportunities may lie.
Strong tours build momentum. They establish credibility that can be tapped into again and again, whether for stock market commentary, sector takes, or new product launches. When done right, they don’t just result in press; they result in presence.
A successful media tour for an asset manager is ultimately about alignment. Alignment between the firm’s goals and the story being told. Alignment between the spokesperson’s strengths and the format of the engagements. And alignment between what the media is looking for and what you are prepared to deliver. It takes strategy, coordination, and real effort, but when it clicks, the payoff is lasting visibility, stronger media relationships, and greater confidence from clients and investors alike.
If your firm is considering a media tour in the months ahead, whether to introduce new leadership, elevate a market view, or build a reputation as an industry expert in the space, it is worth investing the time to get the asset management PR strategy right from the outset. The media environment is noisy. But smart storytelling, at the right time, with the right people, still cuts through.