When a journalist needs expert commentary, the priority isn't usually finding someone with an impressive job title. It's finding someone who can explain a subject clearly, offer a useful perspective and tell readers something they didn't already know.

Yet many businesses instinctively put forward their chief executive whenever a media opportunity arises.

It's understandable. Senior executives carry authority, represent the organisation and are accustomed to speaking on its behalf.

But seniority doesn't necessarily make someone the best person for every story.

And choosing spokespeople on that basis alone can limit a business's opportunities to build its reputation.

Journalists want answers, not job titles

A journalist writing about changes to pension taxation might approach a financial services business for commentary.

Its chief executive could provide a broad assessment of the policy. But a financial planner who deals with retirement decisions every day might be better placed to explain what the changes mean for people's finances.

The distinction matters.

According to Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2026 report, 70% of journalists surveyed considered relevance to their coverage area important when evaluating pitches, while 58% wanted access to appropriate interview sources.

These findings reinforce a fundamental principle of media relations: understanding what a journalist needs is more valuable than simply offering the most senior person available.

In October 2026, GB News published an article examining the potentially costly consequences of pension decisions following the Autumn Budget.

It featured commentary from Ben Klein, senior wealth manager at financial planning and investment management firm Tideway Wealth, and Tom Minnikin, partner at DJH group's specialist tax advisory firm Forbes Dawson.

Ben explained the risks facing people approaching retirement, while Tom addressed the implications of changes to pension taxation.

Two specialists contributed different perspectives to the same national news story.

Their relevance came from their understanding of the issues, not their positions within their respective organisations.

The expertise hiding in plain sight

Most established businesses have more potential media spokespeople than they realise.

Their accountants, engineers, advisers, analysts and other specialists possess knowledge which could be valuable to journalists.

But much of that knowledge remains invisible outside the organisation.

One reason is that media relations often centres on a handful of senior executives. Another is that businesses don't always recognise which aspects of their everyday work could interest the press.

A technical development which seems routine to an industry specialist might have significant consequences for customers, employers or the wider public.

Someone dealing with those implications every day could offer a perspective which a senior executive, however accomplished, simply doesn't have.

The challenge is recognising when that specialist knowledge becomes relevant to a story journalists are already covering.

Turning knowledge into media opportunities

A useful starting point is to map the expertise across an organisation.

Who understands the implications of new legislation? Who is seeing changes in customer behaviour? Who regularly encounters problems which could be affecting thousands of other people?

The next step is identifying the subjects on which those individuals can offer informed, distinctive commentary.

Not everyone needs to become a media spokesperson, and expertise alone doesn't guarantee coverage.

Specialists must be able to explain complicated subjects in accessible language, distinguish established facts from personal interpretation and understand the boundaries of their knowledge.

Businesses also need to make it straightforward for them to contribute.

Journalists frequently work to tight deadlines. A knowledgeable expert who requires several days to obtain approval may be of little practical use when a story is being written that afternoon.

Clear responsibilities, appropriate media preparation and an efficient approval process can make an enormous difference.

But perhaps the most important element is editorial judgement: recognising which developments are genuinely newsworthy, understanding the questions journalists are likely to ask and knowing whose experience can provide the most useful answers.

That is where an understanding of how newsrooms operate becomes particularly valuable.

Your reputation is bigger than one person

Chief executives remain important spokespeople, particularly when journalists are examining corporate strategy, business performance or the wider direction of an industry.

But a business's reputation shouldn't depend entirely on its most senior executive.

Giving relevant specialists a voice can demonstrate the breadth of knowledge within an organisation, establish credibility across different subjects and open up opportunities which might otherwise be missed.

It also gives journalists a reason to return when another story arises within that person's field.

Ultimately, effective media relations isn't about putting the most senior person in front of the press.

It's about finding the person who has something worth saying when a journalist needs to hear it.