Financial planners, the first thing to know about reporters is this: they are busy.

Often, they are too busy to read a press release, too busy to wait for you to call back, too busy to find the "best" resource. This leads to three tips for marketing-minded financial planners.

When a reporter calls ? move quickly

A reporter calls you. Great! Now what? Just remember this tip: media people rate you as a resource on strange criteria, such as ? how fast you call them back. If you don't call swiftly enough, they'll quote someone else. Media time is not like regular time: for them, three hours is not a quick callback. It's an eternity. And probably for you, it's a missed opportunity.

As you're following the media, ask yourself new questions

Examples of questions to ponder regularly: Why did they quote that expert? Look on their web site to see if they have any publicity materials you can review. Which reporters seem to cover my topics? Start a list of reporters and media that cover your topic regularly. You're going to become friends with them before long.

Don't build your publicity campaign solely around press releases

Don't rely on press releases to build your PR campaign. Reporters get 30 of 'em a day ? and toss most. (Repeat after me: "Most press releases get tossed.") Instead, build relationships and send useful information in other forms.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.